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The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. Its some 37,800 members are mainly American but some are international. The association publishes various journals and pamphlets, as well as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The DSM codifies psychiatric conditions and is used worldwide as a guide for diagnosing disorders.
Edwin Fuller Torrey, is an American psychiatrist and schizophrenia researcher. He is Associate Director of Research at the Stanley Medical Research Institute (SMRI) and founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC), a nonprofit organization whose principal activity is promoting the passage and implementation of outpatient commitment laws and civil commitment laws and standards in individual states that allow people diagnosed with mental illness to be forcibly committed and medicated easily throughout the United States.
The National Alliance On Mental Illness (NAMI) is a United States-based advocacy group originally founded as a grassroots group by family members of people diagnosed with mental illness. NAMI identifies its mission as being "dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness". NAMI offers classes and trainings for people living with mental illnesses, their families, community members, and professionals, including what is termed psychoeducation, or education about mental illness NAMI holds regular events which combine fundraising for the organization and education, including Mental Illness Awareness Week and NAMIWalks.
Diagnoses of autism have become more frequent since the 1980s, which has led to various controversies about both the cause of autism and the nature of the diagnoses themselves. Whether autism has mainly a genetic or developmental cause, and the degree of coincidence between autism and intellectual disability, are all matters of current scientific controversy as well as inquiry. There is also more sociopolitical debate as to whether autism should be considered a disability on its own.
The autism rights movement, also known as the autistic culture movement or the neurodiversity movement, is a social movement within the context of disability rights that emphasizes a neurodiversity paradigm, viewing the autism spectrum as a result of natural variations in the human brain rather than a disorder to be cured. The movement advocates for several goals, including greater acceptance of autistic behaviors; services that focus on improving quality of life rather than on imitating the behaviors of neurotypical peers; and the recognition of the autistic community as a minority group.
Bernard Rimland was an American research psychologist, writer, lecturer, and influential person in the field of developmental disorders. Rimland's first book, Infantile Autism, sparked by the birth of a son who had autism, was instrumental in changing attitudes toward the disorder. Rimland founded and directed two advocacy groups: the Autism Society of America (ASA) and the Autism Research Institute. He promoted several since disproven theories about the causes and treatment of autism, including vaccine denial, facilitated communication, Chelation therapy, and false claims of a link between secretin and autism.
The Treatment Advocacy Center (TAC) is a U.S. nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Virginia, USA. The organization, originally announced as the NAMI Treatment Action Center in 1997, was subsequently directed by psychiatrist E. Fuller Torrey, identifies its mission as ″dedicated to eliminating barriers to the timely and effective treatment of severe mental illness″. The organization is most well-known for proposed laws, policies, and practices in the areas of legally compelled outpatient services or outpatient commitment for people diagnosed with mental illness. The organization identifies its other key issues as "anosognosia, consequences of non-treatment, criminalization of mental illness, psychiatric bed shortages, public service costs, violence and mental illness". TAC has been subject to criticism by mental health advocates to be promoting coercion and forced treatment.
The Combating Autism Act of 2006, Pub. Law No. 109-416, is an Act of the United States Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 19, 2006. It authorizes nearly one billion dollars in expenditures, over five years beginning in 2007, to combat the autism spectrum disorders of autism, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and PDD-NOS through screening, education, early intervention, prompt referrals for treatment and services, and research.
The psychiatric survivors movement is a diverse association of individuals who either currently access mental health services, or who are survivors of interventions by psychiatry, or who are ex-patients of mental health services.
Societal and cultural aspects of autism come into play with recognition of autism, approaches to its support services and therapies, and how autism affects the definition of personhood. The autistic community is divided primarily into two camps; the neurodiversity movement and the autism cure movement. The neurodiversity movement believes autism is a different way of being and advocates against a cure. On the other hand, the autism cure movement advocates for a cure. There are many autism-related events and celebrations; including World Autism Awareness Day, Autism Sunday and Autistic Pride Day. Autism is diagnosed more frequently in males than in females.
The Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) is an American voluntary health organization based in New York City whose mission is to find better treatments and ultimately prevent and cure systemic lupus erythematosus, a debilitating autoimmune disease, through supporting medical research. It was co-founded by philanthropist Woody Johnson, who is also the organization's chairman. As of 2013 the ALR's cumulative research commitment was $81,000,000.
The Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) is a DNA biobank funded by Autism Speaks. It exists to provide DNA specimens to geneticists who are researching autism.
Frederick King Goodwin is an American psychiatrist and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center, where he is also director of the Center on Neuroscience, Medical Progress, and Society. He is a specialist in bipolar disorder and recurrent depression.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization run by and for individuals on the autism spectrum. ASAN holds that the goal of autism advocacy should be a world in which autistic people enjoy the same access, rights, and opportunities as all other people, and that autistic voices should be included in any public discourse on autism, whether in public policy, mass media, or other venues. ASAN is based in Washington, D.C.
The National Empowerment Center (NEC) is an advocacy and peer-support organization in the United States that promotes an empowerment-based recovery model of mental disorders. It is run by consumers/survivors/ex-patients "in recovery" and is located in Lawrence, Massachusetts in Essex County.
Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds is the fifth book published by New York Times bestselling author, activist and television personality Jenny McCarthy. Her previous book, Louder Than Words, reached #3 on the New York Times bestseller list, and has more than 200,000 hardcovers in print after 5 printings. Many of McCarthy's assertions within the book, such as that she cured her son's autism and the benefits of chelation are highly disputed within the medical and scientific community, as chelation therapy has been fatal in at least one instance. The foreword was written by her son's pediatrician, Jay Gordon.
Autism Speaks Inc. (AS) is the largest autism advocacy organization in the United States. It sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, and the public. It was founded in February 2005 by Bob Wright, vice chairman of General Electric, and his wife Suzanne, a year after their grandson Christian was diagnosed with autism.
The Autism Science Foundation (ASF) is a non-profit organization that supports research into autism. The organization was founded in April 2009 by Alison Tepper Singer, a former senior executive of Autism Speaks and a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), and Karen Margulis London, co-founder of the National Alliance for Autism Research. Both Singer and London are parents of autistic children.
Autism Cymru was "Wales' national charity for autism" with offices in Cardiff, Wrexham, and Aberystwyth. The organization was established by practitioners and collaborates with Wales Autism Research Centre (WARC), a research institute within Cardiff University. They also work with the Welsh government, Autism Speaks and Autism Initiatives UK to affect the service delivery to people on the autism spectrum to establish public policy that will better meet the needs of the autistic community in Wales. They also wish to create best practices that may be used anywhere in the world.
Morénike Giwa-Onaiwu is an American educator and autism and HIV advocate. Alongside E. Ashkenazy and Lydia Brown, Onaiwu is an editor of All the Weight of Our Dreams, an anthology of art and writing entirely by autistic people of color published by the Autism Women's Network in June 2017.
References
- ↑ "Autism Speaks and the National Alliance for Autism Research complete merger" (Press release). Autism Speaks. 2006-02-13. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
