Today starts
a mini-series inspired by a reader’s comment about depression. Angie, from Australia, pointed out that while
the kids with ASD might not be depressed, many of the parents certainly are. Not only will we address Angie’s point, but
we will extend it a little and show how this can also help in our quest for the
grail.
I will check to see if Angie does.
I did wonder what the reason for this phenomenon was. Originally, I thought it was just the fact that he had not eaten for a long time and so his blood sugar level had dropped. This applies with all kids; if they have not eaten, they will get cranky.
Many people
have stressful lives, but some have discovered a special way to overcome
this. I was reading an English newspaper
recently and there was an article about a celebrity cook, Nigella Lawson, who
is very popular on the BBC. While Jamie
Oliver appears not to overindulge on his own cooking, it appears that Nigella does.
Nigella was giving her tips to losing those excess pounds or kilograms. The interesting part was not the treadmill in
the spare room, but her comment about singing extremely loudly while using it.
Here comes
the science part. Cortisol is an
important hormone; and as we learnt previously when studying TRH, while a
hormone may have a well-documented primary function, there may also have
numerous additional effects. The most
important roles of cortisol are the activation of three metabolic pathways:-
1.
Generating
glucose
2.
Anti-stress
3.
Anti-inflammation
The function
that Nigella has stumbled upon is number two. While we all
need cortisol, too much is not good for you.
Cortisol is
released in response to stress and while short term increases serve a valuable
purpose, prolonged cortisol secretion, perhaps caused by chronic stress, can cause
damaging physiological changes.
It would be
nice if there was a way to reduce excess, stress-induced, cortisol and then you
would feel calm, refreshed and ready to fight on. While exercise is also very good for you, it
is actually the singing that really makes Nigella feel good.
It is scientifically
established that singing substantially reduces your level of cortisol, which in
turn makes you feel much better. Here is
a link to simple study done in Angie’s home country and with the help of the Macquarie University Choir.
I could
now tell you all about music therapy and its application in psychiatry. If you are interested, do look into it; it is
used to treat everything from autism to alcoholism.
In essence
music is good for you; but it seems that making your own music is far more beneficial
than just listening to other people.
Tip for parents
Follow
Nigella’s example (and mine) and sing.I will check to see if Angie does.
Back to ASD
Have you noticed
that an autistic child is at their most stressed first thing in the
morning? I certainly have; this was
particularly marked when Monty’s behaviour regressed. My approach was and remains to have Monty through this possible
trouble zone quickly; so once he is up, he should have breakfast, brush teeth
and get dressed promptly. It proved an effective strategy.I did wonder what the reason for this phenomenon was. Originally, I thought it was just the fact that he had not eaten for a long time and so his blood sugar level had dropped. This applies with all kids; if they have not eaten, they will get cranky.
Now I have an
alternative explanation, and probably a better one. It is likely to do with the
natural variation in cortisol levels in the blood that apparently peaks at
about 8am and falls to a low for the day at bed time. Wait to read more in Part II.
Autism, Depression and Suicidal
Tendencies
It
may not make cheerful reading, but one factor these three groups all have in
common is dysregulation of the HPA, which is the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal
Axis. There is also the well documented phenomenon
of enhanced cortisol response to stress in children in autism. This will be
continued in a science-heavy Part II and quite possibly will result in another
hypothesis regarding a practical intervention.
Just to let you know, that my very
long recent post about the TRH hypothesis has now gone for review to a clever and
interested neuroscientist in the US. I
have a feeling that it will shortly be joined by my CRH (corticotropin
releasing hormone) hypothesis; but maybe it should be called Angie’s CRH
hypothesis?