Val's Take

• I heard Kyle Clark on Next say that Denver ran into REALITY when it came to homelessness and housing.
• I think Denver and this Country need to "RUN INTO REALITY" --- a lot more than we have.

 

• Many if not most chronically homeless people are going to meet the criteria for "disability."  Now has that been worsened by CHRONIC STRESS --- probably.

 

• I've tried to make this point numerous times --- but it is actually the STATE that has a legal responsibility to provide:
  • MEASURABLE GOALS
  • REASONABLE TIME FRAMES, and
  • FUNDING TO SUPPORT THE PLAN

to prevent unnecessary institutionalization of people with disabilities and the unnecessary risk of  institutionalization inherent in homelessness.

So COLORADO should have an adequate Continuum of Care --- NOW --- but we don't --- we need to make that plan and get those MEASURABLE GOALS.

Now we have existing evidenced-based models that can help and provide safe places, and we have EMERGING MODELS that "may" dramatically improve the lives of some people on the neuro-developmental/psychiatric spectrum.

Conceptualizing this as an ENERGY ISSUE with MITOCHONDRIA DYSREGULATION seems to be an important step up in our understanding of some of these issues.

If we don't deal with the MITOCHONDRIAL DYSREGULATION --- it's going to be hard for people to "get back on their feet."

Val's Take

• The Psychotropic Medications of the 1950s and 1960s along with NEXT GENERATION Medications---
  • have been a MIXED BAG
  • and instituted a BACKLASH in Mental Health AGAINST the Medical Model

 

• The DSM 5 is an embarrassing list of categories with subjective symptom clusters that often don't track brain scans or the research.

Having said all that, research of the last 10 years is making REAL BREAKTHROUGHS:

• Discovery of lymphatic vessels in the brain.
• Linking Maternal Immune Activation with Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Disorders as well as "Hyper-Connected" Brains
• Recognizing the Metabolic aspects of Neuro-Developmental and Psychiatric Continuum and the role of Mitochondria and ATP.
  

New insights into the role of mitochondria in autoimmune diseases (2019)

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) normally stays within mitochondria, energy-producing structures inside cells. However, it can be released from the mitochondria into the cell in response to stress. When this happens, the mtDNA can trigger an overactive immune response, as occurs in autoimmune diseases.

"In most cells, mitochondria (green) form complex tubular networks that help them distribute energy throughout the cell. Disruption of these mitochondrial networks is a hallmark of many human diseases."

Photo credit: UC San Diego Health Sciences

Video reports UC San Diego research
Biomarkers for Suicidal Thoughts in the Mitochondria

Developmental Stage-Dependent Changes in Mitochondrial Function in the Brain of Offspring

Following Prenatal Maternal Immune Activation (2023)

• As mentioned above, prenatal activation of the maternal immune system has been connected with both increased risk of ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder] and with mitochondrial dysfunction.
• It has been demonstrated that the mitochondria have a noteworthy relationship with the immune system, as they can impact the immune response and vice versa.