Another Restraint Casualty

Woman's Son On Life Support After Being Restrained

http://www.wcco.com/video/?id=72927@wcco.dayport.com

A Brooklyn Park mother wants to know why her mentally disabled son is clinging to life at a local hospital.

Nancy Aleshire said her 27-year-old son, Tim, lashed out at one of his co-workers on New Year's Eve. During the struggle to restrain him, she said he stopped breathing. Now, he is on life support.

Aleshire said Tim loved to play computer games, go to the library and most of all he loved the Minnesota State Fair.

"He is diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and also schizophrenia but he is extremely high functioning," said Aleshire.

She never expected his place of employment, Metro Resources in Eden Prairie, would be the subject of an investigation in connection with injuries he suffered while on the job.

"He is on life support with just a constant decrease in brain function," said Aleshire.

She said she was told her son tried to grab a co-worker and had to be held down.

His heart stopped and he stopped breathing. He was revived and taken to Fairview Southdale Hospital.

"Upon talking with the Eden Prairie police they said four people were involved with restraining him," said Aleshire.

Metro Resources is run by the Department of Human Services.

It gives people with special needs an opportunity to work.

A DHS spokesperson said the "staff is devastated by the incident" and the department is cooperating with the investigation.

Aleshire admits that in the past her son has tried to attack her and others in the group home where he lives. However, she doesn't think this had to happen.

"Tim's assaultive episodes against people in his group home had really decreased," Aleshire said.

Doctors still do not know if the people restraining Tim caused him to stop breathing or if he had another medical problem.

Either way, his mom knows he won't recover from the brain damage and she said she is working out plans to donate her son's organs.

She plans on taking him off life support Wednesday.

From another report:

State Human Services spokeswoman Patrice Vick declined to speak in detail about the case. "Our staff are devastated by the situation, and we are supporting law enforcement's investigation and will be conducting our own internal investigation," Vick said.

Metro Resources is one of 19 state-operated facilities around Minnesota that provide work to the developmentally disabled. They perform tasks on behalf of businesses ranging from packaging and assembly to working in hotels and restaurants and handling other types of manual labor.

Briefed about the Aleshire family's contentions, police spokeswoman Joyce Lorenz said, "This is exactly what we are investigating."

Nancy Aleshire said that the co-worker her son tried to attack "constantly goes after Tim." She said she tried to have Metro Resources do something about that worker, but the people in charge there "made no attempt to step in. ... We were in the process of transferring [Timothy] to another workplace."

Hennepin County emergency medical records state that Aleshire had been "physically subdued ... by his arms and legs, and face-down" after "he apparently swung at a co-worker, perhaps even punching him."

"He would not stop struggling; he was held down for an unknown period of time and continued to struggle, and then reportedly made some sort of audible gasp and stopped breathing," the records state.

The records say Aleshire did not have a pulse for at least 30 minutes.

Nancy Aleshire acknowledged that her son "used to go after me" but said that behavior ended several years ago. She said her son has had to be restrained at his group home, but "not to the force" that was used at work last week.

She said her son is on anti-psychotic medication and takes his prescriptions as required. A group home worker is quoted in the emergency medical report as saying that Aleshire had been "doing quite well lately."

Now, "Tim has irreversible brain damage," Nancy Aleshire said. "There is no potential for him coming out of it. At best, he would be in a constant vegetative state for the rest of his life."

She visited her son for the last time Tuesday at Fairview Southdale, signing papers to allow his organs to be donated when the time comes.

"I want to push for criminal charges," she said. "We've just had Tim stolen from us."

I don't have a lot to add to that. This sort of thing has to stop. I hope they really investigate what led to the incident, the part played by this co-worker who "constantly went after him", and I wonder if he was one of the four who held him down. I plan to follow the story to see what happens.

Article About Ari

Ari Ne'eman, seen here in East Brunswick, is the first person with autism nominated to the National Council on Disability.

East Brunswick man with autism, controversial advocate nominated to federal council

By Karen Keller/The Star-Ledger

January 05, 2010

Ari Ne’eman keeps a copy of the U.S. Constitution folded in his wallet. It’s a constant reminder that his "war" — his advocacy and activism on behalf of people with autism — is worth fighting, even if it engenders controversy and the occasional death threat.

Eight years ago, the 22-year-old East Brunswick native was an unhappy, bullied child with few friends. At the private special-education school he attended, staff members prepared students for the future by teaching them to wash dishes, he said.

Today, after a swift and sometimes bumpy ascent in the realm of national autism politics, he is the first person with autism to be nominated for a seat on the National Council on Disability. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he also will be the youngest person to serve on the board in at least 20 years, council spokesman Mark Quigley said.

President Obama submitted Ne’eman’s name last month, sparking a decidedly mixed reaction on autism blogs and message boards.

Ne’eman, who sometimes uses aggressive language and who has attacked the views of some of the best-known autism-advocacy groups, is untroubled by his critics.

"The real war is against prejudice, discrimination, lack of support and abuse," he said. "That’s a war I’m proud to say we don’t believe we should be taking any prisoners."

Some find fault with Ne’eman because, in their view, he’s not quite autistic enough. Ne’eman has Asperger’s syndrome, a relatively mild form of autism. Those with Asperger’s typically have difficulty with social interaction, a hallmark of autism. They’re often physically clumsy and intensely focused on a few subjects, almost to the point of obsession.

But they’re also typically of average or above-average intelligence, with good communication skills. Many people with more profound autism can’t speak at all, leading families to suggest Ne’eman isn’t the most appropriate advocate.

Ne’eman’s views and tactics are another matter.

He’s tossed verbal firebombs at Autism Speaks, one of the nation’s best-funded autism groups, accusing the organization of insulting people with autism by directing most of the money it raises to researching autism’s cause rather than helping those who already have the condition.

The exclusive focus on a cure, Ne’eman contends, amounts to medically engineering people like him out of existence.

"We should be spending at least as much money on improving our quality of life instead of trying to get rid of us," he said.

He occasionally complements his comments with guerilla tactics. Last month, he organized a protest outside of Carnegie Hall in New York City, where an Autism Speaks fundraiser was being held, he said. Ne’eman knows he’s a lightning rod, saying he’s received death threats. After one threat last summer, he said, he had to be escorted by police to speak at an event in New Hampshire.

But there’s little debate about his growing voice in the national autism debate.

As founder and president of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, he’s watched his group spawn sister chapters in 12 other states.

He’s also served on state boards in New Jersey, fighting for the rights of people with disabilities.

The young activist’s efforts come at a time of growing awareness and worry about autism across the country. According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 71 boys and one in 110 children meet the criteria for autism, making it one of the leading childhood developmental diagnoses.

Ne’eman has risen to prominence while still in college. He attends the University of Maryland-Baltimore County on a full scholarship.

Supporters say his voice, however unwelcome to some, is needed now more than ever.

"He’s our future," said Monique Dujue Wilson, the mother of a 23-year-old son who is severely autistic. "Within uncomfortable is honesty."

Staff writer Mark Mueller contributed to this report.

I've known Ari for about five years now, first "met" him when he wrote a guest article at Neurodiversity weblog. We had an interesting discussion, and acknowledged each other's points. He's a very practical and diplomatic young man, and I can't think of anyone who would be a better representative, for all of us on the spectrum. Those who say he "isn't autistic enough" simply don't know the challenges he has had, and overcome, and those same people wouldn't listen to anyone who is "too autistic". They just love to put us in these "Catch 22" situations. I know that he, (and many of us), can understand perfectly the needs of those who are labeled "autistic disorder". It's only a label, imperfectly applied, to a condition that is essentially the same.

We've been on several Lists together, and from all that I've read of him, I know that he is very passionate about disability rights, for everyone. I met him in person last year at Autreat, listened to him speak, and can understand how people (and politicians) who meet with him are impressed with his fervor for his mission. ASAN, the non-profit organization he founded and directs, is all about helping people; whether it is helping to inform public policy towards the disabled, writing effective letters supporting or opposing proposed laws, protesting organizations who claim to speak for autistics, but don't, or who torture developmentally disabled people of all kinds, the whole gamut of civil rights issues. And now and then, it takes an interest in individual issues, such as the one down in Arkansas. It's an issue that every parent should be deeply concerned with, if they don't want a similar thing to happen to their child.

I feel as proud and hopeful about Ari's nomination as I was when President Obama was elected. I know I won't be disappointed with either one, that they will each do their best to live up to their own expectations of themselves. Sure, they'll both have to fight the "other side", maybe sometimes make compromises, but I know that with them, we're going to be a lot closer to our goal.

ACTION ALERT by Ari Ne'eman, ASAN President.

Hello,

In the past, we've written to you about advocacy issues relating to the rights of adults and youth on the autism spectrum. Our voices have made a difference on all manner of policy concerns and have sent a clear message that those who seek to deprive Autistic people of any age of their rights will have our community to answer to. Now we'd like to ask you to help us take action to help protect an 11-year old Autistic boy in Arkansas named Zakhqurey Price, currently being charged with felony assault after fighting back when two staff members restrained him in response to behavioral challenges. The school has ignored repeated efforts from Zakh's grandmother over the course of the last five months to obtain needed IEP supports to improve his educational options and manage his behavioral difficulties.

According to the suspension notice, the restraint was in response to Zakh destroying school property - something beyond the scope of what would be allowed under recently introduced federal civil rights legislation around restraint and seclusion in schools. Disability advocates, including ASAN, are fighting to pass this crucial legislation that would broaden the protections available to students like Zakh as well as those with other disabilities and with no disability at all. We have asked for your help in passing this important legislation, and together we can succeed in bringing proposed civil rights protections into law - but not in time to help Zakh. That is why we need you to take action now. Find out how below:


School Principal:
Pam Siebenmorgan (One of the charging parties in Zakh's felony hearing - polite but firm calls and e-mails encouraging her to drop the charges would be helpful)
Phone: 479-646-0834
E-mail: psiebenm@fortsmithschools.org


School Superintendent:
Dr. Benny Gooden (The Superintendent runs the entire school district - polite but firm calls and e-mails communicating how this situation is damaging Fort Smith Public Schools' reputation would be helpful as well)
E-mail: bgooden@fortsmithschools.org
School Board Office: 1-479-785-2501 Ext. 1201


We recommend that you both e-mail and call if you can. If necessary, e-mail is the preferable option. If you would like your e-mails to be passed along to Zakh's grandmother, please bcc: info@autisticadvocacy.org. Please stress the importance of Fort Smith Public Schools taking the following steps:

-Drop the charges against Zakhqurey Price

-Work with his grandmother to put in place an IEP that will fulfill Zakh's right for a Free and Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment

-Improve training for school personnel to prevent future such incidents and to ensure that students on the autism spectrum as well as with other disabilities are included, supported and educated in Fort Smith Public Schools.


If Zakh is declared incompetent as part of the hearing scheduled for January 12th, state law requires that he be placed into a mental hospital for at least 30 days. His grandmother fears that, due to the negative repercussions of being taken out of the community and being forced into an institutional setting, Zakh may lose skills in such an environment and not be returned to her indefinitely. That is why we need you to act now. Please distribute and repost this action alert. Thank you for your time and your advocacy, and as always, Nothing About Us, Without Us!

Uniform Method to Interpret ASDs

Uniform Method to Interpret
Autism Spectrum Disorders

ScienceDaily (Jan. 5, 2010) — A researcher from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has defined a new, integrated interpretation of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), which makes it easier to understand both the commonalities and differences between ASD and other conditions.

---

See Also:

Mind & Brain

• Autism
• Disorders and Syndromes
• Child Development

Reference

• Autistic spectrum
• Learning disability
• Adult attention-deficit disorder
• Empathy

In an article published in the December 2009 issue of The Neuroscientist, Dr. Dorit Ben Shalom recommends a uniform approach to evaluating and confronting the four common problems associated with ASD.

"The main criterion defining Autism Spectrum Disorders is difficulty in emotional-social behavior," explains Dr. Ben Shalom of Ben-Gurion University's Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, in Beer-Sheva, Israel. "Nevertheless, many people with ASD have some difficulties in three other domains -- memory, perception and motor behavior."

In her theoretical model, Dr. Ben Shalom recommends a uniform way to think about these four types of difficulties, which she believes are linked by a common brain structure/brain function connection involving the medial prefrontal cortex. This approach makes it easier to understand both commonalities and differences between ASD and other conditions, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This approach will make it possible to test predictions about the location of these brain networks, how they function differently in people with ASD and how to use this knowledge to design interventions and compensatory strategies.

According to the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, ASD is more common in the pediatric population than better known disorders, such as diabetes, spinal bifida or Down syndrome. A recent study of a U.S. metropolitan area estimates that 3.4 of every 1,000 children between 3 and 10 years-old have Autism.

On a personal note, when I went to Google images to find a photo of Dr. Ben Shalom, I was flabbergasted to see a face that I knew! I'm positive that this is the same person I picked up at the train station and transported to Autreat 2000. I was able to pick her out of a crowd of 50 or 60 people who got off the train, just by the way she looked and walked. I recall that she pointed out these posts on the side of the road, just metal rods with consecutive numbers on them, that most people would never notice. She was traveling very light, coming from Washington D.C., and she mentioned that she needed a blanket, so I stopped by my house to pick up an extra one for her. We had lunch at a Wendy's along the way.

I saw her again, at another Autreat in 2002. I was walking along, whistling, and noticed her some distance away, holding her hands over her ears. I stopped whistling. I don't think she recognized me.

She's a very tiny woman, only about 5 feet tall, but I think we can look forward to more big things coming from her. I think her research seems to be on the right track.

This Emotional Life - Pt 1

http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/series

Sorry, I was hoping that the entire 1st part of the series would be available, but if it does becomes available, it should be at that site.

I enjoyed it very much, and didn't mind the celebrity segments at all, unlike the reviewer I featured recently. We all know Larry David, Chevy Chase, and John McEnroe, somewhat, and they really didn't need any excuse to put Alanis Morissette on the TV. She's very easy to look at. When Dr. Phil comes on, I plan to go to the bathroom!

They did indeed do some interesting segments on a young black couple, and an older white couple who were having marital problems. They really needed to talk things out in counseling. They were helped to express themselves to each other.

The segment on Jason Ross, a blogger on the Hub, was really excellent. I've been reading him for some time, but now I feel I know him a lot better. Outstanding young man!

What I found most interesting, that hit closer to home, was the portion that dealt with an American couple who had adopted a boy and a girl from Russia. The kids were not related, but shared one thing in common - the boy had spent 2 1/2 years in a Russian orphanage, and the girl had spent 9 months in one. The girl , Nadia, was very social, well-liked by everyone, and outgoing, but the boy, Alex, had a lot of problems.

No, he wasn't autistic, or even Asperger's, but they explained his problems by showing the neglect that he had been subjected to in his first 2 and a half years. The Nurses there had 15 - 20 children in their charge, and only had time to feed and change the infants. Then they showed old clips of an experiment done by a Dr. Harry Harlow, who gave baby rhesus monkeys the choice of a mama monkey made of wire, which had a bottle attached to its chest area, and a mama monkey covered with soft cloth materials, without a food source. The babies chose the soft and comforting mama, every time. The need for comfort and affection beat out the need to eat, imagine that.

Notwithstanding, those baby monkeys grew up to have what appeared to be emotional problems. They couldn't get along with peers, and spent their lives unhappily. Certainly, I thought of my own situation. I recall that my mother had said, (at different times), that I had begun to walk and talk at 10 months. Also, that I had been weaned at 10 months, and that she had gone back to work when I was 10 months. On yet another occasion, she said that she had gotten the flu when I was 10 months old, and so was unable to nurse me any longer. That I refused the bottle, and became so dehydrated that I was hospitalized. Now, I have no idea of the chronology of those events, (nor of the veracity), but she did say all those things, at different times.

She thought she was an old hand at this parenting business, already having had 3 girls, and there must have been a lot of washing and ironing to do, besides cleaning the house and working at the factory. I'll bet she thought nothing of it when I kicked and screamed at having my behind powdered. (Powder always causes a violent gagging reaction in me.) It wouldn't have occurred to her that I was having an allergic reaction, just being fussy. Yeah, she was busy, so I probably experienced what is called "failure to bond" to some extent. It's not like she was loving, or lovable.

Now before Jonathan Mitchell accuses me again of "bringing back Bettelheim", the boy Alex wasn't diagnosed with autism or Asperger's, but with "Reactive Attachment Disorder", essentially the same thing as those poor baby rhesus monkeys had. Now this is a thing that can apparently be caused by maternal neglect. As I had said in an earlier post, "Well, I'm not here to promote Bettelheim, and I know that my being Asperger's was always there, intrinsic to my being, but it's also true that my relationships with my parents were as distant as you could possibly imagine." So in my case, at least, the neglect was an additional burden. I believe it to be a factor in his case, as well, and I would encourage him to look into it, so he can sort out what caused what in his psychological make-up.

I happened to find "MJ's" blog, Autism Jabberwocky for the first time today, and found a comment there written by Mitchell under the heading "Help Wanted". "I have been told by certain members of the ND movement that my impairments are not due to a neurologic condition but the fact that my mother taught me to hate myself and that I had a horrible domineering mother." I answered it, but it was deleted.

Well, Jonathan, no one has ever doubted that you are autistic and that you were born that way. No one has ever said that your mother caused your autism by any kind of behavior on her part, that simply isn't possible. What we do say is that you learned your helpless, whiny, gotta-find-a-cure-for-this-terrible-condition attitude about autism from your mother, and you surely heard her saying negative things to you, and about you, many times. I also believe that she was domineering and manipulative, like mine. I don't know if you've ever lived on your own, but have reason to believe you are dependent on her right now, at least financially. Only you know how supportive she is in other areas. But as long as you share her beliefs about autism, (and probably a gang of other things), it's not a problem, right?

PS. I just read that "Harry Harlow" link, and found it extremely interesting.

H1N1 shot challenge !

For the past seventeen years, I've gotten the seasonal flu shot around November, the first sixteen of those provided free from my employer, a health care agency. I've retired now, but the Veteran's Administration kindly provided my last flu shot last month. I asked at the time if the H1N1 shot was available, but no, even my doctor hadn't yet been provided it, and he's of the highest priority. He told me they were losing Doctors and staff left and right, and he was being very careful not to catch it.

I have another appointment there on the 6th of January, for an abdominal aorta ultrasound. Of course, I'm going to ask again if the shot is available.

I hope they'll have it, but if not, apparently Walgreen's, a local and regional drug store has an ample supply. I saw an ad on TV tonight saying that people could get their H1N1 shots at any Walgreen's store for $18.00. Okay, not free, but a reasonable price. I already had some kind of flu this past September, and it was no fun. It was followed by bronchitis and a cold that lasted for months.

An internet friend in the UK reports that he had his swine flu shot recently, and it made him very sick for a few days. Maybe sore joints, maybe feverish, I don't know, he didn't use any adjectives, as I recall. I thought it strange, because in all those 17 shots I've had, there have been no side effects at all for me, and I don't believe that it would be any different with this shot either.

In fact, I'm so confident of that, and so unafraid of the standard thimerosal-laced flu shot, that I'll volunteer for a little experiment. I'll take a shot every day for a month, (it may not be available on Sundays?), anyway, I'll take 30 shots, as close to every day as possible, provided somebody wants to pay for them. I would get the receipts, and scan them in for proof, and also report on my progress and any effects. If anyone (or group of people) would like to see this experiment carried out, just say so in a comment, and I'll provide my addy so you can send it via PayPal, and all receipts and results will be posted here. How's that for a deal?

Autism Activists and Science Denialism

January 1, 2010 John Humphreys

In waging war against disease, modern medicine augments the evolutionarily derived defenses of the human immune system and saves millions of lives. Despite this fact, medical science continues to be plagued by denalism, particularly in regards to the condition known as autism.

Through hundreds of millions of years the process of biological evolution has, through trial and error, refined the vertebrate immune system to an astonishing degree. However, despite these great successes, humans continue to be susceptible to the attacks of bacteria and viruses, as well as to assaults from blunders in our own internal physiological processes. Luckily, through the process of science, which includes clinical evaluation and peer-review, modern medicine augments the natural fortifications of the human immune system as it opposes illness. In the evolutionary arms race against disease, medicine is an essential armament and doctors are very much needed arms dealers. Unfortunately for those on the front lines, not all arms dealers are equally sound.

As a case in point, back in 2005 Diana L. Vargas and other scientists published a paper in which they described the occurrence of neuroinflammation (’neuro’ = brain; ‘inflammation’ = irritated) in the brains of recently deceased patients who had lived with confirmed autism. The brain tissues autopsied in conjunction with the study had been provided by the Autism Tissue Program, and all samples were taken from people who had died of accidental deaths; deaths such as drowning, hyperthermia, trauma, and other non-pathogenic causes. Clinically, neuroinflammation is a symptom that is often associated with immune system disorders and its connection to autism is, for the most part, not yet understood. The potential for misinterpretation and misuse of the paper’s inflammation-to-autism link inspired the researchers to emphasize in the conclusion of the study and elsewhere that although “the role of neuroinflammation in the context of the genetic and other factors that determine the autism phenotype remains an important issue to be investigated.” The paper made clear that treating persons afflicted with autism with protocols for immune dysfunction was not recommended.

And yet since publication of this neuroinflammation paper, it has been used by ‘doctors’ as a rationale for treating children with alternative and non-standard procedures aimed at immune system disorders… Despite the lack of evidence, quacks, particularly those associated with the Defeat Autism Now network, have been promising progress to the parents of autistic children through the use of strong immunosuppressant drugs, hormone treatments, intravenous immunoglobulin, and therapies using hyperbaric oxygen chambers.

Scary stuff… It seems as though ’snake oil’ is abundant resource when there’s money to be made. It’s a real shame that these treatments bring only slight and transient emotional relief to agonized parents. Especially when considering that such harsh treatments bring only pain and suffering to the kids on the receiving end. The victims in this case happen to be diagnosed with autism - a condition that is already widely misrepresented as being brought about by life-saving vaccinations.

Vaccinations are disease preventing medical treatments that stimulate a natural immune response through the bodily introduction of biological molecules. As a product of evolution, the immune system attacks foreign, potentially pathogenic proteins; because the agents introduced during vaccination contain a molecule that is structurally similar to the protein of a disease causing microorganism, the body’s chemistry reacts defensively. The immune system first seeks-out the foreign protein; it then records its identifying characteristics as ‘military intelligence’ for later operations before finely destroying the medically infiltrated invader. Through this process, vaccinations effectively increase the immune system’s repertoire of available defensive tactics, thus reducing the likelihood of serious besiegement when the real pathogen is encountered.

Most medical procedures - including vaccines - have a potential for adverse side effects which can range from minor aches and pains to death; BUT, when compared to the risks inherit to the disease itself there is absolutely no comparison - vaccines are the hands-down best option. Key to the effectiveness of vaccination programs is public participation; this starts with gaining confidence through the elimination of misinformation, which in the case of autism is a substantial quantity…

Although there is no valid, or for that matter even plausible, connection between autism and vaccination, or any reason to treat autism with therapies designed for immune deficiency, the spread of misinformation on these topics is rampant. The resulting distrust of medical science has contributed to numerous illness and deaths that would have otherwise been preventable. Those in the anti-vaccine movement are similar to creationists; they allow personal bias, subjective opinion and their penchant for conspiracy theories to override rationality, facts and morals. In the case of medical science this denialism comes at a tremendous price.

References:

Vargas, D., Nascimbene, C., Krishnan, C., Zimmerman, A., & Pardo, C. (2005). Neuroglial activation and neuroinflammation in the brain of patients with autism Annals of Neurology, 57 (1), 67-81 DOI: 10.1002/ana.20315

Persistent pursuits by TRINE TSOUDEROS and PATRICIA CALLAHAN Chicago Tribune

John Humphreys

Since his graduation from Kent State University where he studied biology and geology, John Humphreys has worked in a variety of scientific fields ranging from paleontology to conservation. Currently he resides in Florida where he is a fulltime ecologist and part time student.

Okay, so I haven't heard of John Humphreys before, but I like him. I sure like what he said here, and I really don't have much of anything to add to it, except that I want to give him his props, and my appreciation.

"Nova" series pursues happiness

Joanne Ostrow
The Denver Post

A warm puppy? Winning the lottery? What would make you happy?

If a three-part "NOVA" science series wasn't your first answer, there's still hope.

PBS will undertake a three-night consideration of human contentment, fear and happiness — what makes us tick — in "This Emotional Life," premiering next week.

Psychologists of all stripes weigh in on emotional health, backed by the latest science and sometimes surprising findings. People who have experienced tremendous loss or upheaval, and who later achieved amazing reinvention, talk about their emotional experiences. And a number of celebrities chime in, quite unnecessarily.

Trouble is, the program feels more like Oprah Common Sense than PBS science.

Most of the findings are very basic: Loneliness bad; companionship good.

Money can't buy happiness, but it can help.

Positive thinking can't hurt. Meditation may be beneficial. Forgiveness may work as a route to happiness.

Laboratory studies from leading scientists back up these ideas, but it all amounts to the sort of wisdom gleaned from daytime TV or supermarket self-help books.

"This Emotional Life," airing Monday-Wednesday, from 8 to 10 p.m. each night on KRMA-Channel 6, is psychology-lite.

It's easy listening, and the profiles are engrossing, but you wish it were more scrupulous in reporting on the $10 billion self-help industry, for instance.

The subject of contentment is lively enough that it didn't need the celebrities interviewed on camera, a choice that feels distinctly like pandering to those of us who aren't social scientists, the unwashed masses on the couch. Please, more science, less Larry David, Dr. Phil, Alanis Morissette Joan Rivers, Chevy Chase and John McEnroe. Their personal theories don't add much.

Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert, author of "Stumbling on Happiness," leads this exploration of "the human journey to happiness" which we all pursue with more or less success. He's a genial host, but viewers may lament Gilbert's tendency to toss out open-ended questions (can a vegan diet and positive thinking cure cancer?) without landing on a solid answer. His debunking is too gentle.

Experts weigh in, further invalidating the need for boldface celebrity names. (If the idea of a PBS special about social interactions doesn't interest you, chances are the addition of Chevy Chase talking about being depressed won't change your mind.)

Among the more satisfying subjects are a lottery winner, a cancer survivor, a young man with Asperger's syndrome, a laid-off Wall Street executive, and a husband and wife team working through difficult marital issues.

The most moving account is that of a former POW and survivor of torture in Vietnam. Navy aviator Bob Shumaker describes how he and his fellow prisoners developed a social network that was crucial to their surviving three years in solitary confinement. By tapping on the cell wall in code, they communicated, taught each other things and exchanged encouragement. The metaphor of "a tap code," one psychologist notes, describes something all humans need in order to connect, in order to be happy.

Turns out E.M. Forster had it right in "Howards End": "Only connect!"

Human resilience is another recurring theme. A man whose childhood was marked by abusive, alcoholic parents and frequent juvenile arrests talks of how he turned his life around to become a respected surgeon. Another upbeat survivor, paralyzed after an accident, recounts his journey to rehabilitation and business success.

In the end, it seems, happiness is what you make it.

Well, it seems that Ms Ostrow wasn't too impressed with the celebrities featured on the show, (and I may not be either, depending on what they say). Still, I look forward to seeing the series, as I think it will be interesting. It's not that I'm particularly depressed about anything, I'm actually not, although others looking at my life might think I should be. I don't get out much, don't have much personal contact with anyone, no longer work, and have no big plans or aspirations.

On the other hand, I'm entirely free to do whatever I want, (which isn't much), and no longer have to answer to anyone or "perform" up to anyone's standards. I stay up late, reading or watching old movies, the History channel, and "King of the Hill", and no longer have to set the old radio-alarm to get up any earlier than I feel like. I can't think of anything I want, but don't have, or can't get. I think that if I had been held in solitary confinement in Viet Nam, I would have thought it too much trouble to learn the code, or to tap endlessly to exchange messages.

As for the other common sense cliches the writer enumerates:

Money can't buy happiness, but it can help.

I can vouch for that one. Rich people have all sorts of problems; which stocks, bonds, mutual investments to get into, how to best protect all one's property, how to pay as little income tax as possible, whether to buy a Lexus or a Mercedes. But it's really easy to be poor; all you need to remember is, whenever you see something you want - you can't have it! The best thing to do is to remember the difference between a want and a need. Having enough money to provide what is needed prevents actual depression.

Positive thinking can't hurt.

It can't hurt, and if one learns how to use it properly, it can definitely help. I strongly recommend it, especially to those who have been practicing negative thinking.

Meditation may be beneficial.

Yeah, it may be, but I'm not very good at it. I've really tried, but my bad back gets in the way of the proper posture, and I don't think I could find my way to Nirvana if it was lit up like an airstrip landing.

Forgiveness may work as a route to happiness.

I definitely agree with this one. All those feelings of hurt and anger, of holding grudges and contemplating revenge are like poison in your system, and can actually harm various organs. Nursing negative thoughts can do nothing but stress you out, and the results of that can shorten your life. (Not to mention, attempting to carry out thoughts of revenge can land you in jail, which would be stressful for sure.)

In the end, it seems, happiness really is what you make it.

All those thoughts you carry around in your head, and constantly revisit, that's your life! You really can choose what thoughts you entertain, and whether they're good or bad ones, that's all up to you.