>.
>
>Thank you Dr. Galatzer-Levy.
>What do you think about it?  Do the two have identical aetiologies?  Do they
>originate from infantile psychical trauma, or are they caused by some sort
>of damage to the nervous system?  Are the two deemed related due to
>symptomology alone, or has someone performed a detailed genetic analysis?
>Forgive me.  I know this request is, itself, a cheap form of
>research--begging knowledge from authority--but it's a start, and hopefully
>I will be able to repay you some day in-kind.
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Larry D. Lyons
>.

The beginning point is to admit our ignorance. I don't think we know what
causes either of these conditions as a universal matter. Certainly some
forms of brain damage can lead to symptoms found in both disorders and it
is reasonable to assume that some of the people with these disorders have
them principally on the basis of a biological endowment. On the other hand
sufficiently traumatic experience could contribute to the disorders. I
suspect that in individuals with the capacity to develop these disorders
environmental factors will shape their course. (This is true of even the
most clearly biological disorders. Patients with Down syndrome,  have
markedly different outcomes depending on the environment in which they grow
up.)
In terms of therapeutics and intervention I have generally found it most
useful to approach both syndromes with the assumption that the underlying
problems in processing interpersonal relations will be little influenced by
therapeutic interventions but that learning to use these different ways of
processing information can result in a much more satisfying quality of life
and sometimes in the development of unusual capacities. I strongly
recommend Oliver Sacks' An Anthologist from Mars on this topic.

Robert M. Galatzer-Levy, M.D.            Telephone 312 922 5077
122 South Michigan Avenue                 Fax 312 922 5084
Chicago, Illinois 60603                        E-Mail [log in to unmask]