«Est-ce possible d’offrir des services innovateurs en psychiatrie? Le cas Jean-Talon»

Quelque dix ans après la sectorisation et l’apparition du communautaire en psychiatrie, une rétrospective critique s’impose. Jean-Talon, symbole mythique à résonnances diverses au cœur du réseau psychiatrique, veut prendre sa place dans cet important débat. Mais en fait, ce n’est plus Jean-Talon : ce sont trois travailleurs psychologues qui veulent témoigner de leur expérience à Jean-Talon, en espérant que ce témoignage servira à d’autres intervenants dans leurs efforts pour critiquer et renouveler leur pratique. Ce sera donc un regard sur le passé, une sorte de requiem qui sonne le glas de nos rêves, battus en brèche entre autres par le pouvoir médical et administratif. Nous nous situons évidemment à l’intérieur du système psychiatrique, même si nous doutons que la réponse psychiatrique soit la réponse la plus adéquate à la folie. Il ne nous reste plus qu’à prendre le seul pouvoir qu’il nous reste, soit celui de la parole, pour faire part de nos questions et de nos réflexions. C’est une parole répétitive mais nécessaire qui veut rendre compte de notre désir de changer l’écoute et la réponse à la souffrance: en somme, ce changement est-il possible ? Si oui, à quelles conditions ?The authors describe their experience at the Jean-Talon Hospital. In 1975 a department of psychiatry was created according to a new model. After describing the vicissitudes of the project, the achievements and failures, the authors analyse the reasons for the failure. There are several reasons : the medical and administrative powers who refuse change, and the members of the team who do not feel prepared to assume the power

Autism through the ages: A mixed methods approach to understanding how age and age of diagnosis affect quality of life

A significant proportion of autistic adults today were not diagnosed until later in life, a group referred to as the ‘lost generation,’ which may affect mental health. In Study 1 we explored quality of life and autistic trait levels in 420 autistic and TD adults, and in Study 2 we explored the experiences of 8 autistic adults diagnosed as adults. We found that autistic adults had lower quality of life outcomes and higher autistic trait levels which related to age of diagnosis, and qualitative findings indicated that while adults were empowered by their new diagnosis, they still require specialized supports. Our findings are discussed, emphasizing future directions and implications for the current care system in place for autistic adults. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10803-021-05235-x

‘They ask no questions and pass no criticism’: A mixed-methods study exploring pet ownership in autism

Many autistic people cite a strong attachment to animals, and some studies suggest they may even show a bias towards animals over people. This mixed-methods study explored companion animal attachment in the adult autistic community. In a quantitative study with 735 people, we found that autistic adults were equally attached to their pets as neurotypicals but were less likely to own them, even though pet ownership corresponded with better mental health outcomes. Substituting pets for people also served as a compensatory mechanism for social contact in the autistic sample. In a second qualitative study, we explored the lived experiences of 16 autistic pet owners. The interpretive phenomenological analysis highlighted the benefits and the barriers to animal companionship. Together these mixed methods findings underline how pets improve the lives of their autistic owners. We conclude with specific recommendations for increasing animal companionship opportunities for autistic adults