I wonder if Affluenza is in the DSM IV.

[Tab]

I suspect not.

Ethan Couch was behind the wheel of a pickup truck, reeking of booze when police confronted him. He had no driver's license. Next to him was a passed-out, half-naked girl, and an open vodka bottle lay on the backseat floor.

Still, as one officer reported, the skinny, blond 15-year-old mouthed off as they questioned him. He said he had taken pre-law classes and knew what police could and couldn't do to him. The officer cautioned him about the perils of drinking and driving, according to court records obtained by The Associated Press.

"I spoke with him at some length about the various consequences of his driving and drinking," wrote Fort Worth, Texas, police officer W.E. Spakes, "such as effects on (his) driver's license and his path in life, especially DWI and even killing someone in a DWI."

Couch left that night in February 2013 with two citations and his mother, Tonya, who was called to the scene. Four months later, he drove drunk into a group of people helping a stranded motorist, killing four.

Long before Couch and his family became notorious for using an "affluenza" defense in that crash, they had multiple run-ins with the law, often flouting authority or relying on personal wealth to get out of trouble. The incidents, totaling at least 20, ranged from speeding tickets and financial disputes to reckless driving and assault, a review of police and court records shows.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/affluenza-case-teens-family-tangled-law-36589918

I doubt I could have gotten away with this when I was 15, and that was 35+ years ago. How the hell did he do this in this day and age? And 20 (!) incidents? Normally just one, but maybe two or so will catch up with you, but 20?? Jeez.

[niyad]

1. do not believe that it is.

[Ptrsnross]

2. Not a Diagnosis

Affluenza refers to a legal defense strategy. It is not a diagnosis in the DSM IV or the DSM 5

[Tab]

8. I know it's not

And I don't disbelieve it was a useful defence; but I was surprised there were 20+ incidents. How the hell do you do that?

[aikoaiko]

3. It is not. Not even remotely. BTW we are in DSM V now.

But affluenza does not exist in any edition of the DSM.

[3catwoman3]

4. Even with all the wacky codes...

...that exist in the new ICD-10 (and there are some doozies), that is not amongst them. There should be a code for "effing idiot" for the judge who came up with that.

[d_r]

5. I clicked here to make a joke about icd-10

but figured nobody would get it.

"only if it occurs when bitten by a cow during a confrontation with a squirrel."

[Tab]

7. Eh?

Where's that referemce from?

[d_r]

14. there are codes in the icd-10

for being attacked by a cow and a squirrel

[Tab]

15. I've lived in rural New England most of my life

A squirrel attack would immediately cry rabies. I don't even know how to envision a cow attack. And to be attacked by a cow and a squirrel in tandem? I can't even believe there's a frickin' code for that.

[d_r]

17. I don't think there is one for tanoom

it is two separate codes

[Tab]

18. I am going to challenge you to give me the codes for this.

I can't frickin' believe there's a code for a cow attack. Show me.

[d_r]

19. W55.21XA

http://icdlist.com/icd-10/W55.21XA

W55.2 Contact with cow
W55.21 Bitten by cow
W55.21XA Bitten by cow, initial encounter
W55.21XD Bitten by cow, subsequent encounter
W55.21XS Bitten by cow, sequela
W55.22 Struck by cow
W55.22XA Struck by cow, initial encounter
W55.22XD Struck by cow, subsequent encounter
W55.22XS Struck by cow, sequela
W55.29 Other contact with cow
W55.29XA Other contact with cow, initial encounter
W55.29XD Other contact with cow, subsequent encounter
W55.29XS Other contact with cow, sequela



I'll add squirrel
W53.2 Contact with squirrel
W53.21 Bitten by squirrel
W53.21XA Bitten by squirrel, initial encounter
W53.21XD Bitten by squirrel, subsequent encounter
W53.21XS Bitten by squirrel, sequela
W53.29 Other contact with squirrel
W53.29XA Other contact with squirrel, initial encounter
W53.29XD Other contact with squirrel, subsequent encounter
W53.29XS Other contact with squirrel, sequela

[Tab]

20. Fuckin'n A

I didn't look it up but I believe you. Heaven help us.

I'm going to reread this in the morning. I might be not cogitating it properly right now. "Struck by cow, subsequent encounter". Sheesh.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

6. It's an improvement over the Twinkie defense

[Tab]

9. That's not saying much

but it was pretty innovative at the time. I guess the floor-the-court strategy with something they never expected is an age-old thing.

[Recursion]

21. And about as misunderstood as the Twinkie defense

The dickhead kid's shrink was giving testimony about why a residential program would be better for him than house arrest, basically saying that kid needs to get out of that house, and regrettably used the term "affluenza" in one sentence of his testimony.

[cwydro]

10. It refers to his family as a whole.

Apparently, Daddy is a big bully, and Mommy is a drunk.

Daddy even impersonated a cop once.

Apple - tree, etc.

I've been downtown at the Panthers pep rally. Did Ethan get sent to jail?

[Tab]

11. My understanding is that he prefers the American jail system to the Mexican one

Whodathunkit?

[cwydro]

12. Lol.

Has he been in court yet today?

I hope the little sob doesn't get out of this again.

[HereSince1628]

13. What bothers me abot affluenza is it was recognized as a defense BUT

the judge put the kid right back in control of the same dysfunctional parents that had give him reason to believe the kid had been screwed up by those parents.

The bottom line is the American law enforcement and justice system is slip-shod about mental health. It engages it in a half-assed way accepting that mental health can be a defense, and accepting that mentally ill people can be justifiably killed by cops, but seeing protecting people whose psychological dysfunction arising from contributions of their family/home environments as not part of their interest.

[Odin2005]

16. No, but Antisocial Personality Disorder (AKA psychopathy/sociopathy) is.

And I think both this asshole and his mom both qualify!

(BTW, we are on the DSM-5, now!)