A Quest for Information about Handedness and Mental Illness

I'm trying to establish a link between handness confusion and mental illness. My sister has Dissociative Disorder (recently diagnosed, although suffering mental illness for all of her adult life). I am a true leftie and have cerebral palsy (spastic diplegia affecting the legs only). According to my sister's psychiatrists, she disassociated when she was around five. That's when I was born, but her doctors assure me that my birth did not necessarily cause her disassociation, although she did have an episode in university when she became not only left handed, but also adopted many of my mannerisms.

Her doctor, just a few days ago, conducted a handedness test with her. He asked her to pick up a piece of cardboard from his desk. The cardboard had a hole in it. He asked her to put it up to her eye. He didn't tell her which eye. She picked up the cardboard with her left hand, and put it to her left eye. My sister also informed me that she holds a coffee cup with her left hand, holds a telephone receiver with her left hand, and ties her shoes, beginning with a left loop. She also says she can write with both hands simultaneously, with the left hand mirror writing. Is it possible that she was switched as a child and this has caused her life-long emotional problems that have gone untreated, because the original source of the problem had never been identified. I am looking for studies/articles on this particular issue. Perhaps you could help me?

Carla, I received your mail about "Handedness Confusion and Mental Illness" and was very intrigued by what you wrote. I'm sorry to hear about your condition and your sister's condition.

I've listed on my home page EVERY resource that I could find on the Internet -- and it seems to me that the person most likely to be able to help you track down the articles is M.K. Holder, who runs the "Primate" center who's specialty seems to be left-handed research. His site is: http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/.

Some of the newspaper articles that I link to mention increased risk of mental illness and so forth, but not very specifically or scientifically. It might be that we'd need to turn to an actual neurobiology library.

I hope you have good luck in finding the articles that you are searching for.

Here's one way that I can help: Do you want me to post your query to my home page along with your mail address? That way, anyone coming by who reads your letter can send you information directly, if they know any. Let me know what you decide.

Thanks for writing and good luck,
Stephen

Hi Stephen,

Thanks for your response to my query. Please do post on your home page. Any and all information will be helpful and much appreciated.

Back in the 70's, I did twin studies and handedness, examining twins of normal intelligence and mentally retarded (p.c. term of the day) twins. While taking my degree in Psychology and Social Work (I was ambition and a bit manic), I worked in a group home. It amazed people that I was able to function so well given the mobility challenges posed by cerebral palsy. It seemed that children with intellectual and physical/intellectual disabilities were able to relate to me - sensing perhaps that in some way I was like them. This was especially helpful in getting motor disordered children to co-operate with therapy; fine and gross motor skills development, etc. I worked on the premise that "it takes one to know one". The kids responsed well to me, often to the surprise and consternation of my fellow employees who were seniors or post-grads. A university degree to me means only as much as the application that is made with it.

To learn more about me (sort of) check out the Fall 1995 issue of Ability Network, Canada's cross disability magazine. I'm featured with a column called "Critter Chronicles". When I'm not writing about issues of disability, I write children's stories, one of which was reviewed by the producers of Road to Avonlea for possible television movie consideration. Although they passed on a project, they strongly urged me to get it published. I'm pitching it to the Canadian federal ministry of health for subsidized publication, to have it put in rehab centres and schools.

Currently, I am working in conjunction with my sister's psychiatrist in aid of finding solutions to her problem. The limited handedness test he conducted with her, based on his telephone interview with me about her teen-twenties period, led him to be suspicious of her status. As well, I am pursuing the hypothyroidism route. Untreated hypothyroidism can lead to depression - blackout periods where blocks of time is lost. I communicated with the doctor's offices and advised that he have my sister tested for hypothryodism.

I have communicated via e-mail with the fellow who is engaged in the handedness study and provided a questionnaire. I have asked him for a paper copy of this questionnaire so that I might forward it to my sister's psychiatrist. I am sure he would forward the completed copy to the study co-ordinator for inclusion in the test. I completed the test, and I'm a true leftie. Dad insisted that when I was learning to walk (at around 6-7), that the teachers not change my hand - a practice even in 1960's.

My handwriting is absolutely horrible. I have become so reliant on computer that a pen cannot keep up with my thoughts. I can generally bang out an article for the magazine in about 30 minutes. One of my short stories took about 4 months. My friends call me the James Herriot of the wheelchair set.

And, on top of all my writing, I've gotten myself immersed in research to help my sister. It would be most interesting to find out, after 25+ years that she may have been switched as a child, or she may have something as treatable as hypothyroidism. If she was never tested in that regard, and it is determined that she is so affected, then I'm going to have to put on my lawyer hat and go after the medical profession. My father would just love that! He's a retired physician. Ah well, such is life.

Thanks again, Stephen, for your response. I really appreciate it.
Cheers! Carla MacInnis