Mitzi Waltz
Thanks for stopping by. I created this page to tell you a little about my books and other work, and to lead you to my new bookstore featuring the best books on childhood developmental disability and mental illness. Click on the icon below to see my full selection--or browse through the books I've written myself, all of which are listed below on this page.
I am a senior lecturer in journalism with the University of Sunderland's School of Arts, Design, Media and Culture. Currently, I teach History of the Press (MAC 121), Magazine Writing (MAC 238), Media and Disability (MAC 229), Journalism: Ownership and Control (MAC 241), and Media and Society (MAC M75). I also contribute lectures to other modules, such as History of Psychology.
In addition, I'm a regional tutor on the Autism distance learning programme (EdCert/BPhil/MA) with the University of Birmingham's School of Education.
I am involved in research on mass media and literary representations of people with disabilities, the history of medicine and disability, and also on both media and medical issues related specifically to autistic spectrum disorders.
If you are one of my students and are in search of course materials, please see WebCT. Anything that cannot be provided via WebCT will be found here.
My Online Bookstore
Future Horizons, 2003
Updated and reissued by Future Horizons, my first book on autism and related conditions is a comprehensive, practical guide to all the things you need to know following diagnosis. It includes a crash course on basic neurology, an overview of all major interventions, exhaustive data on medical and alternative therapies, and appendices that can lead you to plenty of further information.
It is written to inform and assist parents, professionals, and adults on the autistic spectrum as they make choices about health, education, and more.
My new publisher, Future Horizons has many more titles on autism and Asperger syndrome. You can purchase this book directly from the Future Horizons Web site.
ISBN 0-59650-013-0
This unique book covers the medical facts and more more on the topic of Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Although it covers the basics of autism, the best-known ASD, it is unique in also concentrating on atypical pervasive developmental disorder, Rett syndrome, and other related conditions. Detailed chapters mix personal stories from parents with the latest information on diagnosis, possible causes, medical treatments, therapies, alternative health approaches, school issues, insurance and health-care problems, and transitioning to adulthood.
Although it was written especially to give hope and help to parents of children with ASDs, this new edition includes chapters for and about adults with an ASD diagnosis. Professionals who work with people on the autistic spectrum will also find it invaluable.
These neurological conditions profoundly impact hundreds of thousands of lives -- and the number of diagnoses is on the rise.
This Web site includes excerpts from my book, links to online resources, news updates related to PDDs, and resource lists that were too extensive to be included in the print version. Please visit often!
ISBN 1-56592-656-0
Bipolar disorders are illnesses characterized by severe mood swings, from the deepest suicidal depression to most elated "highs". They include bipolar disorder I (also known as manic depression), bipolar disorder II, cyclothymia, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD.) Some of the most famous artists, musicians, politicians, and writers of our time have been bipolar... and, sadly, so have been a disproportionate number of the inmates in our juvenile facilities, psychiatric hospitals, and prisons.
This book was written especially for adults with bipolar disorders. It covers the medical facts, covers medications used in detail (bothy pro and con), discusses complementary treatments that can make living with a bipolar disorder easier, and lays out strategies for coping with work, college, life, and relationships.
ISBN 1-894820-04-5
I contributed a chapter on surveillance of poliotical activists to this very timely book. It covers covert operations against American dissidents, including updated information from the past two years. Well worth adding to your post-9/11 reading list.
ISBN 1-56592-656-0
Bipolar disorders are illnesses characterized by severe mood swings, from the deepest suicidal depres
sion to most elated "highs". They include bipolar disorder I (also known as manic depression), bipolar disorder II, cyclothymia, and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD.) Some of the most famous artists, musicians, politicians, and writers of our time have been bipolar... and, sadly, so have been a disproportionate number of the inmates in our juvenile facilities, psychiatric hospitals, and prisons.
As many as a million children in the US alone have childhood-onset bipolar disorder.
When bipolar disorders emerge in youth, the ravages can be severe. Suicide is a common outcome, as are school failure, limited job prospects, legal difficulties, substance abuse, and expensive hospitalizations.
Until very recently, bipolar disorders were almost never diagnosed in children, and only rarely recognized in adolescents-but of the two million or more adults diagnosed with a bipolar disorder in the US, between 20 and 40 percent experienced the illness' onset in their teen years or before. Psychiatrists now recognize that manic depression has frequently been misdiagnosed as ADHD, with which it shares some symptoms. According to recent data published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 23 percent of the children currently diagnosed with ADHD will eventually be diagnosed as having a bipolar disorder, either as a solitary condition or in combination with ADHD.
This book brings together the latest information about diagnosing, treating, and coping with bipolar disorder as it occurs in children and youth. The symptoms and solutions can differ from those for adults, and parents of bipolar children are in dire need of this information. It's both medically accurate and supportive, liberally laced with quotes from other families who have been there.
ISBN 1-56592-758-3
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders diagnosed in children and teenagers--and yet many young patients still go without treatment. If you are the parent, caregiver, teacher, or other adult involved in the life of a young person with OCD, this book will help you understand how cognitive behavioral therapy and medications can help. It also covers other useful interventions, including special education, discipline strategies, handling problems with managed care and insurance, and transitioning to adulthood.
Links to more information about obsessive-compulsive disorder.
ISBN 0-596-50003-3
Partial seizure disorders are forms of epilepsy that affect only part of the brain. Unlike generalized seizures, partial seizures may not include convulsions or any physical signs at all. For that reason they can be hard to diagnose, and many patients go without treatment for years.
O'Reilly & Associates, May 2001.
Tourette's syndrome is a neurological condition characterized by tics: repetitive movements that are not voluntary. Tics may be verbal (repeated sounds, words, phrases) or physical (movements ranging from nose-twitches to a complex series of actions).
A Social and Medical History of Autism
In August 2001, I took a break from writing to work full-time on my Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Sunderland's Autism Research Unit in the north of England: a history of ideas about autism. I will be completing a book on the social and medical history of autism concurrently.
I have been conducting interviews with people who have played a role in this story: adults with autism, their parents, doctors, therapists, and others. I welcome e-mail from anyone who would like to share their personal experiences, particularly those who lived or worked in the "Bettelheim era" or who can share their personal memories of past practitioners, either as a colleague or as a former client.
Understanding the Diagnosis and Getting Help
Understanding the Diagnosis and Getting Help
O'Reilly & Associates, 2002
"Mitzi Waltz's book provides clear, informative, and comprehensive information on every relevant aspect of PDD. Her in-depth discussion will help parents and professionals develop a clear understanding of the issues; and consequently, they will be able to make informed decisions about various interventions. A job well done!"
-- Dr. Stephen M. Edelson
Director, Center for the Study of Autism
O'Reilly & Associates' Autism Patient Center
Links to more information on pervasive developmental disorders and autism
Order Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Understanding the Diagnosis and Finding Help today!
Understanding Your Diagnosis and Getting Help
O'Reilly & Associates, 2002
Order Adult Bipolar Disorders: Understanding Your Diagnosis and Getting Help today!
ATS/Solidarity, 2002
Order Police State America today!
A Guide to Helping Children and Adolescents
O'Reilly & Associates, December 1999
Links to more information on bipolar disorders.
Order Bipolar Disorders: A Guide to Helping Children and Adolescents today!
Help for Children and Adolescents
O'Reilly & Associates, April 2000
This book is also suitable for older teens with OCD who want to learn more about the disorder and how they can help themselves.
"This book should be on the wish list of every child therapist or psychiatrist; it will definitely be on mine. It gives doctors and parents alike an educational light to shine on a disorder shrouded in darkness and shame."
-- Jim Hatton, PhD, MFCC
Director, San Diego Regional Program for OCD and Trichotillomania"Your OCD book... seems a real addition to the literature, especially the resource sections. Thanks for working to make the lives of kids and families better."
-- John S. March, MD, MPH
Programs in Pediatric Anxiety Disorders and Psychopharmacology, Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center
Order Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Help for Children and Adolescents today!
Help for Patients and Families
O'Reilly & Associates, February 2001
This is the first book for patients and families to cover partial seizures, including temporal lobe epilepsy, comprehensively. It discusses the many types of partial seizures, their physical and mental effects, the diagnostic process, and current treatment options. It also offers tips for living with partial seizures, including the use of complementary medicine and lifestyle changes to improve overall function and reduce drug side effects.
Order Partial Seizure Disorders today!
Finding Answers and Getting Help
TS is more common in boys than in girls. It is often accompanied by other neuropsychiatric challenges, such as ADHD or OCD.
It can be treated with medication, if the tics are severe. If the tics are mild or moderate, most people choose to make lifestyle changes that simply make coping with tics easier, such as school accomodations. The greatest problem faced by people with TS is often the attitudes and misconceptions of other people, not the tics themselves.
"Mitzi Waltz has written a most complete, readable and informative book--Tourette's Syndrome, Finding Answers and Getting Help. I believe it is by far the most informative and useful book yet produced. I send my congratulations to her."
--Ruth Dowling Bruun, MD
Executive/Medical Director, Family Counseling Service
Order Tourette's Syndrome: Finding Answers and Getting Help today!
University of Sunderland
Autism Research Unit
Updated: 21 January 2006