Share -->PrintHomeGlobal Health PolicyKaiser Daily Global Health Policy ReportMay 18, 2015UHC Targets Must Address Challenges Of Reaching LGBTI People, Other Key PopulationsMay 18, 2015

Huffington Post U.K.: Leave No-one Behind in the Post-2015 Health Agenda
Alvaro Bermejo, executive director of the International HIV/AIDS Alliance

“…We need to acknowledge that the current UHC target and indicators under the post-2015 goals are falling short of truly addressing the specific challenges and rights of LGBTI people and other key populations. A comprehensive approach to equity is key to the success of UHC, which goes beyond addressing inequalities related to income, expenditure or wealth, place of residence, and sex, and takes into account all factors of marginalization in UHC indicators and measurement. … UHC is one of the biggest promises to realize access to health care for all and an end to AIDS. We have a window of opportunity to ensure that every one of us receives the health care we need, wherever we are, whoever we are…” (5/18).

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WEDNESDAY, May 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- The stereotype of a person with autism often includes a "hobby" focusing on a highly specialized, obsessive activity.

But a new study finds that -- just as in typically developed people -- people with autism often love sports, books or just watching TV.

"Adults with an autism spectrum disorder [ASD] expressed an interest in many of the same hobbies and activities that non-ASD adults enjoy," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park, N.Y.

He reviewed the findings from the study, which was to be presented Wednesday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Salt Lake City. Findings from medical meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The new study was led by Sebastian Pacey-Smith, a graduate student at the University of New Brunswick in Canada. His team said that "hobbies make up an integral aspect of people's everyday lives. In [people without autism], these activities foster social relationships, increase positive emotions, increase skill and knowledge acquisition, and generally improve quality of life."

But what about people with autism? To gauge the range of interests for individuals with this developmental disorder, Pacey-Smith's group had nearly 400 adults with an autism spectrum disorder complete an online survey. Participants ranged in age from 21 to 73, and were asked to list their top five hobbies or interests.

The study found that 99 percent of respondents did have some kind of hobby; almost 40 percent had two hobbies and more than 35 percent had three or more hobbies.

While nearly all (97 percent) had an intellectually focused hobby (for example reading, World War II history or video gaming), about one-third listed music or some other art form (such as theater) as a favorite pursuit, and another third enjoyed sports. Almost 14 percent said they engaged in a "social" hobby, which might include autism advocacy, caring for their kids or sexuality.

"The results demonstrate that interests are broader than typically conceptualized," the researchers concluded. "That is, although many participants reported highly specific interests (e.g., geodesic domes; collecting 78 rpms records), many also reported a large number reflecting typical interests (e.g., snowboarding, reading, watching TV)."

Adesman said the findings might be surprising to some. "Almost every adult with ASD indicated they had at least one outside interest or hobby, and three-quarters indicated that they had two or more outside interests or hobbies," he said.

-- E.J. Mundell
Copyright © 2015 HealthDay. All rights reserved.SOURCES: May 13, 2015, presentation, International Meeting for Autism Research, Salt Lake City; Andrew Adesman, M.D., chief, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, New Hyde Park, N.Y.

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What Makes Some People Harass Others Online An expert weighs in on what sets them off and why they can be so relentless. Shutterstock

The Internet is a magical place jam-packed with cat videos, perfect-for-any-situation gifs, and tweets from Kanye West. It's also, unfortunately, filled with online harassers waiting to threaten the next person who says or does something they don't agree with. 

That's something that Melissa Anelli, the woman who shared her story of online harassment in our May 2015 issue, experienced firsthand. From 2008 to 2014, a woman named Jessica—who Melissa had blocked from a Harry Potter fan site she moderated—harassed her constantly. Jessica bombarded Melissa and her family with e-mails, social media messages, and eventually even snail mail. Melissa's harasser fluctuated between begging Melissa for attention to straight-up threatening to slit her throat. After six years of torment, Melissa's harasser was arrested for the second time for attacking her online—and hasn’t contacted Melissa since.
 

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What is it that motivates a person to go beyond disagreeing with your Facebook status to flat-out threatening to rape or murder you? To delve a little deeper into that question, we spoke with Robin Stern, Ph.D., a psychologist, associate director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and a cyber bullying consultant for Facebook, to understand who's behind the keyboard, why online harassers do what they do, and why they can be so hard to shake.

RELATED: This Video Documenting a Woman Being Street Harassed is Seriously Disturbing

Who Harassers Are
According to a Pew survey of over 5,000 U.S. Internet users, about 64 percent of those who were harassed online didn't know the person who was harassing them. The same survey found that a majority of harassment took place on a social networking site; the second most popular location for harassment was the comments section of a website. 

Unfortunately, there's not much demographic information on the people behind viscous comments and threats—probably since most of the harassers are strangers. 

RELATED: 13 Messed-Up Examples of Everyday Sexism

But psychologically, we know that all harassers are not created equal, says Stern. "Harassers don't all have one personality type that makes them attack people online," she says.

In fact, there are a number of reasons why harassment might appeal to those who do it, she says. First, it's possible that the harasser never learned how to manage his or her emotions. So when they see something that ticks them off online, they lash out to deal with those feelings, she says. 

RELATED: Check Out Selena Gomez's Strong Response to an Internet Bully

On the flipside, it's possible that they can totally handle their negative emotions but don't do it online because there aren't consequences for being a loose cannon, says Stern. They can repeatedly hurt you without seeing how you react. Though that fact is true for anyone who uses the Internet, the difference for harassers is that they might also get a high from putting you down, says Stern. A harasser might have learned somewhere that hurting other people makes them feel powerful or happy, and that power trip or happy feeling can be addicting for them, says Stern. "Sometimes, they have to keep up the harassment to hold on to that feeling of power." 

Another reason why harassers keep attacking from behind their computer screen is because they can't get their emotions under control. They just keep escalating the situation until—or if—something happens to stop them, says Stern. 

How to Deal
Whatever the reason behind an online harasser's offensive behavior, it's clear that they don't quite have their emotions together, says Stern.

For tips on protecting yourself against digital harassment, check out the May 2015 issue of Women's Health, on newsstands now.