Arthur K. Shapiro
Encyclopedia
Arthur K. Shapiro was a psychiatrist
and expert on Tourette syndrome
. His "contributions to the understanding of Tourette syndrome completely changed the prevailing view of this disorder"; he has been described as "the father of modern tic disorder research" and is "revered by his colleagues as the first dean of modern Tourette syndrome researchers".
Until the early 1970s
, the preferred intervention for Tourette syndrome
was psychoanalysis
. Shapiro wanted to prove that Tourette's was an organic disorder
, and that psychotherapy
was not the treatment of choice. "The turning point in the diagnosis and treatment of Tourette Syndrome occurred in 1965", when Dr. Shapiro and his wife, Elaine Schlaffer Shapiro (Ph.D.), treated a patient with haloperidol
(Haldol). The Shapiros reported the treatment in a 1968 article, published by the British Journal of Psychiatry
, after it was rejected by American journals. The paper "severely criticized" the psychoanalytic approach, which had endured throughout the previous century, to treating the condition.
Working with the New York patient families who founded the Tourette Syndrome Association
(TSA) in 1972, the Shapiros advanced the argument that Tourette's was neurological
rather than psychological, and the medical view of Tourette syndrome was "freed from its century-long submission to discredited psychoanalytic theory". In 1978, the Shapiros published a "landmark book" on the disorder, Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome. In 1981, Shapiro was chosen honorary co-president of the First International Tourette Syndrome Symposium, held in New York. Since the 1990s, a more neutral view of Tourette's is emerging as a condition involving an interaction between biological vulnerability and adverse environmental events.
A colleague, psychiatrist Ruth Bruun, described Arthur Shapiro as a revolutionary, "willing to challenge the prevailing dogma", "dynamic, charming, and relentlessly stubborn when fighting for what he thought was right", "an engaging speaker", and "a man of diverse interests and enthusiasm". Bruun also said, "It is extremely unusual for a couple of researchers to completely change the prevailing view of a disease, but this is exactly what they did."
Shapiro was a collector of medical antiquities. The Shapiros were married for 46 years, and "were obviously devoted to each other". After Arthur's death of lung cancer
at White Plains Hospital in New York, Elaine published their last joint effort, The Powerful Placebo: From Ancient Priest to Modern Physician.
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and expert on Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by multiple physical tics and at least one vocal tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane...
. His "contributions to the understanding of Tourette syndrome completely changed the prevailing view of this disorder"; he has been described as "the father of modern tic disorder research" and is "revered by his colleagues as the first dean of modern Tourette syndrome researchers".
Until the early 1970s
History of Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome is an inherited neurological disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of multiple physical tics and at least one vocal tic....
, the preferred intervention for Tourette syndrome
Treatment of Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome is an inherited neuropsychiatric disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of motor and phonic tics...
was psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
. Shapiro wanted to prove that Tourette's was an organic disorder
Organic disease
An organic disease is one which involves or affects physiology or bodily organs. A disease in which there is a physiological change to some tissue or organ of the body....
, and that psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
was not the treatment of choice. "The turning point in the diagnosis and treatment of Tourette Syndrome occurred in 1965", when Dr. Shapiro and his wife, Elaine Schlaffer Shapiro (Ph.D.), treated a patient with haloperidol
Haloperidol
Haloperidol is a typical antipsychotic. It is in the butyrophenone class of antipsychotic medications and has pharmacological effects similar to the phenothiazines....
(Haldol). The Shapiros reported the treatment in a 1968 article, published by the British Journal of Psychiatry
British Journal of Psychiatry
The British Journal of Psychiatry is a peer-reviewed medical journal published monthly by the Royal College of Psychiatrists containing original research, systematic reviews, commentaries on contentious articles, short reports, a comprehensive book review section, and a correspondence column...
, after it was rejected by American journals. The paper "severely criticized" the psychoanalytic approach, which had endured throughout the previous century, to treating the condition.
Working with the New York patient families who founded the Tourette Syndrome Association
Tourette Syndrome Association
The Tourette Syndrome Association , based in Bayside, New York, United States, is a non-profit voluntary organization and the only national health-related organization serving people with Tourette syndrome. It was founded in 1972 by five couples, parents of children with Tourette syndrome...
(TSA) in 1972, the Shapiros advanced the argument that Tourette's was neurological
Neurology
Neurology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the nervous system. Specifically, it deals with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of disease involving the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems, including their coverings, blood vessels, and all effector tissue,...
rather than psychological, and the medical view of Tourette syndrome was "freed from its century-long submission to discredited psychoanalytic theory". In 1978, the Shapiros published a "landmark book" on the disorder, Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome. In 1981, Shapiro was chosen honorary co-president of the First International Tourette Syndrome Symposium, held in New York. Since the 1990s, a more neutral view of Tourette's is emerging as a condition involving an interaction between biological vulnerability and adverse environmental events.
A colleague, psychiatrist Ruth Bruun, described Arthur Shapiro as a revolutionary, "willing to challenge the prevailing dogma", "dynamic, charming, and relentlessly stubborn when fighting for what he thought was right", "an engaging speaker", and "a man of diverse interests and enthusiasm". Bruun also said, "It is extremely unusual for a couple of researchers to completely change the prevailing view of a disease, but this is exactly what they did."
Shapiro was a collector of medical antiquities. The Shapiros were married for 46 years, and "were obviously devoted to each other". After Arthur's death of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
at White Plains Hospital in New York, Elaine published their last joint effort, The Powerful Placebo: From Ancient Priest to Modern Physician.
Further reading
- Shapiro, Arthur K., Shapiro, Elaine, Gerald Young, J., et al. Gilles De La Tourette Syndrome. Raven Press Ltd; 2nd edition (January 1988).
- Shapiro, Arthur K., Shapiro, Elaine. The Powerful Placebo : From Ancient Priest to Modern Physician. The Johns Hopkins University Press; New Ed edition (October 17, 2000)