4and20blackbirds

My dad has dementia and ever since he got diagnosed, he's become more and more resistant to going to his neurologist, taking his medicine, and undergoing any further diagnostic tests. He says he wants to treat himself, by eating well and exercising. It's hard for me to tell whether these are his true wishes, or if they're affected by his condition. Paranoia is common with dementia, right? Has this ever happened with your patients? What are the ethics here? Am I supposed to think of him as an adult with the right to choose his own medical treatment? I'm so confused!

What do you think is the most common or most harmful misconception people have about crime in boomtowns?

Ha, you're right, that's not the most satisfying possible answer, but it's good to know about these efforts to study it better.

Oh, that's helpful, thanks!

What about rape and violence against women in particular, since that's the focus of the magazine story?

I'm kind of confused because the abstract of this paper (http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/wescrim15&div=6&id=&page=) says, "Inconsistent with the media portrayal of these communities as a new 'wild west' we did not find a significant association between oil or natural gas production and property or violent crime . . . ."

But then, in the Pacific Standard story (http://www.psmag.com/nature-and-technology/the-human-cost-of-keystone-xl), you're quoted as saying, "This is meaningful for the people who are living it."

Can you help me understand the bottom line? Is there more crime in boomtowns? Is it just hard to know?

Thanks for doing this AMA!