neurological disorder/ difference.

[drifter5]

I was just wondering why asperger's and autism subheading was grouped in the mental health section, please ? I am of the understanding that it is a neurological difference/ disorder. Thanks.

 

[fencerdaisy]

I agree, I was very surprised to find it under mental health. I think many people have incorrect and negative perspectives of people with ASD and putting it under 'mental health' as if it is a mental illness does not help with these perspectives.
Where do you think it should be?
I was thinking maybe under recovery? or maybe there should be a place for non-physical disabilities and then there could be a forum for Down Syndrome, intellectual disabilities (mental retardation), and other disabilities. . . just a thought.

 

[419gam]

Your brains are not normal. Why do you want an exception from being mentally ill. Do you think those who suffer from Scizophrenia, or Bipolar disorder are less deserving then yourselves? All neurological disroders are mental in nature. By trying to exclude yourselves you are not reducing your own stigma you are trying to increase the stigma of someone else.

The world is split into two types of disability, those who are physically disabled and those who are diabled mentally. If its in your mind you belong in the second group. You should fight the stigma that is applie to the mentally ill rather then argue that it doesn't apply to you.

All mental disroders are neurological, if there is one thing about ASD that is not related to mental health I would love to hear it.

 

[drifter5]

I think that with autism the brain is wired differently ,and therefore autism does not go away. With , say, depression it may be caused due to chemical changes in the brain , which can alter. Autism does not go away, but depression can.

 

[drifter5]

I am an autistic person. I have some mental health conditions as well, such as anxiety , and sometimes depression. I am not ashamed of being autistic, neither am i ashamed of having some mental heath conditions. There is no reason to be ashamed. I was born with autism. I was not born with anxiety , or depression. These affected me later in life. I think that it is very wrong that there is stigma for both mental health, and neurological disorders.

 

[Accepted]

Your brains are not normal. Why do you want an exception from being mentally ill. Do you think those who suffer from Scizophrenia, or Bipolar disorder are less deserving then yourselves? All neurological disroders are mental in nature. By trying to exclude yourselves you are not reducing your own stigma you are trying to increase the stigma of someone else.

The world is split into two types of disability, those who are physically disabled and those who are diabled mentally. If its in your mind you belong in the second group. You should fight the stigma that is applie to the mentally ill rather then argue that it doesn't apply to you.

All mental disroders are neurological, if there is one thing about ASD that is not related to mental health I would love to hear it.

If our brains are not normal, that makes autism a physical disability - the fault is in the hardware, not the software. I consider there is a significant difference between a problem in the brain and a problem in the mind.

Having said that, I think most people would look for autism under mental health - because the behavioural consequences are closely associated with problems of the mind.

I also think that people with autism are treated like modern day lepers. Doctors cannot treat it, Counsellors can do more harm than good, Churches cannot cope with it - so we are left outside.

Fortunately, it was to the lepers that Jesus went and was powerfully received. I'm glad to be part of a group of misfits that nobody wants. I don't care how we are classified. I have no pride left to lose. But I am where Jesus is, that is all that matters.

 

[drifter5]

I only discovered that i have autism a few months ago. Before this i thought that i had depression and anxiety alone. Already , i have found that the stigma with autism is even worse than that with depression.

 

[drifter5]

I agree, I was very surprised to find it under mental health. I think many people have incorrect and negative perspectives of people with ASD and putting it under 'mental health' as if it is a mental illness does not help with these perspectives.
Where do you think it should be?
I was thinking maybe under recovery? or maybe there should be a place for non-physical disabilities and then there could be a forum for Down Syndrome, intellectual disabilities (mental retardation), and other disabilities. . . just a thought.

I think it should be under neurology, physical health section, on this site.

 

[uniquetadpole]

I am going to perhaps defend the NT thinking style here... I think perhaps this is under the heading of Mental Health because Autism is listed in the DSM-IV ...the manual all professionals go by to diagnose... although I am in disagreement with the categorization... I can see their point of view that in treating many of the symptoms and co-morbidities of Autism and AS is like treating mental disorders. I do however disagree with the stigma of it being a mental disorder... yet... lately I have been in treatment for trauma sympstoms... and have been diagnosed with PTSD and Disociative Disorder as well... and am finding a very confusing overlap with the symptoms of the two. I am constantly wondering which is which...which can I help and which is not in my control.

The odd thing is that at least for me... almost all of my symptoms for AS is treatable if looking at it from a trauma perspective (however the approach needs a bit of adjustment due to my different thinking...I think I have opened a few trauma therapist's eyes) I am beginning to wonder if the "Quirks" of Autism and AS are not more of a trauma reaction to verbalization frustrations and repeatedly being misunderstood.

See dissociation can be a creative reaction to a trauma situation and one of the factors that push one further along the dissociation spectrum (yes dissociation has a spectrum just like Autism does) is sensitivity... and sensitivity is profoundly intense with the autism spectrum disorders.

In fact I have had to convince therapists that I do have AS because the symptoms are so similar... (including BTW social impairments) but the underlying symptom that has me convinced that I have both is the brain being hardwired differently... all the other symptoms seem (at least so far in my recovery) to be trauma reactions to not being diagnosed and misunderstood for the first 34 years of my life. I am finding that my symptoms are less and less as my recovery continues... because I am learning healthy boundaries in a more concrete manner (yeah I still don't pick up on the non-verbal stuff...but when I help others to understand that my actions and my intent don't always line up and to please state what message they want me to get and not rely on verbal skills (which is a setting a healthy boundary for me) then they have more understanding and don't take as much out on me...it takes time and practice and not everyone still gets it...and I am still working on how to say these needs... but I am finding that it is dramatically helping me socialize a little bit better.

So because of all of this latest new understanding I can see why this topic is categorized here. Even though I agree it is a physical disorder. However, I would venture to say that most of the issues that come up in this forum is more related to the mental health aspect of this challenge we have.

I hope this gives a new perspective and helps alleviate some of the stigma. I don't like the idea of having a mental disorder... but I am beginning to see it as a matter of semantics... what it really means is that most of society doesn't want to change to accomodate differences... so I figure let them label me and "pay" me for what their ignorance put me through...I know what it really means for me... and I am working on not letting their opinion matter for me... I want to be healthy and can no longer to afford to view me through their eyes.

Tad