Pretty much everyone somewhat active on the forum here has heard of it; Asperger?s is soon to be eliminated as a seperate diagnosis.
This lead me to look up the DSM V (which will be, so far, the version that will be in effect in about 6 months) criteria and see where this leaves me and my diagnosis. Perhaps it?s worthwhile to mention that while I got my diagnosis on DSM IV terms, my therapist kept the elimination of Asperger?s in mind, and as such she did label me to be on the autism spectrum, and put a side note of ?Asperger?s disorder? to it. So technically, I?m an aspie, but she also looked up how the results held up to the follow up on the DSM. There was nothing noteworthy that made her think ?he?ll get in trouble If there?s a new diagnostics tool?, so for what it?s worth I was assessed by a hybridized version.
Since I have a history of therapists, I remember going to therapists as a child, and as such, I had to deal with the DSM III even. Or; how I could call it ?In times before Asperger?s?. That was somewhere in the late 80?s/early 90?s. Back then, I wasn?t seen as the autistic kid, but looking at the reports I dug up from back then; I was clearly messed up.
With that, it makes me think. Say I don?t qualify as being on the autism spectrum. Or imagine; neither of us will be considered on the spectrum, since ?our? diagnosis is eliminated (yes I?m well aware that we?ll be clumped to just the autism spectrum). I still think there are differences between flat out autistic and Asperger?s people. By now I feel that I can identify an aspie from someone with High functioning autism pretty easily. And if someone with social awkwardness and a lack of well? ?people skills?, can pull that off, it?s already saying something I think. So anyway; what if Asperger?s would be dealt with more severely as it is now? Even if we are being labeled as ?just? autistic, we still have some kind of deficit apparently. What if, we?d drop of the autism spectrum?
Where does this bring us?
Here?s a list of things that probably touch a fair share of aspies.
- Antisocial disorder (or even severe sociopathic tendencies)
- Anxiety disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Agoraphobia (amongst other phobias)
- DDMD (Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder) (something new and fancy from the DSM V)
and quite sure that a fair share will, in a clinical sense, even suffer from addictions. Chances are internet addiction is the number one culprit. Even if it is the result of any (or all) of the disorders listed above.
By then it would turn into a slew of disorders, where, just like Asperger?s, none would benefit from.
The thing that I wonder most is, why it?s dropped. I can see how PDD-NOS is being grouped into autism. NOS is silly. And it?s even more silly if there?s more people categorized under ?We don?t know what exactly? than under ?we know exactly?. It makes the therapists look bad and lazy. No, not everyone is a clear blueprint, but some people have a NOS diagnosis, which makes me think therapists just went the easy way out. Even more than labeling people who are social inept (to a certain degree) Asperger?s, PDD-NOS has become this giant bin to throw everyone in if it takes more than 5 sessions and they can?t put their finger on it. To me, PDD-NOS is the result of financial cutbacks. And now, they figured that this doesn?t solve the problem. The same goes for Asperger?s to some extent I think.
I was reading the criteria in the DSM V earlier and one of the factors that must be present is
Symptoms together limit and impair everyday functioning.
Doesn?t this turn a diagnosis into something that relies somewhat on where you?re at culturally speaking and how much society demands of one to function. It?s something I touched upon way back in a blog here. In my life I had a lot of stuff that would be rather optimal for aspies. Until that one point where you grow up and society demands things. From my late teens there were ?demands? towards me; Education, work, the big two. Relationships, stable friendships, would be two other things you supposed to care about generally speaking in your late teens (earlier probably, but that's when I found serious issues). Without that being present I wouldn?t even see myself as ?weird?. I just do my thing. It?s where what society wants, and how I function, apparently both have a different idea of what?s the norm, and where behavior is more troubling.
It?s also interesting to see how this is a rather vague criteria. In order to have a diagnosis, you now have to ?suffer? from it. I?m totally fine with being an aspie aside from whatever issues I might have. To put it very bluntly; as long as I live in my own world, there?s nothing wrong with me. How?s that for a catch 22? And who defines ?impairment?? What if I have a job that?s accommodating for my needs? Maybe I even have my own company, which I run in my own way. Maybe I live somehow that works for me, but isn?t necessarily the blueprint for how society expects people to live (heck; I?m 30 and still live at my parents? house, something which people sometimes think is weird; but for the time being it works for me). I even recall talking to a therapist of the job agency a year ago. ?Are you depressed?? since that was something I mentioned when I filed for social security. Well, if I?m at home, getting my money, going OCD over my interests and not having worries, I?m not nearly as depressed as a ward would want me to be to keep me there as posing an imminent danger to my own health and safety. So to be honest, judging impairment will be a interesting conundrum for therapists I think. That would also mean that they will have to use a general frame of reference of what?s ?normal?? and by now, I know, nothing is normal. I predict restless nights for the poor therapist who wants to impose a "normal" life upon someone if this person doesn't even care about those things, aside from his perception of the world and life in general as an aspie.
Another thing that baffles me in general with the plethora of new conditions summed up in the DSM (as well as the elimination of some), is that I don?t think it?s fair to assume that because they have now disorders listed, they have treatment for such. For the time being it?ll be ?let?s try out this therapy? (in the field) and hope people don?t end up worse. And that's rather worrysome to me.
I?m not against putting up new disorders, but adding and eliminating them seems like it?s more that they want to add and remove disorders that are contemporary for the heck of it. Removing disorders doesn?t make them non-existent. Giving them another name and grouping with other disorders is, in my opinion further away than having any NOS conditions. It's being in denial that you, as a professional, actually have no clue what you're up against.
What also might be interesting in the coming few years is to see how therapy, treatment and/or coping tactics by ?specialists? will hold up, especially since there?s less differences in diagnosis. I expect there will be a general program for autistic people, regardless of where on the spectrum you are, and it is expected to work equally for everyone. Eliminating Asperger?s is just another way to impose a universal way to treat a condition.
This lead me to look up the DSM V (which will be, so far, the version that will be in effect in about 6 months) criteria and see where this leaves me and my diagnosis. Perhaps it?s worthwhile to mention that while I got my diagnosis on DSM IV terms, my therapist kept the elimination of Asperger?s in mind, and as such she did label me to be on the autism spectrum, and put a side note of ?Asperger?s disorder? to it. So technically, I?m an aspie, but she also looked up how the results held up to the follow up on the DSM. There was nothing noteworthy that made her think ?he?ll get in trouble If there?s a new diagnostics tool?, so for what it?s worth I was assessed by a hybridized version.
Since I have a history of therapists, I remember going to therapists as a child, and as such, I had to deal with the DSM III even. Or; how I could call it ?In times before Asperger?s?. That was somewhere in the late 80?s/early 90?s. Back then, I wasn?t seen as the autistic kid, but looking at the reports I dug up from back then; I was clearly messed up.
With that, it makes me think. Say I don?t qualify as being on the autism spectrum. Or imagine; neither of us will be considered on the spectrum, since ?our? diagnosis is eliminated (yes I?m well aware that we?ll be clumped to just the autism spectrum). I still think there are differences between flat out autistic and Asperger?s people. By now I feel that I can identify an aspie from someone with High functioning autism pretty easily. And if someone with social awkwardness and a lack of well? ?people skills?, can pull that off, it?s already saying something I think. So anyway; what if Asperger?s would be dealt with more severely as it is now? Even if we are being labeled as ?just? autistic, we still have some kind of deficit apparently. What if, we?d drop of the autism spectrum?
Where does this bring us?
Here?s a list of things that probably touch a fair share of aspies.
- Antisocial disorder (or even severe sociopathic tendencies)
- Anxiety disorder
- Obsessive compulsive disorder
- Agoraphobia (amongst other phobias)
- DDMD (Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder) (something new and fancy from the DSM V)
and quite sure that a fair share will, in a clinical sense, even suffer from addictions. Chances are internet addiction is the number one culprit. Even if it is the result of any (or all) of the disorders listed above.
By then it would turn into a slew of disorders, where, just like Asperger?s, none would benefit from.
The thing that I wonder most is, why it?s dropped. I can see how PDD-NOS is being grouped into autism. NOS is silly. And it?s even more silly if there?s more people categorized under ?We don?t know what exactly? than under ?we know exactly?. It makes the therapists look bad and lazy. No, not everyone is a clear blueprint, but some people have a NOS diagnosis, which makes me think therapists just went the easy way out. Even more than labeling people who are social inept (to a certain degree) Asperger?s, PDD-NOS has become this giant bin to throw everyone in if it takes more than 5 sessions and they can?t put their finger on it. To me, PDD-NOS is the result of financial cutbacks. And now, they figured that this doesn?t solve the problem. The same goes for Asperger?s to some extent I think.
I was reading the criteria in the DSM V earlier and one of the factors that must be present is
Symptoms together limit and impair everyday functioning.
Doesn?t this turn a diagnosis into something that relies somewhat on where you?re at culturally speaking and how much society demands of one to function. It?s something I touched upon way back in a blog here. In my life I had a lot of stuff that would be rather optimal for aspies. Until that one point where you grow up and society demands things. From my late teens there were ?demands? towards me; Education, work, the big two. Relationships, stable friendships, would be two other things you supposed to care about generally speaking in your late teens (earlier probably, but that's when I found serious issues). Without that being present I wouldn?t even see myself as ?weird?. I just do my thing. It?s where what society wants, and how I function, apparently both have a different idea of what?s the norm, and where behavior is more troubling.
It?s also interesting to see how this is a rather vague criteria. In order to have a diagnosis, you now have to ?suffer? from it. I?m totally fine with being an aspie aside from whatever issues I might have. To put it very bluntly; as long as I live in my own world, there?s nothing wrong with me. How?s that for a catch 22? And who defines ?impairment?? What if I have a job that?s accommodating for my needs? Maybe I even have my own company, which I run in my own way. Maybe I live somehow that works for me, but isn?t necessarily the blueprint for how society expects people to live (heck; I?m 30 and still live at my parents? house, something which people sometimes think is weird; but for the time being it works for me). I even recall talking to a therapist of the job agency a year ago. ?Are you depressed?? since that was something I mentioned when I filed for social security. Well, if I?m at home, getting my money, going OCD over my interests and not having worries, I?m not nearly as depressed as a ward would want me to be to keep me there as posing an imminent danger to my own health and safety. So to be honest, judging impairment will be a interesting conundrum for therapists I think. That would also mean that they will have to use a general frame of reference of what?s ?normal?? and by now, I know, nothing is normal. I predict restless nights for the poor therapist who wants to impose a "normal" life upon someone if this person doesn't even care about those things, aside from his perception of the world and life in general as an aspie.
Another thing that baffles me in general with the plethora of new conditions summed up in the DSM (as well as the elimination of some), is that I don?t think it?s fair to assume that because they have now disorders listed, they have treatment for such. For the time being it?ll be ?let?s try out this therapy? (in the field) and hope people don?t end up worse. And that's rather worrysome to me.
I?m not against putting up new disorders, but adding and eliminating them seems like it?s more that they want to add and remove disorders that are contemporary for the heck of it. Removing disorders doesn?t make them non-existent. Giving them another name and grouping with other disorders is, in my opinion further away than having any NOS conditions. It's being in denial that you, as a professional, actually have no clue what you're up against.
What also might be interesting in the coming few years is to see how therapy, treatment and/or coping tactics by ?specialists? will hold up, especially since there?s less differences in diagnosis. I expect there will be a general program for autistic people, regardless of where on the spectrum you are, and it is expected to work equally for everyone. Eliminating Asperger?s is just another way to impose a universal way to treat a condition.
