To understand that Autism is NOT a mental illness?

[Oxfordblue]

Just that really, someone posted that autism is a mental illness.
I understand autism to be a different way of thinking/perceiving etc. Not an illness that one may or may not recover from

(My daughter is waiting for an assessment for autism & I would hate her to feel that she 'has a mental illness' & actually find that statement so disempowering. The world needs people to think differently, to challenge ideas that maybe set in stone & blur the idea that one size fits all.)

@FilledSoda we’re not ill? Who do you think you are to start telling us what we should and shouldn’t be called?

I’m autistic, that’s not ill.

I have a mental illness, that’s ill.

HTH.

Ignorance is a choice btw.

It is an alternative way of “wiring the brain”. It is particularly prevalent in engineers and computer programmers. It can also be disabling, particularly when so called normal people are inflexible and don’t bother to understand.

Autistic spectrum condition is the correct language.

How very insulting for anyone living with a mental illness.

No it isn’t. Words have meanings. Accuracy matters.

A lifelong developmental difference doesn’t warrant treatment like a mental illness does.

It’s terrible that those with mental illnesses suffer stigma. But other people consenting to be inaccurately described as mentally ill, in solidarity and to humour the misinformed would be very odd indeed.

Do you also want dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and ADHD to be misdescribed as mental illness?

Blindness? Deafness?

Why? Why autism? What’s your agenda?

YANBU - autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, not a mental health condition. Some people may prefer to refer to it as a neurodevelopmental condition (or similar) rather than 'disorder', but this is the term generally used currently. Other neurodevelopemental disorders include things such as ADHD, dyspraxia etc. Most of the time in the UK, services for children and/or adults with autism come under the umbrella of the mental health services - I guess as this is where it fits best, despite it not actually being a mental health condition. People with autism do have an increased risk of experiencing mental health difficulties - but they are not the same thing.

I was having a similar discussion with my dd(13) who has an asd.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition so we were wondering if it should come under neurology rather than psychiatry? The diagnostic criteria are found in the the manual of mental disorders so it is deemed to be a mental disorder / condition. It's definitely not an illness.
We got into deep musing around the difference between conditions relating to the brain (neurological) and those relating to the mind (mental)....Great discussion but no conclusions

Ffs, it isn’t a mental illness, I have had mental illnesses and I am autistic. It’s not insulting to those with mental illnesses to say that something that isn’t a mental illness isn’t.

I don’t understand neuro-typicals.

Oh and I agree with others. Mental health problems are very often associated with asd. Certainly for dd.

Perhaps because an illness or disorder implies something that is wrong and needs to be fixed or masked. People with autism often develop depression and anxiety because society is not open to their needs and they feel forced to behave in a way they do not understand.

It is a neurological difference. It isn’t a disorder and this is outdated language. ASC is the preferred term, C for condition.

Different not less.

Autism is diagnosed against the DSM- the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental health disorders. This is one of the reasons why the connection is repeatedly made. Aside from that, there are very clearly anxieties that people with autism face, but this is not in itself an anxiety disorder, but more to do with factors such as sensory sensitivities, routines being upset or disregarded and preferences ignored which add up to causing anxiety. Once the factors are reduced the anxiety is reduced- these aren't medicatable, they are largely environmental.

I don’t understand neuro-typicals.

I’m sure there’s some kind of point to them.

I don’t understand neuro-typicals

I struggle a lot to! DP I can manage, and my best friend. But other than that I spend a lot of time confused as to motives/meanings.

My son with ASD is under the mental health team. His psychiatrist calls it a mental disorder or disability. Think it depends on who is talking to you. Also NICE developed guidance for assessing and I think diagnosing adult autism and developed it with the NCCMH . It is not a mental illness but it is a disorder I think. I don't know or really care anymore what they label him as long as they stop him from killing himself

"Yes it is not classed as a mental illness"

Medically no it isn't, it is as has been described her as a neurobehavioral development condition but in terms of getting support at least one social services in the country classes it as a mental health issue. How do I know this? I have Aspergers in that area, and apparently I do not qualify for social services intervention because I don't meet the criteria used to assess the mental health needs, nooooo that's because Autism isn't a mental health issue. I don't meet the criteria of the learning disability teams assement needs either, no because I've not got a learning disability (an IQ of under 75, and this again came from the social services definition) and I don't meet the criteria for physical disabilities. No funny that.

So I'm left on my own with no support.

But to answer you op. No your not unreasonable to think that autism isn't mental Health issue, it's not. (Although I will agree with a PP that your tone towards mental health issue seems negative)

So illogical though

I’m sorry to hear your son is having such a difficult time @debfronut

I hope he gets the right help and that things improve for him.

I am sure unintended but the attitude towards mental illness that came from your post wasn’t nice.

Ds is autistic, although I wouldn’t class the autism itself as a mental health disorder the associated anxiety and other problems he has as a result of his autism very much are sadly.

There should be no stigma or shame about any of it!

I don’t understand neuro-typicals

Me four, I'm sure their the confusing ones

YANBU, autism is not a mental illness. And it's certainly possible to be autistic without an accompanying mental illness, and perhaps discussions like this help to create a world in which that becomes easier.

All the best to you and your daughter!

One of my MA autism lecturers believes that for support's sake autism should be classified as a mental health condition, reasons being that most often autism is accompanied by mental health issues (anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD etc), which can be the most debilitating part of an individual's autism, yet they are routinely overlooked by CAMHS and MH services.
Suicidal? Oh that's just your autism.
Self harm? Normal for autism.
Not eating? Autism.

There's also a tendency to over-positivise autism to the point where it is referred to as a difference rather than a disability, which does autistic people no favours at all, because we're seen as potential savants who don't struggle.

I am autistic and much prefer disorder over condition. Condition sounds too sanitised and like someone's wording to avoid offence.

All very true joy

@soddingunicorn I don't find it offensive and I do hate people being offended on my behalf. I certainly don't find it pejorative.

@NewYearNewMe18 I do, so we’ll agree to disagree. However if what I’ve said has offended you, I’m sorry, it wasn’t my intention.

For anyone having difficulty getting support, the autism act 2009 and the autism strategy may help you demand that the authorities do what they should.

Most people we come across these days who are genuinely knowledgeable about Autism, (people who actually have it, their children have it, or they are professionals in the field etc), use Disability or Condition. Disorder is mostly now seen as outdated and negative. None of these people would refer to Autism as a mental illness. That's because they are genuinely knowledgeable and enlightened. Accuracy is important.

Language moves on, thank goodness. Some people refuse to, unfortunately. I find those people boring, to be frank.