Changes in Medical Lingo. No more "Mental Retardation"

[Tricia]

Since Sarah Palin and the "R" word are in the news I think this article is relevant.

Big Changes Proposed in Psychiatric Diagnoses

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35319386/ns/health-mental_health/

Don't say "mental retardation" — the new term is "intellectual disability." No more diagnoses of Asperger's syndrome — call it a mild version of autism instead. And while "behavioral addictions" will be new to doctors' dictionaries, "Internet addiction" didn't make the cut. . . *snip*

 

[mywarmbluefleece]

Thanks. I find that very interesting. I am a special education teacher and I have kids with intellectual disabilities, Aspergers and mild autism (as well as the more severe kind). There is a huge difference between my mild autism kids (also known as high functioning autism) and my Asperger kids, even though Aspergers is a form of autism.

I wish they left the address of the website where the public can review the proposed changes.

 

[LogicalMinds]

Thanks. I find that very interesting. I am a special education teacher and I have kids with intellectual disabilities, Aspergers and mild autism (as well as the more severe kind). There is a huge difference between my mild autism kids (also known as high functioning autism) and my Asperger kids, even though Aspergers is a form of autism.

I wish they left the address of the website where the public can review the proposed changes.

It is amazing to see how many many children are being born with some form of autism...."on the spectrum"..

is it just "found" more??? Diagnosed?? was it not diagnosed years ago?
or can it be that "high functioning" autistics and Asperinger people, like Bill Gates, meet and marry others like themselves and have more kids with this?? I forget where I read it, but in Silicon Valley the rate of kids born diagnosed with this is astounding..and often the parents have some form of it??

Change the lingo?? That doesn't change the problems JMO

Call it what you want, it seems to be affecting a growing part of the population, and now the idea that "vacines" caused it is really being debunked

 

[txsvicki]

What's wrong with a disorder having an actual name for people to research for advice and when trying to get a diagnosis, especially when applying for disability or social security benefits. If my relatives or myself have something wrong I want to know exactly what it is.

 

[PorcineGranny]

Logical, I think it is found more. When I was growing up, there was no diagnosis. My first child was never diagnosed although we searched and searched for a doctor to tell us what is going on. It was with my third child that a diagnosis was given. So, I think in the past, kids with differences were often punished or if severe enough put in mental homes and treated very badly. I am grateful for this knowledge today, but I am very sad to realize in the past what was done to these children. Still, not everyone understands how the brain functions and what differences we all have.

 

[songline]

I think we have come a long long way.. Thank God....
It was not that long ago when one of the Kennedy sisters had a frontal lobotomy.

Today however there are way tooooooo many Mentally challenged people...
I just wonder why that is? :waitasec:
almost all of our cases here have crazy people in it.
:waitasec: Are we allowed to say crazy?

I sure do not think they have an "intellectual disability."
But I like this name far better, then retarded.

 

[sleutherontheside]

Thanks. I find that very interesting. I am a special education teacher and I have kids with intellectual disabilities, Aspergers and mild autism (as well as the more severe kind). There is a huge difference between my mild autism kids (also known as high functioning autism) and my Asperger kids, even though Aspergers is a form of autism.

I wish they left the address of the website where the public can review the proposed changes.

As the parent of a son with Asperger's I totally agree. With that diagnosis, comes an entirely unique set of issues that must be addressed in a very specific way. The only benefit I see in the actual terminology change, is that to date Asperger's has not qualified a student for some additional benefits offered to students deemed "autistic". My fear though is that by lumping it in with autism as a whole, there may be a loss in funding for highly focused research and therapy that these kids so desperately need.

 

[sleutherontheside]

Thanks. I find that very interesting. I am a special education teacher and I have kids with intellectual disabilities, Aspergers and mild autism (as well as the more severe kind). There is a huge difference between my mild autism kids (also known as high functioning autism) and my Asperger kids, even though Aspergers is a form of autism.

I wish they left the address of the website where the public can review the proposed changes.

http://www.DSM5.org

 

[Tricia]

Thank you everyone for sharing your stories. It helps everyone understand.

What I think is desperately needed is some way to make sure women do not drink, smoke or take drugs while pregnant.

I read somewhere (sorry don't have a link, I'll ban myself later) that something like 90 percent of the violent men in prison had mothers who either drank or took drugs or both while pregnant. NINETY PERCENT.

This study was not talking about women who took drugs or drank before they found out there were pregnant but the chronic use of alcohol and drugs all during their pregnancy.

Logical minds I remember when everyone thought Bill Gates was just "weird." Now we know it is not anything he can control or change.

It is great that we now know many kids thought to be difficult were really dealing with an actual biological issue that they had no control over.

PorcineGranny you are so right!!!! Beating children never works especially in cases such as what we are discussing. Thank God we know better now.

Songline, I had forgotten about Rosemary Kennedy. Her family had her lobotomized because she was "difficult" and running around with too many boys and embarrassing her family. She became an adult with the IQ of a two year old after the operation.

Txvicki, I agree. Nothing more frustrating that not being able to put a name to the problem.

mywarmbluefleece thank you for posting and offering your expertise. I admire teacher so much. Especially those in your field.

Sleutherontheside, thanks for the link. You are an amazing sleuther even if you do it on the side. Your kids are lucky to have such a great mom.

 

[Mr. E]

We've thought for a long time that our daughter has Asperger's. She just fits the bill so closely with so many aspects of her life. When she was a senior in high school, she came to us and said she thought she has Asperger's! She's never been (or wanted to be) formally diagnosed, though. When she heard about this (actually, she was the one to tell me), she said that she thought that people with Asperger's would probably really rather not be called "autistic." I guess there is a pretty big distinction between the two. Maybe Asperger's is more socially acceptable, if that's possible?

 

[songline]

We've thought for a long time that our daughter has Asperger's. She just fits the bill so closely with so many aspects of her life. When she was a senior in high school, she came to us and said she thought she has Asperger's! She's never been (or wanted to be) formally diagnosed, though. When she heard about this (actually, she was the one to tell me), she said that she thought that people with Asperger's would probably really rather not be called "autistic." I guess there is a pretty big distinction between the two. Maybe Asperger's is more socially acceptable, if that's possible?

Mr.E :blowkiss: I have few words. Inside some of our kids are pretty brilliant this I know for sure.
I have a bipolar one - Accept my heart, that is all I have for you :beats:

 

[Mr. E]

Mr.E :blowkiss: I have few words. Inside some of our kids are pretty brilliant this I know for sure.
I have a bipolar one - Accept my heart, that is all I have for you :beats:

Thanks! My daughter is in college now, and doing well. She still lives at home, but I think she's ready to live in the dorms next year. She's very shy, but she's met some "nerds" (as she calls them) in the lunchroom, and they eat together often. She's never gone out with them in any way -- she's very homebound still. Plus, she doesn't drive. Driving just terrifies her still, although she has her permit and practices occasionally. Her teen years in high school were definitely the worst -- high school is such a social place and she just is not a social person. As she matures, I can see that, although most people might find her a bit odd, she's becoming a very charming girl.

Thank you for your kind words!

 

[Morag]

... or can it be that "high functioning" autistics and Asperinger people, like Bill Gates...

What evidence is there that Bill Gates has Aspergers syndrome? I don't see any similarities between him and the several people I know who do have it.

 

[Missizzy]

Along the same lines, there's a great couple of articles out of Reuter's which IMO have a good deal of common sense in them. I've posted them elsewhere (one on the Rebecca Riley thread) but thought I'd add them here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60E0NC20100115

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60O3BE20100125

On the subject of Childhood Onset Bipolar, NPR did a great piece the other day on the DSM-IV modifications:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123544191

I think that some people can roll their eyes and say, "What does it matter...it is what it is." However, I feel very strongly that if the studies are done and the people with the disorders themselves ask for change, we, as a civilized society need to comply with respect and the proper intervention and medications, if necessary.

FWIW, to the list which includes the R word, the N word, and the G word; I would add the words, lame, spaz, deaf, blind, when they are intended to mean stupid or deficient in some way. When you love a person who is officially/medically labeled with one of the above descriptors, it is hard to hear those word spit out in anger in general conversation.

I really appreciate WSers attention to this vital issue. I've found that WSers, in general, have the best intentions and welcome education. That's why I'm here.

 

[LogicalMinds]

I THOUGHT Mentally "retarded" was not used anymore anyhow...not "politically correct"

Maybe calling Asperiger's "autistic" will qualify them for more benefits but from what I have seen they are different...there was a beautiful girl on America's Next Top Model a few seasons ago, with high functioning Asperinger's....Bill Gates and others are said to have that

I think more than "words" tho we need actions. A lot of people go through a lot of hoops and loops and dot the i's,cross the t's just to try to get an initial assessment of their loved ones, let alone ongoing help

I think families need help..and I think in cases of "mental illness" they need some sort of hotline/intervention when the person is "off their meds" or on a "rampage'

 

[Mr. E]

FWIW, to the list which includes the R word, the N word, and the G word; I would add the words, lame, spaz, deaf, blind, when they are intended to mean stupid or deficient in some way. When you love a person who is officially/medically labeled with one of the above descriptors, it is hard to hear those word spit out in anger in general conversation.

I really appreciate WSers attention to this vital issue. I've found that WSers, in general, have the best intentions and welcome education. That's why I'm here.

[snipped]

"G word"? I'm racking my brain, but I don't have a clue...

 

[Pandora]

[snipped]

"G word"? I'm racking my brain, but I don't have a clue...

"Gay?"

 

[Mr. E]

"Gay?"

Gay is a forbidden word? Every gay person I know calls themselves gay. The only objection I can find is when people say "That's so gay" about something that doesn't make sense or is stupid, but how offensive is that? I've heard gay people say "That's so gay"!

Maybe "ghetto"? When remarking about something that is less-than-perfect, people sometimes say "That's so ghetto."

One word that I do think is offensive, as offensive as the N-word, is "." I wonder if the computer will print that. If I was the computer, I would censor it. That's how offensive I find that word.

 

[alsmom]

I wish they would spend more time and money on the causes of these problems and less on what to call them. JMO

My grandson's half-brother was just diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and mild ADHD, I wonder if it will change the way he behaves if it's mild autism. :waitasec: I'm just happy we have finally figured out what the problem is. It was causing everyone extreme stress. We just thought he was being a brat. I've been reading about it and he seems to be a textbook case. It's an extreme weight off our shoulders. Now we can figure out how to handle it :dance:

This also messes up all the literature and books written on these subjects....ack!

Oops, went off topic again!

 

[Yakwoman]

I think we have come a long long way.. Thank God....
It was not that long ago when one of the Kennedy sisters had a frontal lobotomy.

Today however there are way tooooooo many Mentally challenged people...
I just wonder why that is? :waitasec:
almost all of our cases here have crazy people in it.
:waitasec: Are we allowed to say crazy?

I sure do not think they have an "intellectual disability."
But I like this name far better, then retarded.

Don't confuse people with mental retardation (intellectual disability) with people who are mentally ill. While some do have a dual diagnosis, most are simply one or the other.