Re: NAMI thinks autism is a mental illness?

[Guest guest]

I don't think autism is a mental illness...kind of strange that NAMI thinks

so...I don't think most professionals would agree, including those who wrote the

latest diagnostic manual.

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

[Guest guest]

NAMI has the same program with SEASPAR.

>

> Is there a doctor in the house? Isn’t this one of those ‘symantics’

situations? Our kids were diagnosed according to criteria found in the DSM-IV,

after all...which stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual OF MENTAL

DISORDERS. Published by the American Psychiatric Association. Also, from my

time on the ADA Disability Commission, I know that the ADA law separates

‘mental’ from ‘physical’ disabilities. And ‘mental’ covers a huge

territory of diagnoses, including ours.

>

> NAMI, I suspect, has their reasons for trying to make this association.

Funny, because years ago there was a group of us who became aware of a

NAMI/WDSRA joint social program called something like Do Drop In, it was a

Friday night social time, and didn’t specifically say it was for a certain

diagnosis. Then, when several local people on the PDD/Autism spectrum wanted to

join, they were told NO because ‘Do Drop In was JUST FOR PEOPLE WITH MENTAL

ILLNESSES not for peeps with DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES’.

>

> Interesting, huh?

> L.

>

> From: ELLEN BRONFELD

> Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 3:44 PM

> IPADDUnite

> Subject: Re: NAMI thinks autism is a mental illness?

>

>

> I don't think autism is a mental illness...kind of strange that NAMI thinks

so...I don't think most professionals would agree, including those who wrote the

latest diagnostic manual.

> Ellen

> Ellen Garber Bronfeld

> mailto:egskb%40sbcglobal.net

>

>

[Guest guest]

I always thought the psych eval was to differentiate the true psych diagnoses

from I/DD, but in truth, there are very few I/DD specialists to do any kind of

testing...I do find it unfortunate that there are not physicians specifically

trained to work with the I/DD population. When we started using our current

psychiatrist for medication managment, I believe Noah was his first patient with

I/DD...

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

[Guest guest]

Al's post brought me back 30 plus years...I still remember this terminology from

the child psych class when I was in nursing school...along with TMH, EMH

labels...

Labels are for soup cans and the like...

In this regard at least, I think we have made a little progress...

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...

[Guest guest]

{Flame_Shields_Up]

After looking over my last post, and following a number of threads, I used

some very emotionally charged words, and for that, my bad.

Our son had an IQ done as part of a battery of tests years ago, and we were

told that his score earned him one of those labels.

We don't use those words in our lives ever, and have our other kids, friends

and family sensitive to how much baggage they carry...used in any

circumstance.

I used them to support my post (wrongly)....that labels are words, and

notwithstanding their 'meaning'...we were advised to let certain words,

labels and phrases go in one ear and out the other. I am sorry if that

created any bad feelings or ill will...not my intention, and will be sure to

keep the brain->fingers->keyboard filter tuned up.

[Flame_Shields_Down]

Al Karman