Thank you for presenting pertinent topics on the subject of ASD, mental health and the psychiatric field. Over the span of 30 minutes, you brought up so many worthy related topics that I can only comment on a few of greater interest to myself. If I stretch a topic to further points of interest, that's because I have ASD with strong inclinations towards ADHD. I see connections worthy of pursuit. For all the successes of today's medical industry, mental health remains an area of little exactitude. Because the modern scientific approach tends to render all topics into definable categories, mental health presents inherent challenges to that model. That model is effective for broken bones because the injury can be clearly seen and success or failure of treatment can be clearly observed. Not so with mental health. There is no definition of "correct" mental health so how accurate can clinicians be in determining cognitive conditions or personality disorders with any certainty? How can they offer successful remedy? They do the best they can but I believe diagnostic criteria used today is going to look very different 100 years from now. Whether a neurodiverse individual has an official diagnosis or not, their experience in life is the same. Diagnoses don't solve problems in themselves. What a patient is looking for is relief. I personally tend to be of the mind that neurodivergence is not a disorder in itself. It appears to be genetic in origin and the resulting neurological wiring can have both advantages and disadvantages relative to that which is neurotypical. Dr. Tony Attwood describes what he refers to as "autism-pure", meaning autism without compounding mood and mental health disorders. In his experience, children identified early and nurtured accordingly are very intelligent, inquisitive and happy. Their interests lie elsewhere from that of neurotypicals. Unfortunately, it is rare that a child can develop as autistic-pure. For those late diagnosed that is almost guaranteed not to be the case. My personal thoughts on this subject start with Attachment Theory. When a child is born neurodivergent, they are autism pure but still have the same need to attach to their primary caregiver as any other child. Unfortunately, neurodivergence tends to result in difficulty with attachment, communicating needs and acquiring necessary comforting to feel secure. Insecure attachment, at no obvious fault to the parent, sets the stage for anxiety, high sensitivity and the foundations for poor self image and apprehension towards others. This can compound rapidly depending on the environment in which a child is raised. Often but not always, these children exhibit behavioral problems including obstinance, inconsolability and sleep disturbances which many parents are ill-equipped to deal with. Parents can become harsh or strict, neglectful or indifferent. Cognitive stacks take form around learning to make sense of early childhood experiences. Growing up neurodivergent will almost certainly result in social confusion and social trauma. When there is trauma or complex trauma surrounding highly sensitive, neurodivergent children, emotional dysregulation commonly develops. Unchecked emotional dysregulation sets the stage for mood and personality disorders to develop. Stress perpetuates these disorders along with behavioral problems. Neurodivergents learn early on to conceal emotional difficulties by way of masking and other compensatory strategies but there is a price to pay. The energy required to "play the part" is unsustainable long term. This can result in shut down, breakdowns or worse. This, of course, does not define everyone's ultimate experience but exemplifies the challenges of many neurodivergents and how neurodiversity can lead to extreme emotional distress later in life. It can be unimaginable agony. In all, to treat these difficulties, one must separate the emotional disorders from autism-pure. In my opinion, autism is not the problem and I don't want to be cured. What I want is to experience autism without all the compounding problems that have developed along the way. Any success I have experienced comes from consciously reevaluating my life and treating insecure attachment. At a core level, many of us that are neurodivergent have a poor sense of self. We feel undeserving of happiness, unworthy of love and understanding. We also feel others are dangerous and not to be trusted. Typically we are naïve and have been targeted by those that would take advantage of us or betray us. Many of us have known cruelty. To address and correct negative core beliefs is no easy task but progress can be made. There are practices and disciplines that do get some results but these problems do not go away completely. There are no magic bullets or drugs that can erase the past. I'm reminded of the film, "A Beautiful Mind" as an example. I see you in a unique position to someday advance work in this field. I regret clinicians are poorly equipped to help neurodivergents with their problems. Neurodivergents struggle with comorbidities that are through the roof and difficult to untangle. I watched my nephew go through years of misdiagnoses and in the end, all they could offer him were drugs with side effects. 15 years on, he's found work in the forest service where he sees virtually no one and pursues his love of nature and photography unfettered. You don't need to respond to this comment, I'm just sounding. I do appreciate seeing you on your journey of discovery and I wish you satisfaction and success.
"Whether a neurodiverse individual has an official diagnosis or not, their experience in life is the same. Diagnoses don't solve problems in themselves. What a patient is looking for is relief." An autistic person needs some kind of diagnosis, I think. This can either be an official diagnosis or self-diagnosis. Its is very common for autistic people to state that their autism diagnosis saved their life. (Often this is in reference to receiving an official diagnosis-- but not always.)
@@MrDaydreamer1584 An autism diagnosis, whether self or official helps to put things in order. Everyone will have a different experience with their autism discovery. I first read about it 10 or 12 years ago in my late 40s or early 50s. It was somebody's personal account and I knew what this person was experiencing fit me far too well. I wasn't ready to deal with it then. It took several more years and more crises to take the plunge because I knew I'd never be the same afterward. I'm still sorting through the many layers and comorbidities, most of which are trauma related. I've been able to adjust my life to one of quiet and simplicity which enables me to pursue my special interests uninterrupted. I'm still triggered easily which is why I choose the terms in which I interact intentionally. At this point in my life I'm not expecting my problems to be solved. Instead I manage them and spend time to the best of my ability engaging in that which brings me satisfaction and being mindful throughout the process. That to me is the purest autistic experience.
@@MrDaydreamer1584 An autism diagnosis, whether self or official provides a sense of order to deal with the chaos. I think everyone's experience with discovery is different. It was 10 or 12 years ago that I first learned of autism. I read an account of someone making their discovery and it fit my experience extremely well. It took a few years before I was ready to take the plunge because I knew I would never be the same. Unraveling autism from the subsequent trauma is what has provided me with the greatest sense of understanding and relief. At my age, I don't expect my problems to be solved. Instead, I've created a life that is simple and quiet where I can indulge my autistic tendencies unmasked and unguarded. I can pursue my special interests uninterrupted. I arrange interactions with people on my terms at times of my choosing. In my opinion, autism is best experienced mindfully engaged in pursuits of interest.
A disorder can mean that a person needs help crossing the road due to social anxiety disorder, which can range from mild to moderate to severe. I have ASD, but I avoid using words like 'ableism' because people who strongly follow the social model tend to use it against others at times.
@@docbrown. that's true. I tend to follow the social model in general, but i think there needs to be some of the medical model for the theory to make sense, because there are problems that would persist even in a whole other society, such as a certain autistic person being sensitive to sunlight, would be affected regardless what society they live in.
@ , I believe that anything can reach extremes, and treating symptoms alone can only address a problem temporarily without understanding the patient. This is similar to the way antibiotics, asthma treatments, and pain management can fail to address the root cause, or how the ‘worried well’ experience unresolved issues. I think disability for me is hard to see as a difference as it can cause limitations to life in general. I don’t believe everything can be understood our environments or science, biology.
@@radishraven9 Besides sensory sensitivity, executive functions also. Even if the autistic person lived alone on a desert island, there would still be problems with executive function.
Do you think autism belongs in the DSM? (I heard Tony Atwood say that he would like to see autism taken out of the DSM-- because it is a developmental disorder rather than a psychiatric disorder.) Also, what do you think about ASD being changed to ASC? (= autism spectrum condition)? (Personally, I don't think it matters too much.)
@@MrDaydreamer1584 In swedish autism spectrum is already called a "condition"("tillstånd") rather than disorder. It fits much better, but still not 100% perfect and not really that important. I don't really know if it should be take out of the DSM or the ICD. There are quite a few neurological conditions such as dementia in the DSM so it is not a purely a manual of mental health disorders. The DSM i feel could be abolished without too many bad consequences but the ICD coding is more important and more difficult to let go as it covers all diagnosis codes internationally. So the question is should ASD (or ASC) be considered a diagnosis? Which is hard to answer. I would lean towards keeping it a diagnosis as long as diagnoses are needed to get certain therapies and disability aids and insurance.
Thank you for presenting pertinent topics on the subject of ASD, mental health and the psychiatric field. Over the span of 30 minutes, you brought up so many worthy related topics that I can only comment on a few of greater interest to myself. If I stretch a topic to further points of interest, that's because I have ASD with strong inclinations towards ADHD. I see connections worthy of pursuit.
For all the successes of today's medical industry, mental health remains an area of little exactitude. Because the modern scientific approach tends to render all topics into definable categories, mental health presents inherent challenges to that model. That model is effective for broken bones because the injury can be clearly seen and success or failure of treatment can be clearly observed. Not so with mental health. There is no definition of "correct" mental health so how accurate can clinicians be in determining cognitive conditions or personality disorders with any certainty? How can they offer successful remedy? They do the best they can but I believe diagnostic criteria used today is going to look very different 100 years from now. Whether a neurodiverse individual has an official diagnosis or not, their experience in life is the same. Diagnoses don't solve problems in themselves. What a patient is looking for is relief.
I personally tend to be of the mind that neurodivergence is not a disorder in itself. It appears to be genetic in origin and the resulting neurological wiring can have both advantages and disadvantages relative to that which is neurotypical. Dr. Tony Attwood describes what he refers to as "autism-pure", meaning autism without compounding mood and mental health disorders. In his experience, children identified early and nurtured accordingly are very intelligent, inquisitive and happy. Their interests lie elsewhere from that of neurotypicals. Unfortunately, it is rare that a child can develop as autistic-pure. For those late diagnosed that is almost guaranteed not to be the case. My personal thoughts on this subject start with Attachment Theory.
When a child is born neurodivergent, they are autism pure but still have the same need to attach to their primary caregiver as any other child. Unfortunately, neurodivergence tends to result in difficulty with attachment, communicating needs and acquiring necessary comforting to feel secure. Insecure attachment, at no obvious fault to the parent, sets the stage for anxiety, high sensitivity and the foundations for poor self image and apprehension towards others. This can compound rapidly depending on the environment in which a child is raised. Often but not always, these children exhibit behavioral problems including obstinance, inconsolability and sleep disturbances which many parents are ill-equipped to deal with. Parents can become harsh or strict, neglectful or indifferent. Cognitive stacks take form around learning to make sense of early childhood experiences. Growing up neurodivergent will almost certainly result in social confusion and social trauma. When there is trauma or complex trauma surrounding highly sensitive, neurodivergent children, emotional dysregulation commonly develops. Unchecked emotional dysregulation sets the stage for mood and personality disorders to develop. Stress perpetuates these disorders along with behavioral problems. Neurodivergents learn early on to conceal emotional difficulties by way of masking and other compensatory strategies but there is a price to pay. The energy required to "play the part" is unsustainable long term. This can result in shut down, breakdowns or worse. This, of course, does not define everyone's ultimate experience but exemplifies the challenges of many neurodivergents and how neurodiversity can lead to extreme emotional distress later in life. It can be unimaginable agony. In all, to treat these difficulties, one must separate the emotional disorders from autism-pure. In my opinion, autism is not the problem and I don't want to be cured. What I want is to experience autism without all the compounding problems that have developed along the way. Any success I have experienced comes from consciously reevaluating my life and treating insecure attachment.
At a core level, many of us that are neurodivergent have a poor sense of self. We feel undeserving of happiness, unworthy of love and understanding. We also feel others are dangerous and not to be trusted. Typically we are naïve and have been targeted by those that would take advantage of us or betray us. Many of us have known cruelty. To address and correct negative core beliefs is no easy task but progress can be made. There are practices and disciplines that do get some results but these problems do not go away completely. There are no magic bullets or drugs that can erase the past. I'm reminded of the film, "A Beautiful Mind" as an example.
I see you in a unique position to someday advance work in this field. I regret clinicians are poorly equipped to help neurodivergents with their problems. Neurodivergents struggle with comorbidities that are through the roof and difficult to untangle. I watched my nephew go through years of misdiagnoses and in the end, all they could offer him were drugs with side effects. 15 years on, he's found work in the forest service where he sees virtually no one and pursues his love of nature and photography unfettered.
You don't need to respond to this comment, I'm just sounding. I do appreciate seeing you on your journey of discovery and I wish you satisfaction and success.
"Whether a neurodiverse individual has an official diagnosis or not, their experience in life is the same. Diagnoses don't solve problems in themselves. What a patient is looking for is relief."
An autistic person needs some kind of diagnosis, I think. This can either be an official diagnosis or self-diagnosis.
Its is very common for autistic people to state that their autism diagnosis saved their life. (Often this is in reference to receiving an official diagnosis-- but not always.)
@@MrDaydreamer1584 An autism diagnosis, whether self or official helps to put things in order. Everyone will have a different experience with their autism discovery. I first read about it 10 or 12 years ago in my late 40s or early 50s. It was somebody's personal account and I knew what this person was experiencing fit me far too well. I wasn't ready to deal with it then. It took several more years and more crises to take the plunge because I knew I'd never be the same afterward. I'm still sorting through the many layers and comorbidities, most of which are trauma related. I've been able to adjust my life to one of quiet and simplicity which enables me to pursue my special interests uninterrupted. I'm still triggered easily which is why I choose the terms in which I interact intentionally. At this point in my life I'm not expecting my problems to be solved. Instead I manage them and spend time to the best of my ability engaging in that which brings me satisfaction and being mindful throughout the process. That to me is the purest autistic experience.
@@MrDaydreamer1584 An autism diagnosis, whether self or official provides a sense of order to deal with the chaos. I think everyone's experience with discovery is different. It was 10 or 12 years ago that I first learned of autism. I read an account of someone making their discovery and it fit my experience extremely well. It took a few years before I was ready to take the plunge because I knew I would never be the same. Unraveling autism from the subsequent trauma is what has provided me with the greatest sense of understanding and relief. At my age, I don't expect my problems to be solved. Instead, I've created a life that is simple and quiet where I can indulge my autistic tendencies unmasked and unguarded. I can pursue my special interests uninterrupted. I arrange interactions with people on my terms at times of my choosing. In my opinion, autism is best experienced mindfully engaged in pursuits of interest.
A disorder can mean that a person needs help crossing the road due to social anxiety disorder, which can range from mild to moderate to severe. I have ASD, but I avoid using words like 'ableism' because people who strongly follow the social model tend to use it against others at times.
@@docbrown. that's true. I tend to follow the social model in general, but i think there needs to be some of the medical model for the theory to make sense, because there are problems that would persist even in a whole other society, such as a certain autistic person being sensitive to sunlight, would be affected regardless what society they live in.
@ , I believe that anything can reach extremes, and treating symptoms alone can only address a problem temporarily without understanding the patient. This is similar to the way antibiotics, asthma treatments, and pain management can fail to address the root cause, or how the ‘worried well’ experience unresolved issues. I think disability for me is hard to see as a difference as it can cause limitations to life in general. I don’t believe everything can be understood our environments or science, biology.
@@radishraven9 Besides sensory sensitivity, executive functions also. Even if the autistic person lived alone on a desert island, there would still be problems with executive function.
Do you think autism belongs in the DSM? (I heard Tony Atwood say that he would like to see autism taken out of the DSM-- because it is a developmental disorder rather than a psychiatric disorder.)
Also, what do you think about ASD being changed to ASC? (= autism spectrum condition)?
(Personally, I don't think it matters too much.)
@@MrDaydreamer1584 In swedish autism spectrum is already called a "condition"("tillstånd") rather than disorder. It fits much better, but still not 100% perfect and not really that important.
I don't really know if it should be take out of the DSM or the ICD. There are quite a few neurological conditions such as dementia in the DSM so it is not a purely a manual of mental health disorders. The DSM i feel could be abolished without too many bad consequences but the ICD coding is more important and more difficult to let go as it covers all diagnosis codes internationally. So the question is should ASD (or ASC) be considered a diagnosis? Which is hard to answer. I would lean towards keeping it a diagnosis as long as diagnoses are needed to get certain therapies and disability aids and insurance.