Anyone else find terms used by mental health professionals offensive?

Yes, it feels offensive because autism is a unique way of being and it is a spectrum which manifests in different ways. Unfortunately, until Psychiatrists can better reflect and agree on an appropriate name for autism, we are stuck with disorder. 

The link describes the differences between syndrome, disorder and disease https://psychologyfor.com/the-differences-between-syndrome-disorder-and-disease/

Some people prefer to call autism ASC, but I don’t like that as it would feel like a condition I am lumbered with, such as an illness. That is because a condition is something some people have, not something they are. 

Syndrome sounds better to my ears, but the first link shows why this doesn’t fit. 

AS (Autistic Spectrum) is great, but that could be problematic as it wouldn’t fit in the existing classifications in the DSM (Second link), it would be returned to the list of disorders. 

The problem remains that although I am not a condition, I don’t have a condition, and I am not conditioned (unless I increase fitness), I can have a disorder, be a disorder and be disordered  (according to ASD definition), although I don’t identify with those terms.

I prefer to say I am autistic, and in that way I avoid calling myself disordered or conditioned, or saying I have a disorder or condition. 

This links to the ‘Book of Disorders’ otherwise known as the DSM https://www.psychiatryonline.org/dsm. To read, you would need to purchase unless you can access it through a library or university.

in the meantime, I am autistic, other people are non-autistic and if pushed I will agree that the majority of people are not neurodivergent. 

Somehow I can't see there ever being a neurotypical disorder, even though NT's cause so many problems and prejudice.

I searched online and found loads of disorders, some of which I would have thought NT people could have.

www.psychologytoday.com/.../dsm

Yes that does give us some ‘clout’ to argue that not all people diagnosed with disorders are a liability.

On the other hand, the figures can give some a reason to say disordered people are a liability. Unfortunately, some equate worth as a human being to those who are employed. 

I just meant that as long as some are contributing you cant make the lazy statement that all are a liability. This means you have to get more specific, but it is not easy to narrow it down in a simple sound bite. It means having everyone together offers some protection for those less fortunate.

Fewer work than I thought. Seems 30%, with 15% full time, although many more want to work. Its below the average for all disabilities.

Might be 300,000 or more in work in the UK.

Sorry Stewart, I get what you have said now in the last paragraph. I was confused by the three paragraphs as I am goggled eyed at the moment - too much screen time. 

Stuart333 said:

This is where putting everyone together is helpful as it undermines the simple views

Will you please explain why putting everyone together undermines the simple views. Are you referring to my view and one or more other persons?

I feel a sadness and hurt when I hear the word ‘disordered’. It is an emotion, not something fixed in facts.

I am not suggesting anyone else should share my feelings and I don’t believe I claimed anything other than a feeling in my first response. 

ArchaeC said:

My dislike of ‘disorder’ being used to describe Autism does not mean I don’t believe it is an accurate term if used correctly.

What I have said can be repeated by saying “I believe it is accurate as a classification”. I don’t believe certain politicians are using it correctly and therefore the meaning has become changed in popular culture. As an example, the English language is a living language, and the word ‘gay’ meant ‘bright and lively’ when I was a child, yet now the word is used to mean ‘homosexual’. I don’t like the word being used in the context of autism because of the association.

I don’t think there is anything more I can say about that. It is how I feel, and I haven’t done anything other than state accurate facts.

Stuart333 said:

there are plenty who work and pay tax though, in tech and finance. They are not a drain.

Not that many:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_of_autistic_people

between 76% and 90% of autistic people being unemployed in Europe in 2014 and approximately 85% in the US in 2023

That leaves the rest as dependent on others or benefits in the vast majority of cases.

ArchaeC said:

of course the definition of disorder is correct. 

My dislike of ‘disorder’ being used to describe Autism does not mean I don’t believe it is an accurate term if used correctly.

Based on facts, can you explain why you think the medical definition is not being applied correctly please? I'm curious as to the thought processes behind this.

When it comes to labels used by fascists then if we change the label they will just come after the new one too - names change nothing of consequence here.

ArchaeC said:

That is the message coming from the US, that is what is being fed to people around the world and that is what I don’t want to be a part of. 

They are coming after us because we are a high dependancy group and have little ability as a group to defend outselves. It is a classic fascist approach to remove the needy from society and remove the "undesirables" from both sight and cost.

Seeing how many countries have  growing right wing and fascist movements I think this issue is going to become much more significant over time.

If anyone has an effective idea how to get us out of the crosshairs I would be interested to hear it.

But there are plenty who work and pay tax though, in tech and finance. They are not a drain.

They also have a disorder.

This is where putting everyone together is helpful as it undermines the simple views 

Yes, of course the definition of disorder is correct. 

My dislike of ‘disorder’ being used to describe Autism does not mean I don’t believe it is an accurate term if used correctly.

Unfortunately, the term has been used to describe autistic and neurodivergent people in a less than flattering way. Vance and Kennedy have spoken about autistic people as if they are to be discarded on the rubbish pile. Cures have been proposed to prevent autistic people ending up on the scrap heap, so they can no longer be a drain on society. In other words, what I am seeing is a big sign say I AM A DISORDERED PERSON AND NOT WORTHY OF BEING A HUMAN BEING. 

That is the message coming from the US, that is what is being fed to people around the world and that is what I don’t want to be a part of. 

ArchaeC said:

I’m starting to wonder if they have left anything out or is everybody with a mental illness/ condition/affliction/syndrome or whatever disordered.

The simple answer is - probably.

Look at the definition of the medical term:

https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/disorder 

- A derangement or abnormality of function; a morbid physical or mental state.
- A condition characterized by lack of normal functioning of physical or mental processes

This would fit the vast majority of the cases you talk about.

I’m starting to wonder if they have left anything out or is everybody with a mental illness/ condition/affliction/syndrome or whatever disordered.

Yes, I have seen quite a few posts referring to social anxiety disorder on this forum, but also elsewhere.

Ah right. I understand.

Thagts part of my point, it's all pretty discriminatory, but if you're ND, a term I'm using more and more as I find it the least ddiscrimatory, hen it seems to add an extra layer offence, mostly because of the assumptions of others.

When I said that I couldn't see being NT being labled a condition or disorder, I Wasn't meaning that NT's can't have a disorder, justthat they're not going to be labeled as NT and be desciminated against because of it. 

Social anxiety disorder is a good one, high masking autists can be misdiagnosed. And you can have both, which is what I think I may have had 30 years ago. 

Social anxiety disorder is a good one, high masking autists can be misdiagnosed. And you can have both, which is what I think I may have had 30 years ago. 

Yes, I have seen quite a few posts referring to social anxiety disorder on this forum, but also elsewhere.