Wes Streeting's move against autism - NAS - time to step up

The first stage to persecuting a section of a population is to other them. Start having misleading headlines that connect words that are slightly out of context. And it isn't good, the way is has been put is purposeful.

A review is being launched > there must be suspicion to justify a review > some people must be doing something wrong that needs to be checked > they must be bad people if something is wrong >they should be punished in some way.

As pointed out, the figures used are for general mental health, but depression is too big a group, so lets focus the headline on a subset -ASD/ADHD. It is a big enough minority to look for big savings. (savings that could be made by creating more screening in the NHS, instead of farming it out to private companies to charge more.)

The idea that you should welcome checks if you have nothing to hide, is a line I've heard oh so many many time before in persecuting groups.  

To understand the rise in numbers diagnosed you need to look at the history of the DSM. To quote from neurodivergentinsights website on an article called 'rise-in-autism-diagnoses':

• 1994: The DSM-IV expanded the criteria to include Asperger’s Syndrome and PDD-NOS, allowing more individuals — especially those without intellectual disabilities — to be recognized.
  
  
• 2013: The DSM-5 unified these subtypes under a single umbrella: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This marked a shift toward a spectrum model, acknowledging the wide range of experiences and support needs. In the process, previous categories like Asperger’s and PDD-NOS were removed — leading to mixed responses from those who identified with those terms.
  
  
• A quiet but significant update: the DSM-5 also allowed clinicians to diagnose autism and ADHD together. Before 2013, they were told to pick one — meaning many of us (especially those with more internalized traits) were diagnosed with ADHD while our autistic traits went unnoticed.
  
  

So a lot of us weren't missed in childhood, there was no diagnosis. So it makes sense there are generations that need to catch up with what they have. That with the grouping of different conditions under the one ASD banner, then obviously numbers would go up too, as you'll find the headline compare only numbers of those with autism across time-spans, not on the fact that if you start calling apples, pears and bananas fruit, you will have more fruit.

I can't find it now, but until one of those DSMs, you could only be autistic if you were under 3 when diagnosed? So it was easy to be too old even at 4.

So yes, there is a rise in numbers. It would be weird if there wasn't. 

And also it's worth noting, Trump declared it was a problem, so perhaps maybe Starmer is bending over backwards to 'sort the problem' out also, to curry favour? Cynical but you have to be these days.

3 reasons why so many people more people are seeking help with their mental health that spring to mind to me are:

mental health is declining

society is becoming aware of existing mental health difficulties they have been experiencing for years

more people are finding it a useful strategy to live in current society

a seperate 4th that measurement and reports of it are incorrect

A 5th that Martian overlords are beaming neurodivergence waves to earth prior to their landing spaceships to take over the world.....................

Oh and a 6th - that successive UK and international governments have made and contiune to make an absolute sh1t show of making sure that optimum conditions for public mental health have been maintained and would rather make enquiry after committee after sub-group after which clearing off and living in luxury in some tax haven with their deceitful, conniving and evil friends.

I'll step up with a suggestion to any of those concerned who might be reading this mrs.snooks 

"World Leaders - do your fu57ing jobs!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The problem is partly that everyone living in the country can use the health service, therefore could end up with a diagnosis. Really the government wants to get as many people with mental health issues back to work so it can start taxing them otherwise they exist outside the net.

So true - it’s incredibly difficult to get PIP for mental health problems and neurodivergence. And people are experiencing real poverty - they’re not living it large on generous benefits. The cost of food, heating and rent are off the scale. 

It’s very depressing. My eldest lived abroad for a while and is thinking of leaving in future. If Farage becomes PM I don’t think my son will be able to bear the thought of staying in the uk (if he can manage to find work abroad anyway). 

In Mr Streeting's own words:

www.theguardian.com/.../wes-streeting-mental-health-problems-review

Quote 

"I know from the personal experience of some of my nearest and dearest the pain this is causing. One has attempted to take their own life after struggling to get any mental health support. A family member has suffered from the shortages of medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, seriously affecting his mental health. At the same time, I have seen the transformational impact an early autism diagnosis can have for the support and education a child receives."

My eldest (who already had a diagnosis of autism) was diagnosed with ADHD last year - and as a result he was prescribed medication which actually increased his ability to deal with (and focus more effectively on) a demanding workload. So his diagnosis led to him increasing his contribution to society - and did not lead to any claim for benefits at all. People make assumptions about people’s reasons for being assessed for a diagnosis. For myself I spent a long time in hospital a few years ago and I found that I was trying to explain to staff why certain things were so challenging for me - and I felt that if I had a diagnosis of autism then that could have been on my notes and that would have saved all the complicated conversations as I tried to communicate with them under such trying circumstances. I knew I was autistic (I had realised it years before when my son was diagnosed) but it was when this happened that I felt I needed the diagnosis to protect myself really from people making my life even more difficult in situations like healthcare. For example at the dentist if you say your autistic they have an immediate understanding of why some things might be more difficult for you - and can make reasonable adjustments. Most of us are mainly trying to reduce our suffering and find better ways to function. And to be totally blunt : sometimes we’re genuinely trying to save ourselves from struggling so much that we try to end our own lives. It can be life and death if we are shown no support, respect or kindness by the society we live in. 

Last year 8.7 million on antidepressants in England, 1 in 7 (including children).

That is rising too.

Regarding mental health in general, I think that some of it is related to finance being easy to get, then getting into difficulties. However reading your comment, perhaps it is also in light of how the world has changed a lot from the pandemic onwards, with one thing after another to worry about.

What a terrible response..

I am now pretty sure NAS have no interest in helping autistic people and are just happy to get money off autistic people to waste on their directors

You're almost certainly right B, but how much of that is due to us being marginalised, excluded and especially for us latelings years of not being recognised or believed?

TheCatWoman said:

not just aimed at people like us but people with anxiety and depression too.

I would say that describes 'us' very well.

I suspect that anxiety and depression  more often than not go hand in hand with autism. 

It was featured on the 6 O'clock news just now and it seems not just aimed at people like us but people with anxiety and depression too. Personally I think that people are pushed towards "talking therapies" whereas years ago you'd have "mothers little helper" aka valium, I remember whole estate of zombie mums wandering around hardly able to function because of the amounts of stuff they were being prescribed, the problems not new by any means, we just talk about it more. It used to be a running joke at uni, that you'd go to see the nurse with a cold and come out with anti-depressants! She'd ask if you were feeling miserable and when you said yes out would come the presecription, no acknowlegdement that colds do make you feel miserable.

I think many talking therapies are inappropriate for the conditions people go with, how many people here have had problems with CBT? Or have found that thees no knowlegde of any ND's? The NHS like's the CBT model, because it's fairly short and fits in better with the drug regimes they're used too.

I do think that more people are being diagnosed as ND, often because their children are and so the parent seeks diagnosis for themselves. I think the world has speeded up and we have less personal space that before and as we all know having our space is really important. It shouldn't be the case that the government have to think about legislating to allow people to turn off thier work phone when they're at home, we're not talking about on call doctors or vets here where being on call is part of the job, my DiL manages car parking services and often get scalled at 10pm and asked to sort something out and it's often not a quick fix either. 

I wonder how much increased screen time plays a part too? It's well known that the light from screens stimulates the brain into staying awake, this can't be a good thing? Everything seems so hyper all the time, so many people are a sense of offence looking for somewhere to manifest, I think everybody must be self censoring a lot of the time, either that or being wound up by all the nastiness out there. 

I don't know how this review will effect us, maybe a lot, maybe very little, but if they're serious about helping any sort of mental health problem then they will have to resourse help properly and maybe stop thinking about ND as a mental health problem, but something else, whatever they come up with it needs to be properly thought through and funded with a range of options.

BBC article as below:

The NHS are hiring another 8,500 mental health workers.

I think the keys point is the "value of diagnosis to individuals".

I wonder how they will define this? Fulfilling potential, passing exams, ability to work or continue working, being happier, requiring fewer NHS or schooling resources? It might be hard to define in purely monetary terms.

Those comments are frightening! I feel so powerless.

ArchaeC said:

l am concerned that the government will bow to public pressure that has built up from misinformation in the media. 

I agree.  I've just been reading the comments on the BBC article and there are plenty that support my fear above that diagnosis may be made more stringent again eg:

"Tests need to be more thorough- professionals and society should stop pandering to the TikTok mentality of wanting to be quirky to fit in. Remember, social media is not a valid source!"

www.bbc.co.uk/.../ce8q26q2r75o

Thanks B. The review in itself sounds like it could be positive, but l am concerned that the government will bow to public pressure that has built up from misinformation in the media. 

A non-autistic friend recently asked me (again!) why there are more autistic people now than there were years ago. Perhaps some people who aren’t neurodivergent have little interest in delving into the details.

The Sky news article is also interesting. 

I give the impression this is directed at the young?

"The Department of Health said 13 times more people were waiting for an autism assessment in September 2025 compared with April 2019."

The review will be led by leading clinical psychologist Professor Peter Fonagy, the national clinical adviser on children and young people's mental health, who will work with academics, doctors, epidemiological experts, charities and parents.

He will look at what is driving the rising demand for services, and inequalities in accessing support.

Prof Fonagy said: "This review will only be worthwhile if it is built on solid ground. We will examine the evidence with care to understand, in a grounded way, what is driving rising demand.

"My aim is to test assumptions rigorously, and listen closely to those most affected, so that our recommendations are both honest and genuinely useful."

The findings will be published next summer.

news.sky.com/.../soaring-demand-for-mental-health-adhd-and-autism-services-to-be-reviewed-after-overdiagnosis-claim-13479259

Mr T said:

that more people are being diagnosed due to increasing awareness

Definitely.