Prosser wrote:
junior1 wrote:
buryuntime wrote:
so, you're saying autism doesn't exist either? Essentially the same thing...
How many people here had their cells examined under a microscope by a scientist who spotted the "autism"?
Which cells are you referring to?
My point is, how many here were given a blood test or a brain scan or some hard scientific measurement to spot their "autism"? I find the aspergers is autism connection sort of weird since I am not aware of any hard, biological testing which is done for it.
I mean in the words of the article author, who is clearly more intelligent than I,
Quote:
Instead, I mean that these
disorders do not “exist” and “have properties”
in the same manner that artifacts and viruses
do. For these reasons, a taxonomy of mental
disorders such as the DSM “does not simply
describe and classify characteristics of groups of
individuals, but . . . actively constructs a version
of both normal and abnormal . . . which is then
applied to individuals who end up being classified
as normal or abnormal” (Parker, Georgaca,
Harper, McLaughlin, & Stowell-Smith, 1995,
p. 93).
I'll switch to a different author
david D. Burns, author of "When Panic Attacks"
Quote:
"To my way of thinking, the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for the anxiety disorders are rather nonsensical, kind of like Alice in Wonderland. You can assume that worrying turns into an illness called generalized anxiety disorder after six months, since that's the way its officially defined in the DSM-IV, but keep in mind that this cutoff point is arbitrary. GAD isn't a real disease in the same sense that pnemunia is a real disease. Worrying exists, but GAD doesn't. Shyness exists, but social anxiety doesn't.
Where did these diagnostic criteria come from in the first place. You may not be aware that they weren't decided on strictly scientific grounds. What actually happens is that committees of psychiatrists get together from time to time and vote on the latest versions of the diagnostic criteria. they scratch their chins and ponder about how many months of worrying are required before GAD suddenly springs to life"
Its of course the same problem with Aspergers. DSM-IV, assuming the random URL I pulled up is right, starts with
Quote:
Diagnostic Criteria For 299.80 Asperger's Disorder
A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
1. marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction
2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
3. a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people (e.g. by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity
B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
3. stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
4. persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)
E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood
F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia
Don't you see that they've clumped a whole bunch of traits together and called it a condition called Aspergers. Why do you need 2 manifestations of social impairement? Why not 3? Why not 1?
Delay 2 years, but not 2 years 1 month? Particularly distrubing is that you can have all the Aspergers traits but apparently still not have aspergers because condition F says they can say you have Schizophrenia instead. So..... is Schizophrenia autism? Can someone explain that autism thing to me?
09 Mar 2009, 9:56 pm
