is aspie mental illness?

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I am so confused. Just been re-diagnosed as an adult with aspergers, mis-diagnosed as clinical depression. Now is aspie mental illness? or is it an issue with my brain?
thanks for any response

Asperger's is a neurological difference on the autism spectrum. While many aspies suffer from additional mental health problems, like depression and anxiety, asperger's in itself is not a mental illness.

"While many aspies suffer from additional mental health problems, like depression and anxiety"

Which are mostly the consequences of intolerant people around you who etc. in most of the cases.

Ps : I love your name. :p

In my opinion, I view Asperger's/autism as a difference. Others may see it differently.

I've always been told it's a developmental disorder / neurodiversity.

No, it is not a mental illness. But many people with Asperger's have anxiety, depression, or other mental disorders. But people with mental illness should never feel ashamed or at fault for their suffering. But sadly, that is exactly what society wants us to feel.

Interesting... Makes me wonder what the definition of "mental illness" actually is? I guess I always thought autism was a mental illness / disability, because it causes you to struggle to function in ways that come easiliy to other people.

So is it considered a "disability", then? (Sorry for the ignorant question! I've always just assumed... 0.0)

It is a disorder, but not an illness. A developmental neurological disorder, to be precise. For many people, this disorder can lead to social or work-related disabilities as well as so-called mental disorders like anxiety and depression.

Is Asperger's a mental illness?

NO.

Definitely not, although Aspies are more likely than NTs to develop mental health issues. The main difference is that Asperger's is a neurological condition that is life-long, whereas mental health issues develop later in life (not necessarily adult, speaking from personal experience) but CAN be overcome.

Mental illness, I think. I don't buy the "different" thing. I know lots people who are "different", but they can function in everyday life, and social situations. I can't, and apparently most other aspies can't either.

You guys using Asperger's/autism, as a temperament? How come they can identify Introverts using PET scans. Wheres Aspies.

As in like this, notice across the top:-

http://www.icd9.us/301.21/

All brain-related medical conditions are ultimately organic disturbances of the nervous system, so the distinction between mental illness and neurological disorder is just a matter of semantics. The only real difference is whether a condition is congenital (such as epilepsy), developmental (like autism), or degenerative (like Alzheimer's).

The main reason that the medical community distinguishes between mental illnesses and neurological disorders is that some conditions are treated by psychiatry and others by neurology. Psychiatric conditions, i.e. conditions that alter a person's behavior, thoughts or mood, are called mental disorders or mental illnesses, whereas conditions such as Parkinson's or epilepsy are referred to as neurological disorders.

The borders between those two categories are a bit blurry, and autism is a bit of a special case. Aspies may lead a perfectly normal life and never require the services of a psychiatrist aside from getting a diagnosis, and autism itself can't be treated with psychiatric medication anyway. So it's not really a mental disorder. On the other hand, many autistic people suffer from depression, anxiety and mood changes, and things like stimming behavior and meltdowns are relatively unusual behaviors.

I would say autism straddles the line between a mental and a neurological disorder, but it is an artificial and unnecessary line to begin with. I wish we would completely do away with the term mental illness and treat all neurological conditions as the organic problems that they are.

Last edited by CrazyCatLord on 17 Apr 2012, 10:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

It's possible you have depression too; as opposed to have been mis-diagnosed with it.

I would disagree with the last paragraph. Aside from milder forms of depression that are caused by grief, nutrient deficiencies or lack of sunlight, there is no neurological condition that can be cured as of yet. We can merely suppress the symptoms. Once conditions like OCD or schizophrenia start to develop, they are usually permanent. And they develop in the exact same way as autism, meaning that there is a genetic predisposition as well as an environmental trigger. The trigger of autism merely occurs at a very young age, either in the womb or shortly after birth.

It's not a mental illness. We're more likely to have mental health conditions along with AS. AS is a neurological developmental disorder of the brain. Our brains are structured differently. Part of the reason that we're more likely to develop anxiety and depression is because the way that some NTs treat us, such as our parents, teachers and peers. I'd also like to say that I don't hate all NTs. Only the 5 percent who gave me a hard time.

No it's not a mental illness.