Autism or Mental Illness

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Posting here because this is a philosophical thing.

This site is renowned for not casting autism as a mental illness because people don't like being cast that way.

I have what is classified as a mental illness...wtf am -I- supposed to do to feel good about myself? And not just me, EVERYONE with a mental illness?

I wrote a paper for a class once about the difference between having a mental illness and being mentally ill.

I, personally, have chosen recentally to accept the 'mentally ill' part of me as part of who I am. I have mood swings and depression and racing thoughts and very rapid mood changes and a personality disorder, and personally, the way I act at any given time is quite simply who I am. There is no underlying 'that wasn't me' when I act out. I refuse to accept that. It most obvoiusly IS me; I have not been taken over by devils. It is my voice, my body. Is it my choice? Not ideally, but are your choices your choices either? Probably not.

I personally don't like the idea that so many people with mental illness adopt, that they say 'this is not who I am, underneath this depression or this mania or this psychotic episode, I am a different person, and THAT different person is the REAL me'. Why is that person the REAL you? Because you like that person better? Because you function within society as that person better? Because your perceptions are more accurate?

I get that for some it makes them feel better, for me, thinking that way makes me feel worse. Because I know my 'illness' is not short-term. It affects me more than 50% of my time I think, and then I am someone who is then perpetually ill. Someone who is perpetually ill is perpetually trying to get better. It means that what I am most of the time is flawed. To be flawed means to make my self-worth less, not more as people try to say. Much like I would think that people with an ASD are constantly the way they are.

Personally, I have realized that I have been so caught up in trying to 'get better' and 'succeed' at life and constantly not succeeding enough that I constantly feel failure. This is no way to live. Yes, I'm going to be sad often. I'm going to be WAY more sad when I feel shame that I'm not taking the 'right' steps to overcoming my mental illness. I quite frankly don't wish to be hospitalized for a year somewhere so I can be rehabilitated, hopefully, to societal norms of functioning. I want to take my own approach. I will use emergency services as I need, they exist for a reason.

In fact, I almost think that being told so often by people that I need help or that I'm not doing enough etc. is one of the reasons I -need- help in the first place!! ! (thank you mom) No one can live with such negativity in their lives. And being told my very existence most of the time is 'sick' just makes it worse.

I don't get people who like being told they're ill. I mean, I do, it was a starting point for me I guess. But it's not an ending point, that's for sure. Especially when there's nothing much to be done for the mental illness in question. I am who I am. It is my reality, and my reality is always what it is at any given point in time. I do not wish to categorize it as bad or good, or should or should not. There is only action and reaction.

This thinking gives me peace and makes me not want to die. Allowing myself to sleep 18 hours a day allows me to not want to die some days.

I say mental illness.

That's why ASD people take medicine for their ASD symptoms.

They want to be someone else.

Last edited by LoveNotHate on 11 Jun 2016, 4:24 am, edited 2 times in total.

Well, autism diagnosis is in the DSM = Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Or is mental illness not the same as mental disorder?

I do not really believe in Psychiatry. I mean, this was the same industry where people were kept caged up to treat so-called insanity, when in fact the treatment was what caused the insanity ! Let us not forget that history repeats. I still see the same kinds of things going on in psychiatry to this very day. I do not accept the label of illness. Mental-Difference is tolerable but Psychological-Difference may be the most-accurate phrase to use.

^ So you mean that the Autism diagnosis is actually socially constructed, with the help of Psychiatry? I am not fan of the industry either.

This topic gets to the heart of who we are as human beings. Here's the broader philosophical question: do every one of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors reflect who we are as people? Are we our thoughts? Are we our emotions? Are we our behaviors?

There's a reason why people, not only mentally ill people, use the term 'higher self.' The higher self judges our conflicting thoughts, feelings, and impulses as contrary to who we are. In order to have an integrated sense of self, and feel good about ourselves, we unify all this conflict, or at least try to do so. We try to get to the heart of what we want for the long term, if our immediate impulses conflict. From a behavioral perspective, especially from outside each person, who we are could be seen as a composite of what the person is inclined toward, most of the time.

Even some baseline emotions don't necessarily reflect who we are. I feel a baseline level of anxiety all the time. Is that who I am? No, not exactly. I am also the person who regularly faces my fears and tries new things. I frequently have trouble starting projects, but is that who I am? Not exactly, because I reliably meet deadlines and fulfill commitments to others. Even if I were to start having such poor motivation that I stayed in bed most of every day and missed those deadlines, would that now become my new personality? Not quite. It would reflect my currently overpowering emotions, rather than my personal values.

I think that what we do about all of these conflicting thoughts and feelings reflects who we are over time. Sometimes, we can only make very very small changes, and we prove to ourselves and others that we can indeed make change. Who we strive toward becoming is just as important as how we see ourselves now.

What do you all think? Do you see things differently? Am I missing something?

Autism while in the manual of mental disorders is considered a developmental disabilty by Autism experts. So while Autistics who do not want to call themselves mentally ill may do so to not feel bad about themselves they have the current scientific consensus to back them up.

The OP may identify herself as she pleases.

I am not and have never taken any Autism related medicine or treatments does that mean I am in denial about bieng mentally ill? If a person does take Autism related medicine is he or she taking it because they hate thier Autism symptoms, feel the real them is bieng surpressed by Autism, or because of the way they are looked and mistreated because of thier autism or a combination of the above?

Then there is the question is a symptom and Autistic symptom or caused by a co-morbid mental illness?

Last edited by ASPartOfMe on 11 Jun 2016, 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

One autism doctor gave me a printout listing of ASD people, their reported "problem", and the psychiatric drug that was being used to treat this "problem".

How do you reconcile "its just a developmental disabilty" with the reality that psychiatric drugs are being used to make ASD people more normal? And ASD people are achieving some success with these drugs?

Even on this website, on past "Risperdal" threads, you can see ASD people say "it helps".

I'm not about to defy how things are labeled, but I've never honestly seen things like autism as a "mental illness." Things that are developed over time due to outside factors I can definitely see as being illnesses or disorders. My anxiety, for example, I see as a mental illness. It affects me in extremely unhealthy ways--so much so that I have body image issues that lead to unhealthy habits, and I stim in harmful and painful ways in order to distract my extremely paranoid mind. That, to me, is an illness. My autistic behavior? Not an illness imo. Even if I am autistic I can still function harmlessly. I think there are disorders and even perhaps illnesses that are connected to autism, but I would never call autism itself a disorder. My sensory processing issue, yes, is a disorder because it's not "normal" and my abilities to regulate senses is defective to an extent. But autistic people are by no means "not normal."

A developmental disability is a lifetime condition that you are born with. There is not neccessarily anything "just" about them they can be quite impairing.

What are the "Autism" drugs used genreally for?, depression,anxiety, bi-polar so called "co-morbid" conditions. I have questions about the co morbid concept myself I started a thread on that very topic, but right now the scientific consensus is that it is a thing.

You choose a doctor you want but if a doctor started giving me the type of list he gave you I would fire that doctor immediately. I am reluctant to take any drug that changes your mind due to the possibility of unintended consequences. My Autism related difficulties are a lot if not mostly related to bieng a minority/how Autistic traits are treated.

I think of autism as a neurological disorder which, at times, manifests itself symptom-wise as a mental illness.

Then, of course, there are co-morbid mental illnesses which accompanies the autism. This would make the autism seem like a mental illness as well.

I don't think a person with autism, or with mental illness, is inherently a "bad" person. I do believe one, always, should seek to make him/her self, as well as those around him/her feel better. They shouldn't have intentions of harm.

I don't believe people should feel "stuck" in whatever negative situation they are in. They should seek to improve their lot--mostly for themselves, but soemwhat for others, too.

Last edited by kraftiekortie on 11 Jun 2016, 10:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

Anybody addicted to drugs will also say that their drugs help them as can be seen in drug-addicts.