How the DSM changes will affect the UK ... or not.

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I was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome last week and afterwards I asked the psychiatrist about the whole "Asperger's won't be a thing anymore" controversy. She laughed and said, "You've been reading those forums, haven't you?" She then went on to explain that, in the UK, at least, Asperger's isn't going anywhere and not to worry about it. I won't need to be re-assessed and I won't lose my diagnosis. She said something else about "international classification" that I can't quite remember but I think the gist of it was that the UK doesn't really play by the American DSM system anyway.

Basically, to sum up: Asperger's will still exist here in the UK and will continue to be recognised by schools, the government etc.

She was referring to the WHO International Classification of Diseases [link]

I think it depends on where you are in the UK and who you see ... the psychiatrist diagnosed me with an ASD rather than Asperger Syndrome, because that will likely be what is in the DSM V (although I also suspect they weren't quite sure whereabouts on the spectrum I sit ... he said "towards the Asperger end").

Additionally, I received a later diagnosis of Emotional Dysregulation Disorder which my psychiatrist said was an Americanism because she really didn't like the diagnosis of "Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder".

So more than anything, I think it goes with the preferences of the diagnosing psych ...