What Axis is autism in DSM-IV

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Just wondering I could have swore its in Axis II but according to my psychology teacher it's in Axis I.

It's axis I. It used to be axis II, but was changed.

Very good point, one if the dimensions is physical if I remember right. And I kind of remember more than just two dimensions.

And a difference between, for example, bipolar which a person might be happy to be cured from, and being on the Asperger's-Autism Spectrum which is part of who I am.

And even with bipolar, a person might like and embrace sone aspects, which makes it all the more important for the doctor to listen to the person in a real way, and tinker with the medication as needed, but really that's just the beginning.

*and I really hope the Spectrum develops more along the lines of a civil rights model, that it's okay to be different and it's certainly okay for me to be authentically myself

I - major diagnosis (depression, schizophrenia, etc.)
II - personality disorders
III- physical illnesses
IV- social stressors (finances, relationships)
V- global assessment of functioning score

Thank you all for clearing this up.

Axis I is correct, but I honestly think autism, and other developmental disorders, should be on Axis II. That's because Axis II is for long-term or life-long disorders--the personality disorders and mental retardation (also called intellectual disability or developmental delay, depending on where you are). Those things are in the background of other diagnoses and have long-running, relatively stable courses. I would put autism in that category as well, and also some other disorders like fetal alcohol syndrome, some congenital brain conditions, long-term TBI or stroke damage, and specific learning disabilities--the disorders that are not expected to change much over the lifetime, for which the primary treatment is therapy designed to help you deal with those problems. For these disorders, if you "lose the diagnosis", the result is that you have the symptoms but not the impairment necessary for a diagnosis, probably because you have learned enough to cope without help or accommodations.

But since I don't get to write the DSM, it's Axis I.

cathylynn, thanks for the info. I think the social dimension is important. Makes a big difference whether a person has a basically sane environment which makes sense. And it sure helps to have people accepting and appreciative. That may not always be there. We can help and somewhat provide a baseline by hopefully in time having more advocacy and service organizations (for me to both receive services, and hopefully I'd also like to help provide some services).

So, the social dimension (Axis IV) is at least potentially positive. Now, regarding the second dimension, I don't like them so readily slapping on the label "personality disorder." For example, the person who is borderline. Well, I'm sure it's like anything, and can be played to strength depending on the situation.

I'm not all that impressed with DSM-IV. For example, they only talk about sensory issues briefly and they use the word "odd." Wow, this is a group of people either not very familiar with sensory issues or not very comfortable with them. In either case, we can do better. For example, I previously made this post:

Awe-tistic rewrite of DSM-IV. Love it!
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt176628.html

This is an activist's spoof rewrite, and I think it's better than the original.

You have to understand that this is the profession that when presented with autistic people writing our own thoughts and experiences out for others to read, will write an entire book chapter on why autistic self-reports are not reliable and must not be relied upon.

I actually read that chapter (I forget who wrote it) and it was largely a matter of cherry-picking self-reports to shoot them down.

These axis things are skeeery.