Autism is Not a Mental Health Issue-Rethinking Healthcare and Mental Health Legislation
Keywords:
Autism, Mental Health, General Medicine, Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology, AdvocacyAbstract
It is somewhat of an irony that, while autism is classified under the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition
(DSM-5), little is known about its psychiatric aspects. In truth, autism is a neuro developmental, rather than a psychiatric disorder or a form of mental illness. Sometimes the presenting symptoms of autism are notthe core deficits of social interaction and social communication, but superimposed psychiatric problems such as anger outbursts, depression and hyperactivity. Unfortunately, these problems are either ignored by professionals as being part of autism itself or, conversely, and perhaps more concerning, autistic behaviours are too often misinterpreted as psychiatric disorders. In the latter interpretation, this can lead to many autistic individuals being institutionalized incorrectly for perceived mental ill health concerns, rather than being correctly interpreted as “negative” autistic behaviours as a result of stress, anxiety or sensory overload.
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