Asperger's syndrome is to be dropped from the psychiatrists' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders, the American publication that is one of the most influential references for the profession around the world.

The term "Asperger's disorder" will not appear in the DSM-5, the latest revision of the manual, and instead its symptoms will come under the newly added "autism spectrum disorder", which is already used widely. That umbrella diagnosis will include children with severe autism, who often do not talk or interact, as well as those with milder forms.

Read the rest of the article here.

Just a side note, the article doesnt just talk about aspergers getting clumped with other disorders.

I was happy at first reading the title of this thread, assuming its implications, but I was somewhat disappointed by the actual result.

I have a problem with psychiatric diagnostics in general - maybe not by the usage it was intended for but because of the usage it sees in the general public. It becomes an excuse rather than a description, when it is meant to describe a psychological circumstance rather than a literal illness.

I refer to things like "milder forms of autism" and "abnormally bad and frequent temper tantrums" moreso than legitimate things like dyslexia, of course.

Aspergers, and to a lesser extent autism, have become the most appropriated mental conditions by people as far as I've seen. Self-diagnosis, or simply taking a doctor's suggestion as Word of God, has become popular as a form of self-identification in lieu of admitting legitimate character flaws.

Basically, inb4 totally excusing belligerent behavior with DMDD or passing off social ineptitude as "very mild autism."

my bro patrick has this syndrome its pretty cool doctors said hes a border line genius hes makin this weird arm contraption thingy hes just like any other 16 yer old except his mind works diffrently like on his highschool test he got evrything thats easy to us like states of matter&crap like that is hard for him but if its a test like atomic/nuclear crap he figures out how it works in 2 seconds without studying.

If I recall, Autism works in that aspect. Though it's pretty much a one way street. Rather than being able to focus on multiple subjects, a person who suffers from Autism can use basically more, or ALL of their brain to solely focus on a few subjects, or just 1 subject a lot more quickly, as well.

It's an interesting illness, but at the same time pretty dark. If one could actually, say, control what actually causes Autism, and can change the layout (probably impossible) in which it acts per person, they could totally use it as means for a new way of learning. Like change it and have it adapt to where people act like they normally would without it, but can use more of their brain, quicker, just like that of how Autistic people learn now.

Meh, too much Science Fiction here.

It will be lumped into Autism spectrum disorder as a "light" case.

The DSM-V is moving to a spectrum approach due to problems with the categorical approach. Namely, one symptom would make you "not depressed" or not "Anti-social". The new approach allows more freedom in classifying them. However, many disorders are being removed as they fit into a new spectrum.

For instance, Schizophrenia is just schizophrenia now. There will no longer be the Paranoid, Catatonic, or Disorganized types.

Source: Personal research, psychology depart I'm in is finishing writing the DSM-V

>>3
Many people will claim that BS. Easiest way is to force them to take the scales and tests for it. Many have detections for lying and faking good/bad. Of course if they refuse to take it then they're talking out their ass.