Original post by Castor989
What are the pros and cons for you?
for me cons include:
1- people mislabeling it as a mental illness. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability. This means that we can't get better and medication won't just fix it. It also means that should allow us a little bit of slack.
2- relationships. I have no idea whatsoever what my sexuality is and I don't care. I feel like a relationship would be too much work. Having to constantly analyse someones emotions is fatiguing, there is the option of just not doing it at all or half trying but the results aren't great.
3- I'm a girl. Yes girls can have autism. You never see a girl with autism portrayed in the media. and when they are I feel like the representation isn't good.
4- I'm bad at friendships. I get easily tricked because I can't always tell when someone is being sarcastic ir isn't being nice. People also tend to take advantage of me.
5- "High functioning" doesn't mean that we don't have massive difficulties. It just mean that we don't have intellectual impairment. All of the sensory problems and social difficulties are still there as with someone who is less high functioning.
6- bullying is a problem
7- You don't have an in depth understanding of other people and your own emotions. Obvious emotions like happy or sad are easy. Emotions like anxious, angry and embarrassed at unbelievably difficult
8- Sensory problems. It can be anything from sound and light to textures of foods and smells. People don't realise that stuff is literally louder and literally brighter. Neurotypical people can sometimes get overwhelmed because they are stressed beforehand. Autistic people can get overwhelmed because the radio is playing whilst the radiator is gurgling. It varies from day to day. One day you might be able to tolerate things better than another day.
9- Meltdowns- these aren't mental breakdowns. It's a bit like a computer crash. The person isn't being badly behaved, they aren't attention seeking. They aren't able to process things. You can have a meltdown because of anxiety but it's very different to a panic attack.
Pros:
1- Obsessive interest- for me it is medicine. It isn't always like portrays in the media. People always ask you questions on your interest and its so much fun to answer.
2- its cliche but the out of the box thinking some of us are good problem solvers
3- we often have a very different way of approaching a problem
4- People are becoming more understanding and help with the disability side of things.
Hope this helps.
it is relevant for Aspergers because the terms Aspergers is actually outdated. Its now classed under ASD/ASC
Jaffacakehero
What's the difference between a mental illness and a neurodevelopmental disorder? @BungieEmma
I think my life requires a lot more careful planning than other people’s do. I have to mentally evaluate how much any interaction is going to take out of me, and since I don’t feel the physical sensation of hunger, my mealtimes have to be very tightly regulated and I have to make sure that I eat enough
My senses are kind of off. I don’t do temperature or physical pain either, but you can make me feel pain by exposing me to overwhelming sensory information. Luckily I have a functioning sense of taste and enjoy eating generally, which is probably the only reason I’m not a skeleton
I definitely think though that the special interest aspect makes it all worth it. I love Chemistry more than I think I’m capable of loving any person, and it just makes my life worthwhile
My senses are kind of off. I don’t do temperature or physical pain either, but you can make me feel pain by exposing me to overwhelming sensory information. Luckily I have a functioning sense of taste and enjoy eating generally, which is probably the only reason I’m not a skeleton
I definitely think though that the special interest aspect makes it all worth it. I love Chemistry more than I think I’m capable of loving any person, and it just makes my life worthwhile
Original post by Theloniouss
What's the difference between a mental illness and a neurodevelopmental disorder? @BungieEmma
A neurodevelopmental disorder is a disability that occurs when the brain isn't properly developed.This causes deficits in certain areas. A lot of people with autism seem a lot younger than their chronological age due to this. You are born with it, you die with it . A mental illness like anxiety or depression is caused by a lot if factors such as: lifestyle: junk food, personal situations: the death of a family member,Sociocultural influences: social media and sometimes chemical imbalances in the brain. You can cure a mental illness, you can't cure autism just like you can't cure an amputated leg.
Original post by BungieEmma
A neurodevelopmental disorder is a disability that occurs when the brain isn't properly developed.This causes deficits in certain areas. A lot of people with autism seem a lot younger than their chronological age due to this. You are born with it, you die with it . A mental illness like anxiety or depression is caused by a lot if factors such as: lifestyle: junk food, personal situations: the death of a family member,Sociocultural influences: social media and sometimes chemical imbalances in the brain. You can cure a mental illness, you can't cure autism just like you can't cure an amputated leg.
I was always under the impression that mental illnesses and disorders were synonyms, but thanks for clarifying
