Lucifer, on 16 December 2012 - 07:11 AM, said:
Loki, on 16 December 2012 - 02:47 AM, said:
Dear Media,
Autism isn't a form of mental illness - it's a developmental disorder. Try and report something correctly.
Cheers.
Dear Loki,
Psychological developmental disorders are a type of mental illness/disorder.
Cheers.
Because I can't be bothered going into great detail when you can look it up yourself - here's a few quick definitions of Developmental Disorder and Mental Disorder/Illness.
'A developmental disorder is any condition that
appears at some stage in a child's development and delays the development of one or more psychological functions, such as language skill. Developmental disorders include psychological and physical disorders, for example autism or dyslexia. Developmental disorders are an
impairment in the normal development of motor or cognitive skills that are developed before age 22. They are usually expected to
continue indefinitely, and there usually is no cure'
'A mental disorder or mental illness is a
psychological pattern or anomaly, potentially reflected in behavior, that is generally associated with distress or disability, and which is not considered part of normal development of a person's culture. Mental disorders are generally
defined by a combination of how a person feels, acts, thinks or perceives. This may be associated with particular regions or functions of the brain or rest of the nervous system, often in a social context.'
As defined by the US Congress:
According to the Developmental Disabilities Act (Pub.L.106-402), the term developmental disability means a severe, chronic disability that:
- is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or a combination of those impairments;
-
occurs before the individual reaches age 22;
- is likely to continue indefinitely;
- results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity: (i) self care, (ii) receptive and expressive language, (iii) learning, (iv) mobility, (v) self-direction, (vi) capacity for independent living, and (vii) economic self-sufficiency; and
- reflects the individual's need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic services, individualized supports, or other forms of assistance that are of lifelong or extended duration and are individually planned and coordinated.
According to the NSW government:
Developmental disability is a severe, chronic disability which is attributable to intellectual or physical impairment, is manifested
before the person attains the age of 18, is likely to continue indefinitely and results in functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity: self-care; receptive and expressive language; learning; mobility; self-direction; capacity for independent living and economic self-sufficiency.
NSW Inquiry into Health Services for the Psychiatrically Ill and Developmentally Disabled 1983, Part 2, pp
Australian Law defines developmental disorders as being seperate from mental illness.
The basic model for assessing the difference between a developmental disorder and a mental illness in Australia is:
Developmental Disorder:
Thoughts are limited by cognitive ability and understanding.
Is lifelong and will not dissipate.
Onset occurs before 18 years of age.
Medication cannot restore cognitive ability. (Keyword being 'restore' - medication can aid/help but not 'fix')
Assessed by a psychologist
Mental Illness:
Disturbances in thought processes and perception. May experience hallucinations and delusions.
May be temporary, cyclical or episodic.
Onset can occur at any stage of life.
Medication can be prescribed to control the symptoms.
Diagnosed by a psychiatrist.
A developmental disorder is seperate from a mental illness (though the two often go hand-in-hand).
This post has been edited by Loki: 16 December 2012 - 09:20 AM
Help
The investigating officer told Nick in the Cinderella episode that it wasn't labelled a homicide until a year after the incident occurred. And Nick's a bloody cop - as if he didn't read the crime scene report. Did he just somehow forget or overlook the fact that his mother's head had been stolen? Bleh...
