Hi sunblue and Bones,
I, too, hope that those with Asperger's are not in any way harmed by the new categorization.
Here's another article that describes what's different and what's the same in the new DSM:
http://www.clinicalpsychiatrynews.com/newsletter/the-cognoscenti/singleview-enewsletter/apa-approves-final-dsm-5-criteria/0804be1cf4ae968955e0ba8d3b473f06.html
Richard
P.S. The personality disorder diagnoses, including Narcissistic Personality Disorder, were not changed.
Thanks, Richard. I can only hope.
I've been unable to find a professional who is willing to accept my health insurance and provide an official assessment for the possibility of Asperger's or PDD-NOS given that I am now a senior citizen on a fixed income. People, in my particular generation, kind of fell into the cracks. When my cohort were still children, Asperger's was not on anyone's radar. Our difficulties and differences were often punished....which changed nothing. By the time Asperger's was included in the DSM around 1994, I and my age-group were already well into middle-age. By the time the evidence became so pronounced that I could no longer ignore it, I was much older than middle-age and the professionals I encountered were more focused on children than on adults. One of the topics of discussion, among the Aspies I hang out with, is the frustration with the system that can't seem to recognize that Aspie children BECOME ASPIE ADULTS. Where are the resources then? And for the "Lost Cohort" born during the Baby Boom? What resources are available?
Many questions......few answers.
Bones