The answer should be yes. Not "how can I get my loved one help?"

Tag Archives: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

SMI and the Tragedy of Adulthood

SMI – Serious Mental Illness

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health  (NSDUH), which defines SMI (Serious Mental Illness) as:

Rethink Mental Illness

Rethink Mental Illness (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So, what does this have to do with David?

David came to us when he was 18 months old.  We became his parents, legally, 6 months later.  In truth, since he was just months old, he has been a part of our lives.  Mom had a home daycare.  And we filled in as needed for his foster family‘s day care provider.

David is 15 now, in the blink of an eye, he will be 21 years old.  What happens to his care then?

This is the tragedy of adulthood for someone with a Serious Mental Illness.  Without the appropriate diagnosis, all care basically ends, regardless of what his actual needs are.  Unless two conditions are met.

Conditions

  1. Appropriate diagnosis.  –  something like Schizoeffective Disorder.  Each diagnosis that David has currently isn’t enough by themselves to get him continued care after he reaches 21.  Together they aren’t enough.  He has to have the right diagnosis.
  2. Jail/Prison.  He can receive mental health care that he needs, in prison.

111What kind of life is that?  With basic care, staff and supports, there is, I believe, a huge potential for him to lead a productive life.

Now, I caution my readers, his productive life isn’t going to be the same as yours or mine.  For him, it might be as simple as getting out of bed each day and playing video games. But if that keeps him and others safe, that’s okay.  It could be that he does something else.  The key here is safety and out of prison.

So again, how does this help him?  How does this help any adult who struggle with Serious Mental Illness?

 

 

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Autism and sociopath

Major brain structures implicated in autism.

I am in a discussion on another blog about Autism and sociopaths.   Let me state this unequivocally.

It is possible for a child to be a sociopath and have autism.

How do I know?  I don’t have to look any further than my son David.  He has facets of autism.  and he is a sociopath. Sure at 11 they can’t actually diagnose him as a sociopath.  But he has been diagnosed with a conduct disorder, and anti-social behaviors.  Plus, he is on anti-psychotics to control those behaviors.

Sociopath indicators

  1. Manipulative and conning
  2. Grandiose sense of self.
  3. Pathological lying
  4. Lack of remorse, shame or guilt.
  5. Shallow emotions
  6. Callousness/lack of empathy
  7. Need for stimulation
  8. Poor behavior controls/lack of impulse control
  9. Criminal or entrepreneurial personality – changes their image as needed to avoid prosecution.

These are just some of the indicators.  Looking at a full list of indicators is enough to make me ill.  Of those, I list the ones that David exhibits consistently.

the DSM IV

DSM-IV Definition

Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by a lack of regard for the moral or legal standards in the local culture. There is a marked inability to get along with others or abide by societal rules. Individuals with this disorder are sometimes called psychopaths or sociopaths.

Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-IV)

  1. Since the age of fifteen there has been a disregard for and violation of the right’s of others, those right’s considered normal by the local culture, as indicated by at least three of the following:
  1.  Repeated acts that could lead to arrest.
  2. Conning for pleasure or profit, repeated lying, or the use of aliases.
  3. Failure to plan ahead or being impulsive.
  4. Repeated assaults on others.
  5. Reckless when it comes to their or others safety.
  6. Poor work behavior or failure to honor financial obligations.
  7. Rationalizing the pain they inflict on others.
  1. At least eighteen years in age.
  2. Evidence of a Conduct Disorder, with its onset before the age of fifteen.
  3. Symptoms not due to another mental disorder.

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And our doctors have told us that if David was 18, this is the diagnosis that they would give.

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