When Asperger's Disorder Came Out.

BACKGROUND In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association removed Asperger's Disorder from the DSM, offering instead the new DSM-5 diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder. This change has been hailed the most controversial exclusion from the DSM, yet unlike the 1973 removal of homosexuality from DSM-III, Asperger's disorder has not been demedicalised. Rather, the disorder has simply been reclassified as part of the DSM-5 Autism Spectrum and therefore retains its fundamental characteristic as a mental disorder owing to its inclusion within the sphere of the DSM. METHODS This paper is based on a review of the current academic literature in conjunction with careful reading of the DSM-5. RESULTS Removing the Asperger's label, valued by patients for its distinctiveness from autism brings with it the potential to inflict iatrogenic harm. DISCUSSION This paper demonstrates how the DSM-5 reclassification has the potential to threaten the identity of those affected, and discusses the problem of autism as a stigmatizing diagnostic label. CONCLUSIONS A case is made for the use of tandem social/colloquial - medical/technical terminology to refer to the conditions classified under DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder, in order to square the circle of social concerns regarding identity and stigma with the need for diagnostic clarity to continue to advance medical practice.