Asperger's Dropped From Psychiatrists' Guide, Dyslexia Stays

Other disorders redefined

The term "Asperger's disorder" is being dropped from the diagnostic guide used by the nation's psychiatrists. However, "dyslexia" and other learning disorders remain, and abnormally bad and frequent temper tantrums will be given a diagnosis called "DMDD." The revisions come in the first major rewrite in nearly 20 years of the guide, and could affect millions of children and adults worldwide as the guide defines what doctors recognize as mental disorders, what insurance providers decide to cover, and helps schools decide how to allot special education. Asperger's will be now incorporated under the umbrella diagnosis "autism spectrum disorder." The aim is not to expand the number of people diagnosed with mental illness, but to ensure that affected children and adults are more accurately diagnosed so they can get the most appropriate treatment, said Dr. David Kupfer. (NBC News)

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