Greta Thunberg: Stigmatized for Asperger ’ s

Whether you agree or disagree with her message, Greta Thunberg has suffered from the typical stigmatizing comments from those who disagree with her because of her Asperger’s syndrome diagnosis. This is the kind of ignorance most people have left behind in the last century. But some critics, instead of focusing and replying to her message about the threats of climate change, chose to focus on the messenger, Thunberg herself. Calling her “mentally ill,” one critic even went so far as to suggest she was some sort of parentally-controlled pawn in a vast global conspiracy. It shows a stunning amount of discrimination, stigma, simple lack of respect, and an inability to argue from the facts when someone brings in another person’s mental health status if that status has little to do with the topic at hand. Asperger’s syndrome has been renamed as a mild form of an autism spectrum disorder in the latest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)(American Psychiatric Association, 2013). It is in a category of disorders called Neurodevelopmental Disorders, ones that typically begin and are diagnosed in childhood. In reading many conservative critics opinions of Thunberg, many seemed to focus on the personal characteristics of Thunberg, rather than her message. And just to be clear, her message was a very simple one. She asked the leaders of the world and lawmakers to listen to the science and scientists who are in strong, general agreeme...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: General Mental Health and Wellness Motivation and Inspiration Policy and Advocacy Stigma Climate Change Greta Thunberg Mental Health Stigma Source Type: blogs