Do I have aspergers?

FyreFight

If you want to find out if you actually have a mental illness, go to your GP.

Aspergers is not a mental illness.

OP - speak to your GP if you feel you may have aspergers. The National Autistic Society website has some advice about how to do this.

Reply 5

FyreFight

14

Es*

Aspergers is not a mental illness.

OP - speak to your GP if you feel you may have aspergers. The National Autistic Society website has some advice about how to do this.

"Psychological Condition" then? :rolleyes:

Reply 6

Seoid

The way to look at it is - will it help if you are diagnosed? The answer is probably not. Asperger's Syndrome is just a label, and a diagnosis does not lead to a cure. The label is usually given to young children so their carers can quickly identify what might be a problem for them, usually in school, and help them accordingly. Once you are older and you are in control of your own life, the label isn't very useful and can actually be a hindrance in the sense that it can hold you back. It can become very easy to blame everything on a "disorder" and to come to believe that you can't change anything because you're disabled and that's the way you'll always be (this happens so so often to disabled children, but in the sense that the label causes their carers to hold them back). As someone else pointed out, everyone has a degree of Asperger's, because Asperger's is basically a bunch of normal personality traits that are amplified so that they can become a problem. I think having that label would only tie you to one spot, when in fact what you want to do is move on and change.

You've identified some problems that you want to fix, so why not try to do something about them and forget about the Asperger's? Why not see a counsellor or ask someone close to you for help? I can understand that having a diagnosis can be a relief, because you can name what you think is wrong with you, but it can also be a burden that you don't need. You know what the problems are, so try to do something about them.

Reply 7

Seoid

FyreFight

"Psychological Condition" then? :rolleyes:

Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

Reply 8

FyreFight

"Psychological Condition" then? :rolleyes:

Personally, I prefer 'flavour of neuro diversity'. Medically speaking it's an autistic spectrum disorder. It is not an illness, or even a psychological condition. It's a different outlook on the world; it's not wrong. The world needs to be more accessible.

(it won't allow me to put neuro and diversity as all one word ... it turns into lots of santas ... which is weird)

Reply 9

Spike4848

There's a significant number of people who are somewhere on the asperger's scale, i think it's something like 1 in 5? It's quite possible you are. But there's not much anyone can do as far as I'm aware, so not sure how productive it would be getting it labeled.

Reply 10

Es*

Personally, I prefer 'flavour of neuro diversity'. Medically speaking it's an autistic spectrum disorder. It is not an illness, or even a psychological condition. It's a different outlook on the world; it's not wrong. The world needs to be more accessible.

(it won't allow me to put neuro and diversity as all one word ... it turns into lots of santas ... which is weird)

Not this one again. I know a guy with Aspergers and it's an illness let's face it. I suppose you're one of those people who support the rights of deaf parents to refuse hearing operations on their children.

Reply 11

Dream_Catcher

only nihilism

Not this one again. I know a guy with Aspergers and it's an illness let's face it. I suppose you're one of those people who support the rights of deaf parents to refuse hearing operations on their children.

That actually happens :eek:

Reply 12

only nihilism

Not this one again. I know a guy with Aspergers and it's an illness let's face it. I suppose you're one of those people who support the rights of deaf parents to refuse hearing operations on their children.

Too right, I am.

I know a guy with Aspergers and it's not an illness let's face it.

Reply 13

cpj1987

15

I agree with Es* on this one. Everyone has a different personality; some are more sociable than others. That doesn't mean that anyone who's less sociable has some kind of mental illness - it JUST means they're less sociable.

Otherwise, we could argue that anyone who doesn't like sprouts has a mental problem; as does anyone who prefers shopping in Tesco to shopping in Asda.

Reply 14

Glad to see that my nutter radar is still fully functioning then.

Reply 15

cpj1987

I agree with Es* on this one. Everyone has a different personality; some are more sociable than others. That doesn't mean that anyone who's less sociable has some kind of mental illness - it JUST means they're less sociable.

Otherwise, we could argue that anyone who doesn't like sprouts has a mental problem; as does anyone who prefers shopping in Tesco to shopping in Asda.

And now the nutter takes his first victim. So you also agree with him that parents can refuse to let doctors restore their childrens hearing, since that's not an impairment just an alternative social group? That's where your argument is heading kid.
There's more to Aspergers than "unsociable" darling, of course it's something of a spectrum disorder but at one end of the spectrum you're talking about an unhappy person whose life will be blighted by being a social mammal who is always going to have difficulty in socialising, as well as understanding basic elements of the world around them. Beyond a certain scale anything is an illness, even stupidity.

Reply 16

only nihilism

Glad to see that my nutter radar is still fully functioning then.

I don't think the OP's thread about Aspergers is a good place to debate all the issues surrounding treatment of Deaf children. I do not think I am a nutter, but I support your right to think that I am.

Reply 17

cpj1987

15

only nihilism

And now the nutter takes his first victim. So you also agree with him that parents can refuse to let doctors restore their childrens hearing, since that's not an impairment just an alternative social group? That's where your argument is heading kid.
There's more to Aspergers than "unsociable" darling, of course it's something of a spectrum disorder but at one end of the spectrum you're talking about an unhappy person whose life will be blighted by being a social mammal who is always going to have difficulty in socialising, as well as understanding basic elements of the world around them. Beyond a certain scale anything is an illness, even stupidity.

No, I never said anything about the deaf children. Of course that's not a personality thing, they're deaf!
Where did that come from? :p:

Reply 18