Escapist Users and Aspergers

[Xaio30]

People using it as an excuse to be douchebags are the true scum here.
They need to realize that having a condition does not compensate for anything. You're still responsible for what you say and do!

When I happen to insult someone by mistake, I need to suck it up and apologize, even though I have Asperger Syndrome.

Captcha: True Life
I agree.

 

[busterkeatonrules]

Er... I was diagnosed when I was like 3 or 4, (and have long-since accepted this fact) but I never use it as an excuse to be a jerk, like some people do. Also, whoever said this disorder makes you good at math sure never met me...

As a general rule, it can safely be assumed that anyone who uses Asperger's as a free lifetime jerkass licence does not really have Asperger's. If you actually have a condition that limits your ability to interact socially, it is far more likely that you will actively try and be as polite as you can in order to make up for it.

I have Asperger's. And I also suck at math.

 

[Erana]

Because this is the internet, and even amid the liars and idiots, people with Asperger's are drawn towards the internet due to the easier socialization it provides. I know a lot of people are self-diagnosed and such, but using the internet over physical personal interaction is a pretty solid symptom.

If you haven't been diagnosed with aspergers, shut up, you don't have aspergers.

If you have been diagnosed with it, shut up and get a second opinion, you probably don't have aspergers.

Misdiagnosis leads to mistreatment. I'd sympathize more with people who have been living with a misdiagnosis and the burden on their shoulders of living with "Asperger's Syndrome" - which isn't exactly a good or fun thing to have! ...honestly, it's a painful, socially crippling condition and even believing that you have could ruin a life if its a misdiagnosis. I wasn't diagnosed until three psychologists reassessed my depression and honestly, just being told it is enough of an arrow through the heart enough, whether you actually have it or not.

Also such flippant comments are really quite ignorant. It's like people who don't believe bisexuality exists. I'm not saying you should give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but such a generalization isn't exactly a healthy assumption to make. People have Asperger's an autism, and people on the internet will have it. (Also, understanding what Asperger's is goes a long way to understanding why many people "have" it. It's a very mild condition, Asperger's patients hardly differ from "normal" people, it's not exactly easy to pick one out of a crowd, if you know what I mean. So assuming so few people have it is silly.)

His post is actually a very valuable piece of information that can apply to all health issues. If I hadn't gotten multiple opinions, I might be taking epilepsy medications that could kill me with a deadly rash among other side effects without any benefits from taking it whatsoever.
And that's not the only disease/disorder they've pegged on my weird health stuff in the past.

You really can't put that much faith in a single doctor these days.

 

[Angry_squirrel]

I've been diagnosed with it, I'm not sure about everyone else. I think it's more of an internet thing though, people with Aspergers are much more introverted by nature, I think that the percentage of people who regularly use the Escapist are therefore significantly more likely to have it than a random person you might meet on the street.

Also, if you're basing this 20-30% figure on threads talking about Aspergers, then of course the figures are going to be higher, people are more likely to post if the thread holds some relevance to them.

 

[The Funslinger]

Because humans are hypochondriacs by nature, they hear of a condition and automatically conclude they suffer from it because they possibly display some symptoms of it. There are a lot of socially defective people on this forum, so it's only natural they would hear about aspergers and presume they have it.

If you haven't been diagnosed with aspergers, shut up, you don't have aspergers.

If you have been diagnosed with it, shut up and get a second opinion, you probably don't have aspergers.

I actually agree with you, having been falsely diagnosed with it as a kid.

In any case, communities inevitably have a specific demographic they attract, and it's likely that ours is one that may be chock full of people with Asperger's or Autism.

Misdiagnosis leads to mistreatment. I'd sympathize more with people who have been living with a misdiagnosis and the burden on their shoulders of living with "Asperger's Syndrome" - which isn't exactly a good or fun thing to have! ...honestly, it's a painful, socially crippling condition and even believing that you have could ruin a life if its a misdiagnosis.

Yes, it did ruin my childhood. And my adolescence. I'm only just now climbing out from under the shadow of that misdiagnosis. If I could, I would find whoever diagnosed me and lamp him repeatedly.

 

[Monsterfurby]

See, things like this are notably difficult to determine. Up until nine years ago, I would probably have qualified for the vast majority of symptons of Asperger's. Then I spent a year abroad, forcing me to actually become a social person and get out of my comfort zone and honestly, although I am certainly still a nerd and proud of it, I would consider myself absolutely AS-less. So apparently I never had it in the first place, but if I wanted, I would have had a good case to argue that I did.

As I said, with things like this - self-diagnoses and sometimes even professional diagnoses just won't do.

(Captcha: history repeats itself - ominous.)

 

[snagli]

I know three people who say they have Asperger's, but don't actually have, they say it's for dicking around and standing out so girl notice them easier. No idea how faking a mental condition gets you girls, but hey.

In other news, I have Exploding Head Syndrome. Ladies, take a number.

 

[Section Crow]

I always read aspergers as Ass-burgers, i don't even know why...

anyway, people are always trying to find ways to cover themselves up to 'justify' their cruel and cold mannerisms on the internet and in real life, i see it as more of a guilt trip or a false fallacy they hold to make themselves feel better about the way they act.

No offense intended to the people who know from a professional that they actually have Aspergers syndrome and if i have offended then i apologize profusely.

 

[Andy of Comix Inc]

Because this is the internet, and even amid the liars and idiots, people with Asperger's are drawn towards the internet due to the easier socialization it provides. I know a lot of people are self-diagnosed and such, but using the internet over physical personal interaction is a pretty solid symptom.

If you haven't been diagnosed with aspergers, shut up, you don't have aspergers.

If you have been diagnosed with it, shut up and get a second opinion, you probably don't have aspergers.

Misdiagnosis leads to mistreatment. I'd sympathize more with people who have been living with a misdiagnosis and the burden on their shoulders of living with "Asperger's Syndrome" - which isn't exactly a good or fun thing to have! ...honestly, it's a painful, socially crippling condition and even believing that you have could ruin a life if its a misdiagnosis. I wasn't diagnosed until three psychologists reassessed my depression and honestly, just being told it is enough of an arrow through the heart enough, whether you actually have it or not.

Also such flippant comments are really quite ignorant. It's like people who don't believe bisexuality exists. I'm not saying you should give everyone the benefit of the doubt, but such a generalization isn't exactly a healthy assumption to make. People have Asperger's an autism, and people on the internet will have it. (Also, understanding what Asperger's is goes a long way to understanding why many people "have" it. It's a very mild condition, Asperger's patients hardly differ from "normal" people, it's not exactly easy to pick one out of a crowd, if you know what I mean. So assuming so few people have it is silly.)

His post is actually a very valuable piece of information that can apply to all health issues. If I hadn't gotten multiple opinions, I might be taking epilepsy medications that could kill me with a deadly rash among other side effects without any benefits from taking it whatsoever.
And that's not the only disease/disorder they've pegged on my weird health stuff in the past.

You really can't put that much faith in a single doctor these days.

Oh no, I agree of course. But he's assuming that everybody who claims to have Asperger's is probably wrong. I don't think that's true at all, that's it's a bit cynical. But it is a valid point, in a roundabout sort of way.

 

[KaosuHamoni]

Spoiler: Where's that pictu- Oh. Here it is.

Yes, I have it. No, it's not self-diagnosed, like oh-so-many people... 3 separate doctors actually. Can we move on now?

 

[theparsonski]

I'm not going to lie - I read this as 'Escapist Users and Asparagus'.

OT, I hate immature kids who constantly prat about and act like a twat and then claim they have ADD or ADHD when someone picks them up on it. They don't. Modern parenting dictates that if your child is even relatively misbehaved the they must have ADD, because you couldn't possibly be doing something wrong, could you?

 

[xDarc]

In my opinion, aspergers is a made up 90's disease, another attempt by big pharma to sell drugs to an untapped market; kids. There is not even a specific medication to use which allows quacks to try every behavior med on the shelves. $$$ There is no solid physiological evidence of the disease, except to claim it runs in families, which is common amongst many behavioral issues that do not have any known pathology and are not diseases.

If anything, I think this "disease" is a symptom of the internet and it's effects on developmental behavior. The internet largely did not exist until around the same time this started gaining traction as an illness. None of the kids I grew up with in the 80's had aspergers, and no one had ever heard of it.

I just don't see how you can have a behavioral disease with no discernable pathology become an overnight epidemic and not think to blame the culture first.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I've become pretty apprehensive to even mention it on this forum, because aspergers has apparently become somekind of hipster disease. And saying that you have it has become synonymous with showing off and making yourself feel special, or something.

Anyway, I have it, I hate it. Let's hope I don't have to suffer too much from the consequences for my remaining lifetime.

 

[Daverson]

If anyone asks, I just say I'm autistic and leave it at that. The sort of people who use this disability as an excuse to be complete dicks to everyone they meet don't like the stigma surrounding autism, so tend away from the term.

why the fuck anyone would claim they have it when they dont is beyond me, not to mention how ignorant it is to claim it doesnt exist

People claim to have it because they think it'll get them a free pass. People claim it doesn't exist because they've only met those people =p

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

*I actually AM diagnosed with Aspergers.*

I think it's just that being able to post anonymously seems very attractive to people who have social interaction issues. Also, most people with aspergers end up being geeks or nerds, and thus flock to sites like the Escapist.

It's also kinda funny, because although I'm not the best at being social, I'm actually not bad anymore. I can hold conversations no problem, I can stop myself from rambling on and on about stuff I like, I'm in a great relationship, etc. Yeah, sure I talk out loud to no one in particular a whole lot, but aside from that, I don't think my condition is apparent at all.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

It's one of those easy excuses to justify being an asshole
"Oh well im selfdiagnosed with arseburgers so you should be feeling sorry for me for not having a little bit of common decency"

I for one believe just as much in the "asperger"-excuse as i do in religion
ie none (for those of you who didnt get the joke :L)

I hate that too. Having aspergers doesn't mean you get to excuse yourself for being a dick.

I actually HAVE aspergers and I'm a super nice guy! Unless we're playing Mario party or something, at which point I will deliberately screw with people for the lulz.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

Speaking as someone that has mild but still quite life-affecting AS, my view on the matter is that those people are either legitimatley misdiagnosed, they want to be AS to make themseleves more intresting, or they just want it as a fallback in-case they say something unacceptable.

 

[TotalerKrieger]

I believe many mental health professionals are moving away from using the term "Aspergers disorder" as more recent research suggests that autistic disorders follow a spectrum rather than being distinct entities. The broader term "High Functioning Autism" is gradually becoming an alternative diagnosis to Aspergers but it still is a matter of debate among clinicians.

If autistic disoders really do follow a spectrum, then it is very possible that a fairly large percentage of the population is in fact affected by autistic traits, but at a degree of severity currently considered "sub-clinical". I would bet that many individuals affected by sub-clinical autistic traits assume Aspergers is a probable diagnosis simply because it is the "closest fit" to what they are experiencing.

To the people who are saying Aspergers is becoming trendy or hipster, what the fuck are you smoking? Our society is dominated by a culture which demands constant social connection and very high expectations when it comes to interpersonal skills. People who are the least bit anti-social or socially awkward are effectively singled out and ignored, if not met by outright hostility. It is likely that more individuals are claiming to have Aspergers because people in general have become far more critical and exclusionary, leading to more individuals becoming socially isolated. Aspergers provides an answer as to why this has happened them, not a label to appear trendy ffs.

 

[Xan Krieger]

Firstly thank you for calling it a mental illness, I take it you also think black people have a disease in their skin. I was diagnosed at age 12 by a proffesional and then I joined the Autism Society of North Carolina. It's not an illness, I'm just different, I have friends, I even have a job. I'd write more but that comment about it being an illness means it wouldn't be nice.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

Snip

Yeah, I'm no fan of big pharma either, but I can tell you firsthand, AS is real. You heard of the MMR scare from the early 2000's?