Compulsions To Hurt

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Is is possible to have Aspergers Syndrome and have compulsions to hurt other people?

Thanks

mzero

Asperger’s doesn't predispose having other conditions.

Are these compulsions disturbing to you? Pure OCD can have these sorts of disturbing compulsions.

well depends if you are processing a lot of problems or if you have adhd then probely yes some people are bether with keeping feelings inside your head other people work it away by hurting people
but i would most likely think its because youve been absorbing to much stress and trouble without solving it wich makes you want to work it out on other people

Compulsions to hurt people [without just cause] is called "criminal"; "compulsions" are the act. Do you so happen to mean "obsessions" (i.e., obsessive thoughts about hurting people without actually doing it)? That's more of an OCD thingy.

Nearly all people with Asperger's/Autism only hurt others because they're frightened over the situation.

You are right about obsessive thoughts, you are wrong about the meaning of compulsions. Compulsions are not necessarily acted on, they are an urge. However they are more impulsive than obsessions.

This looks quite informaive:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrusive_thoughts

The touchstone seems to be whether or not the thoughts are freaking you out. If not, if it's just that you think you're the only one, or just feel a tad embarrassed or guilty about it, it seems most people have intrusive thoughts like that.

I've had such thoughts, but reading the descriptions in the article, I don't feel so embarrassed about mine, which have been much more innocent . I always kind of figured it must be my mind trying to tease me. I don't feel in the least at risk of acting out any weird thoughts I've had. They've always got "social suicide" written all over them.

It's fairly normal, and of course realising that fact should hopefully help ease the anxiety it can cause.

I have a very AS-ish friend who has compulsions...or maybe a better term would be disturbing fantasies....he does not act on them..but he will sometimes talk about them....he is comfortable with me..and so he will often tell me about them..luckily I know him well enough not to be freaked out by them....I am not sure why he has them, but being able to talk about them seems to help...I am not sure whether it has anything it do with his ASish ness... though.

I have many compulsions to hurt people; I don't do it though. Usually it just comes out of the blue. I'm not particularly worried about acting on them.

Compulsions do involve acting out on them; the "O" in OCD is the thought, whereas the "C" is the compelling act that alleviates anxiety.

Yeah, usually with OCD, the compulsion is something that would be meaningless to most people... you know, like counting to 100 or something like that... but if you have OCD, you're doing it because it helps with the obsessive thoughts; only the problem is, it doesn't help forever, and then you just kind of get stuck doing it more and more. A common obsessive thought (i.e., a thought you can't get out of your head that causes a lot of distress) is the idea that you are going to hurt somebody and that you won't be able to help doing it. It's possible to have obsession-only OCD, technically.

The good news? An obsession like that is NEVER acted on. It's likely that someone with that obsession is so troubled by it precisely because he desperately does not want to hurt others. Psychologists have been known to get an OCD patient with a fear of harming other people, while in the end-stages of treatment, to hold a knife while the doctor turns his back... to prove to the patient that he will not actually stab the psychologist, or anybody else. (The guy with OCD already knows this; but he doubts it so much that his feelings don't follow his mind. Sometimes it takes an illustration.)

Regarding "compulsions to hurt other people"--if you actually end up hurting people, then it's not a compulsion; it's more probably something like impulse-control problems. Important distinction: Compulsion is done to avert anxiety; impulse-control problems crop up because you don't think before you act. The typical impulsive act of violence is done in anger, without planning; a fistfight or a slap, that kind of thing. (It's also a Bad Thing. Obviously. People go to prison if they don't solve those problems while they're still small. Some AS meltdowns involve a breakdown of impulse control; but the most likely targets are objects or people who attempt to restrain said Aspie.)

If there's a great deal of thought involved, though, it's probably an OCD style obsession and not a compulsion or an impulse-control issue.

i would say that what you are experiencing is emotions,
and your emotions perhaps come to you visually, as in fantasies or something like that.

perhaps you are angry about something and just not aware of it.
im really bad with emotions, and ive now started to understand that when i think about certain things, i am infact experiencing emotions.
im reaaaaaaaaally bad at knowing what i am feeling and why. (but getting better at it)
try to figure out the reason behind it, there is always a reason.
your mind works in a logical manner, its just that when you dont have all the pieces it might seem illogical.

just my 5p

Yes, I've often had a compulsion to hurt someone...myself mostly!

...only the drivers in front of me...

Compulsions, not really, but I sure feel like it sometimes. Acting on it is what the trouble would be.

When I'm irritable I find my mind compulsively yelling "Go away!!" at people who get too close to me. Any violent thoughts I get are almost alwys directed at myself, especially when I'm embarrrased.

I think I may only be capable of hurting someone in self defense or in defense (or retribution) of someone or something innocent. Even at my angriest, I may want to scream and yell, but I don't really think about anything violent. Unless the person was bragging about hurting an animal or something.