Is Asperger's an illness?

Post Reply New Topic

It's simply a different way of thinking and feeling with many varieties. Just another person.

Illness: "Poor health resulting from disease of body or mind; sickness."

Disease: "A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms."

Pathology: "A departure or deviation from a normal condition."

The question of whether or not AS is a disease or illness boils down to the interpretation of "normal condition". From the perspective of someone who thinks "NT is normal; normal is NT" then AS would certainly seem to be a disease. But you could argue (and many people do) that AS is "normal for me" on the basis that it's not something that we acquired after a period of relatively better health, and therefore there has been no departure or deviation from *our* normal condition.

I prefer the "as is normal for me" POV for two reasons: (1) the word disease generally connotates an external cause, an observable progression of symptoms, and hopefully a course of treatment that results in curing the pathology and restoring health to the pre-disease state; and (2) if we assume that any condition other than the statistical average qualifies as a departure or deviation from the normal condition then most people are diseased in some way -- basketball players have "tallness disease", etc. You could also illustrate the point using comparisons to other non-disease congenital conditions such as albinism or colour-blindness. People are just born that way.

"Different not defective," I hope people don't mind me using this copy and pasted from Tony Attwood's site http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/ but it says the most positive things that I have ever read about AS, and from one of the acknowledged experts on the 'condition.'

"From my clinical experience I consider that children and adults with Asperger’s Syndrome have a different, not defective, way of thinking. The person usually has a strong desire to seek knowledge, truth and perfection with a different set of priorities than would be expected with other people. There is also a different perception of situations and sensory experiences. The overriding priority may be to solve a problem rather than satisfy the social or emotional needs of others. The person values being creative rather than co-operative. The person with Asperger’s syndrome may perceive errors that are not apparent to others, giving considerable attention to detail, rather than noticing the ‘big picture’. The person is usually renowned for being direct, speaking their mind and being honest and determined and having a strong sense of social justice. The person may actively seek and enjoy solitude, be a loyal friend and have a distinct sense of humour. However, the person with Asperger’s Syndrome can have difficulty with the management and expression of emotions. Children and adults with Asperger’s syndrome may have levels of anxiety, sadness or anger that indicate a secondary mood disorder. There may also be problems expressing the degree of love and affection expected by others. Fortunately, we now have successful psychological treatment programs to help manage and express emotions." Tony Attwood.

I would say that it is not an illness, but that it can make you vulnerable to mental illness ie, extreme anxiety, panic attacks etc (and I do mean etc.). Knowledge is power, or at least empowering.

WHATEVER! everyone knows its nothing, thats right: beeing aspie is nothing. its just beeing creative and stuff. who cares what any "experts" say, who cares what NTs say. im so tired of this stupid discussion, over and over again. why cant we just settle on it once and for all....??????????????????????????

Berta, I am genuinely confused as to the direction of your reasoning, i.e. whether you consider AS an illness or not. Can you clarify your point? Thanks!