why do people say i suffer from asperger's syndrome

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I had a very interesting talk with a employee on the employment service the other day. I tried to explain that I've never seen it as a handicap (defined as it here) since it doesn't stop me from doing anything I like to do. Depressingly I can't really remeber her reply, but it was a good point from NT view. ^^

QFT we don't actually suffer from AS. Some of the happiest times of my life was when I was in my own little AS world happily stimming or drawing pictures where I completely lost track of time and reality. Sure, I was in a state of bliss. Other people around me seemed to be suffering though. It's not the AS that causes suffering. It's people's intolerance and reactions that cause it.

Of note, I say I do suffer from my ASD (let's just say it's AS), and it's clearly evident via objective and subjective means.

See:

-sensory dysfunction that causes pain in the least, to disabling pain on the other end, to "meltdowns" on the other side
-"situational anxiety", plus high levels of anxiety for no reason
-inability to interact with people leads to a forced life of solitude (I like it, but if I didn't, it'd be very, very unfortunate)
-learning difficulties
-inability to handle being in the presence of people I don't know (this comes under sensory, but I'll point out what that can do)
-inability to work with people

Whilst I'm happy with my lot, I'm not blind to my impairment and the suffering I do feel.

I admit these two have limited me and still do. I have reached the conclusion the reason my meltdowns aren't like they once were in severity is because I limit my time with others, do not have a full time, demanding, job, and live on my own. Once I was able to live on my own I became much calmer and many of my symptoms (which were fueled by an intense anxiety) became less intense which, to me, is a great accomplishment
I still have anxiety and do rant from time to time (by ranting I don't mean yelling exactly, more like going on and on about one subject as a way to cope with stress and anxiety, kind of like stimming, only people around me get irritated at having to listen to it).

I have asperger's i have high anxiety when i am around people and i can't block out noises and i can not feel empathy towards people or put myself the other persons shoes.

I don't suffer from AS at all. I have AS, but I don't suffer from it. The only thing that I suffer from, are the attitudes of people like the Nazis at Autism Speaks.

It is insulting in my view, for people to say that people suffer from something... they would feel patronised themselves if we told them that they suffer from being them. I don't suffer from Asperger Syndrome, it's a challenge, but I don't suffer from it.

So, they gas you with their O so terrible words?

Not all of them. And really, they can be educated. Often times they are only "ignorant" because they don't know enough; not willfully so.

No matter what someone has, or is, people always say they're "suffering" with, or from, it. It's ridiculous, but it's the truth.

I don't like it when I see or hear the words "suffering from Aspergers". How do they (the person who says/writes the word) know that the person with Aspergers is suffering?

I agree with Jaydee. The AS itself may not cause suffering, but trying to integrate and function in a world mostly run by NTs certainly does.

I don't find it a particularly easy condition to live with, personally. Obviously it's not as debilitating as say, chronic schizophrenia, but I find the residual effects - struggles with employment, struggles with maintaining friendships and relationships - to be a fairly major pain in the ass - especially as I'm not the kind of person who enjoys being on my own all the time. Reconciling the need to belong with my neurologically wired inability to do so has lead to other secondaruy disorders like anxiety and depression (like it does with many people that have ASDs).

Last edited by Locustman on 25 Aug 2009, 8:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

Actually, the difference in severity between chronic schizophrenia and AS can go either way.

I looked up the outcomes some time ago, and AS was actually worst off due to it being there from childhood; the person with chronic schizophrenia usually has had a "normal" run for some time, so they've formed peer relations, worked for some time, usually had a partner, and etcetera (in other words, many of the things people with AS won't do). Plus effective treatment with medication to manage the acute psychotic episodes....

True, but in my (admittedly limited) experience of dealing with schizophrenics, once they have an acute episode they tend to lose a lot of the things that give them stability in life (such as friends, partners, and work). It's true that unlike AS, the symptoms can be treated with medication but anti-psychotics don't always work that well, and can have some debilitating side effects such as extreme sluggishness and weight gain.

Yep.

My main point is that people seem to detach AS from other conditions that have a normal cognitive ability, like the aforementioned schizophrenia, and also anxiety and mood disorders; no one seems to care when you hear people say that people are suffering from mental illness. But as soon as someone mentions AS, out come the, "it's offensive to say that people with AS suffer" brigade.

Uh, I have it (or thereabouts), and I suffer from it. I also suffer from OCD, but that's nowhere near as bad in my case (I treated it).

You're funny.

A friend of mine told me "pain is unavoidable, suffering is a choice". I think it's a buddhist thing.

A lot of our challenges are from needing to accommodate NTs Special Needs.