Disease, Disorder, Syndrome

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What is the difference? I have heard aspergers refered to as all three.

Disease

The term "syndrome" refers to symptoms, rather than cause, I believe. "Disorder" refers to something outside the norm, with negative connotations. "Disease" is just wrong.

Out of the three, "syndrome" is most accurate. Whether it has a developmental or genetic cause, Asperger's is not inherently negative, just different. What negative aspects there are come from being in a culture dominated by people who think differently from us. Compared to normal society, a society populated entirely by Aspies would probably function equally well, unlike one populated solely by people with negative disorders like ADHD or Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It would simply put focus on different things than what most people would consider the norm.

I don't really care what people call the condition. There are more important issues to deal with. I think the most accurate term is 'disability' though. 'Disability' implies it's not inherently bad, merely something that disadvantages you because the majority of people don't have it. Words like 'disease' or 'disorder' tend to imply the opposite. 'Syndrome' and 'condition' are just vague; they could mean any unusual state people are in.

The actual term used in the DSM is Asperger's Disorder. 'Syndrome' is just a fashionable replacement that sounds a little less negative. Syndrome also implies a suite of associated impairments, rather than just one standalone problem.

'Disease' is generally reserved for something that presents with physical malfunction. For instance, Alzheimer's Disease causes mental impairments, but is physical in nature - whether or not there is a genetic predisposition, the actual malfunction in cognitive processes are caused by a physical substance (plaque) that develops in the brain over time, until the entire system shuts down and the body literally 'forgets' how to breathe.

ASDs are the result of improper development of specific neural pathways during fetal formation, but are not degenerative over time, in that the effects don't get steadily worse until they kill you.

A disorder you can usually live with, even if it causes you a handicap - a disease will usually kill you eventually, unless its stopped.

I call it a handicap, which is really only the short word, for disability. It's less of a mouthful, and it has less syllables, therefore, I can say it, without stuttering. There are worse things to be, than handicapped. I think that political correctness has got to go. I also hate the word, disease with a passion. Having said that, I'm happy to be alive.

I could be wrong here, but I was lead to believe that a syndrome was a "collective of symptoms co-morbidly suffered" (which could include at least x from a list of y) A diseases was something externally brought into the system. And a disorder was something that involved being altered, either at birth, or as a result of trauma. (altered meaning deviating from the "norm")

So I can see AS as a disorder... and maybe as a Syndrome. But only as a Syndrome if everyone who is symptomatic of AS actually then HAS AS by definition.
IF AS is a syndrome, then there is no "fake AS" as has been predominant in criticism of AS and the ASD in general. (The ol' people saying they're ASD to excuse them from being an ass-hole.)

I find it offensive when it is called a disease or disorder. I am indiffrent twoards syndrome. As Attwood says, I don't suffer from autism, I suffer from other people.

It's actually "Asperger's Disorder" that's the replacement; the original wording was "syndrome". They used "disorder" to match with other DSM-IV diagnoses that also used the term "disorder" rather than "syndrome" or "disease". I guess they thought "syndrome" wasn't clear enough, or were striving for consistency. I think "syndrome" is more precise (it refers to a group of symptoms that occur together, often without an obvious cause); "disorder" is true but very general.

And yes, "disease" is wrong; it implies an out-of-equilibrium state, rather than a different development. It is like the difference between having a broken leg (disease) and having a leg that is unusually short but otherwise healthy (disorder).

I think either disorder or syndrome is correct. Disorder is the official name, but syndrome works too. It is a syndrome. Which is a set of symptoms. The S in AIDS stands for syndrome -- acquired immune deficiency syndrome -- because back when they named it, they didn't know the cause -- it was defined by it's symptoms. Asperger's is defined by it's symptoms, a set of symptoms that occur together, so it's a syndrome. Disease, I can see some people calling it that, depending on their experience of it, as well as how widely or narrowly they use the word disease, but it's not really the right word to use, certainly not the normal term.

Willard's right, I'm pretty darn sure that in the DSM it's "Asperger's Disorder". But syndrome sounds better. I use the word syndrome and think it is a better fit. I've seen 'disease' even used in a psychology textbook, and I think that is definitely wrong.

Any term like that can sound judgemental, and it's all in the attitude and context that determines what's hurtful and what's constructive. I don't think we even need to say we "HAVE" whatever it is... Unless we're filling out legal or medical paperwork, why not just say we "communicate on a different level", and leave it at that.

Charles

I just think of Asperger's as a specific personality type, taken to extremes.