Hermits of the world & autism

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Considering there are always those eccentric types, who become recluses and hermits throughout the ages, do you think that it's likely many of them were autistic?

We all know that feeling of needing to shut ourselves away because it gets too much, or feeling let down by society and withdrawing from it.

Sure.

Some people don't need others, and throw in the effort needed for someone with a social disorder to interact (ASD and Schizophrenic spectrum disorders), you have the recluses and hermits of the world.

Some people with the aforementioned disorders do need others though (which is sad due to how hard it'd be for them to connect).

Quantify need. I mean, is it need because of being unable to do certain things they need to do to live, or need for socialising purposes? I mean in historical times, hermits would retreat to caves and such-like, and live a self-subsistent existence. I suppose if they were a shaman or witch doctor the villagers would visit them and trade/pay for their cures so in that way they would need people to an extent.

I think qualify is the correct word.

No Quantify was he correct term to use here, the word qualify would have given the sentence a whole new meaning not intended by Whirlingmind.

I was a virtual hermit for ten years, I lived in the Attic of my parents house, not speaking to anyone. My family only saw me on the odd occasion I emerged to eat (usually alone). About once a month I'd travel to london to be briefed on my next commision, then return to my attic to do the work. I made more than enough money that I could acfford to live like that, but in the end lonliness got the better of me and I returned to the world.

To this day I think I could very easily go back to being a recluse, so I can see the attaction being a hermit was to aspies in the past. So yes I suspect there were quite a few aspie hermits.

_________________
Autistic dad to an autistic boy and loving it - its always fun in our house

I have Autism. My communication difficulties mean that I sometimes get words wrong, that what I mean is not what comes out.

I don't see how you can quantify need in different situations that can not be compared.

More people will respond if the question is made as clear as possible, especially with members who don't use english as a first language. I would think 'define' would best but what do I know?

I think I will make a new thread: "Why do aspies always think negatively first?"

I am schizophrenic and autistic. I would be happy to live like a hermit, just so long as I can text or email someone should I ever need to.

When my paranoia and voices get bad, I often shut myself away from the world.