AS=chemical imbalance?

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When a doctor said I was probably AS he said it was a chemical imbalance or probably a chemical imbalance or something.

No, it's not. There is evidence that actual brain structure is different with people who have AS, such as the size of our minicolumns and amygdala. I wouldn't trust any doctor that would try to claim AS is a chemical imbalance.

He's probably confusing AS with depression or something.

Something like that seems highly doubtful. That seems more consistent with mental illnesses like depression

I would suspect that information might be based on speculation, as opposed to actual scientific evidence.

Years ago I had 3 psychiatrists who thought AS was a chemical imbalance. I had to rewrite all the pages on my website about AS due to repeating what they said. I had to fire they stupid a**es. I'm NOT even satisfied with my mental health services these days either. Y'all should be glad you DON'T live in Cincinnati, OH, USA...mental health and MR/DD services are LOUSY in this town! I hate living here! I hope damn well I hear from the Kentucky Association of the Deaf-Blind soon so that I can meet some new Deaf-Blind people in the Bluegrass State. I also hope damn well that as a Kentucky Colonel, I can convince the Governor of Kentucky that laws forbidding the prohibition of signed communication need to be strengthened so that Kentucky will NEVER violate my human right to sign again, even if I go back in one of their state mental hospitals.

We as the Autistic Community have a long time to wait before any of our conditions become widely understood, especially AS. In Cincinnati we Aspies are the only people who truly understand our conditions. Our psychiatrists don't, if we have other service providers, they don't, and all other people we have anything to do with at all don't understand our condition. That is a DAMN SHAME!

"Chemical imbalance" is what a doctor says when he doesn't know what's wrong but still wants to give you whatever psychoactive drug is popular at the moment.

It's also a real thing, but it's not at all the same as AS.

I always thought a brain of someone with AS was wired differently. I like AspiePrides theory from YouTube that AS is the next step of human evolution. Adapting to our new tech world where we need to be more logical.

And people wonder why I've said in the past that I'm glad I found out about my AS when I did, and not before then....

Asperger's and autism are a chemical imbalance.

And aspirin is an excellent antibiotic.

Yes, Icarus actually heard a real-life doctor once utter this. I was fourteen; and I've never trusted a doctor since.

In my limited experiences with them since then (mostly for the sake of my son), I've kept my eye on them ever so closely. And I do catch them talking like fact when what they're really spouting is guessing, all too often for my comfort. (Though I gotta give my current doc credit for never giving me the sense he's doing this.) Doctors who presume to understand the human mind tend to be particularly apt to this sort of artificial re-defining of uncertain things in inappropriately certain terms.

Scientists (including medical and psyche doctors) must be able to demonstrate some arguably proficient mastery in their chosen field of expertise if they are to impart any semblance of competence, no? What good scientist lacks arguably the most fundamental understandings in their chosen field of science? Think about those two questions, human hubris, and the general inclination towards being unwilling to utter the words, "I don't know.", particularly if the question is on something one is supposed to be a highly trained/educated expert on. Sometimes "I don't know." is the closest thing we have to the truth; there's nothing wrong with "I don't know."

I guess my point is that I've known too many doctors (and, admittedly, people) who are too unwilling to simply say "I don't know." People can and do get diagnosed with crazy s**t in lieu of "I don't know." Exactly how often is a matter of conjecture, but I'm thinking it's not all that uncommon.

I am baffled by people who are devout members of the "Thou shall get an official diagnosis." crowd. Official guess by someone who, if I am terribly lucky, might have some modicum of a clue, is more like it.

AND what WurdBendur mentioned about the drugs.

Good fortune,

- Icarus won’t be fooled again…

Whilst it's not the only cause, imbalances in blood serotonin levels are evident in autistic individuals. It's probably due to secondary conditions, but it's still there. Not to say the doctor is correct, but without more information from the OP, one could say the doctor meant that chemical imbalances are found in those with autism. "'...chemical imbalance or probably a chemical imbalance or something.'" Doesn't sound too revealing of the doctor's intentions.

I think that it's brain structure and the amount of testosterone that the AS/ASD brain was exposed to, while the person was developing in their mother's uterus.