is Aspegers a disease? Your opinion.

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No. Asperger's is not a disease. Diseases are things people don't want. 94% of the voters here say it's not a disease. Look at all the posters saying they like the way they are. IMO it can't be a disease.

If you want to get technical, "disorder" is an appropriate word.

"Dis" apart, "Odre" order.

Disorder is literally "apart from the order."

That is interesting reasoning. I agre that I think it shouldn't be a disease, but right now it is classified as one.

A lot of Aspies may be comfortable in their own skin, but that doesn't change the fact that Asperger's usually makes it more difficult to be successful in our largely neurotypical world. I think that makes it a disease, not that there aren't positives to having Asperger's.

Sure, if Aspies were the majority, then they would be the normal ones, and NT's would be the diseased ones. But we're a relatively small minority.

Where in the definition is a disease defined as something that someone doesn't want? It doesn't.

Here is a different definition... any impairment of normal physiological function affecting all or part of an organism, esp a specific pathological change caused by infection, stress, etc, producing characteristic symptoms. There cannot be diagnostic criteria for something that is NOT a disease.

The Autistic Spectrum is a family of pervasive developmental disorders. It is generally accepted that it is genetic. We are born with it.

In many cases, we are happy with who we are... but by the text book definition... it is a disease...

It is considered an impairment of typical neurological function. i.e. the brain is not working as it typically would in most individuals.

The fact of the matter is that there is a stigma associate with the word disease that is not implied by it's definition. Our being happy with who we are has nothing to do with whether Asperger's fits the definition of disease.

Definitions exist to give us a frame work with which to communicate... and whether we like it or not, every explanation of Asperger's seems to fit that definition... So, unless there is evidence counter to the medical, textbook definition, it seems to be a clear cut fact... not a matter of our opinion...

For the record: I don't like the connotations of the term disease any more than anyone else... but I believe what my grandfather used to say... "If the foo sh(*s"

I had forgotten about this thread. I think this originally came out several years ago. One can find experts that say it is a disease, and one can find experts that say it is not a disease. It seems experts cannot agree on this one. So...let us with this "difference" as I call it speak for ourselves. I have Asperger's and I am not diseased---as I stated back in 2009. I usually see it is listed as a disorder---but I am not disordered. Anyone who values our personal opinions on how we perceive ourselves need only look at the poll on this one---the majority of us do not see ourselves as diseased. So guess what---the experts who state it is a disease---I am not listening to for they do not speak for me nor the vast majority who have voted on this poll.

I saw in a TV show once about a mother who was convinced her son got autism from the measles shot and refused to allow her other children to have the shot. It had me in tears to think that she couldn't even accept the kind of person her son was, and I wanted to slap her as hard as I could. I hate it when people think "my kind" is something that can be cured and forgotten about.

No its much more complex then that

What I find very interesting about this question is that it seems to bring out a kind of "Aspie contradiction" of sorts.

Aspie's are known for being very literal. It can be seen all over WP forums. I am often very literal. We pick on the accuracy of word usage, punctuation, grammar, etc. Yes, these are generalizations, and there are always exceptions to every rule.

Generally though, most of us tend not to give any value to connotations, and place much higher value on the actual definitions of words.

What's almost a little bit humorous is that while many of us (and probably most of us) are so literal, when it comes to applying the term "disease" to Asperger Syndrome, suddenly the connotations are more important than the actual definition of the word.

I know there are a lot of us here that would argue that Asperger Syndrome doesn't present impaired functioning, and is nothing more than a different way of functioning. For those of us who do not consider ourselves impaired in any way, the following does not apply.

For those of us who do consider ourselves impaired, but do not consider AS to be a disease, that presents a conundrum in my mind. If it is a condition causing impairment, by definition it is most definitely a disease.

I do NOT like the term disease whatsoever, not because I really believe that AS isn't a disease, but because of the extreme negative connotations that are attached to the word.

I guess I'm a little conflicted too. I didn't post a vote in the poll, because I really don't know what I should say. By definition, it fits, but I hate the word so much, I prefer not to use it.

Mr XXX... we actually agree on something... the world is going to end

Aspergers as well as many other disorders and syndromes fall under the International Classification of Diseases. The ICD10. That's a hint.

Here are details from Wiki Answers:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_disease_and_disorder

Aspergers is technically classified as a neurological disorder, and a syndrome under the International Classification of Diseases v. 10.

Per medical definition, and the ICD10, it is technically correct to refer to Aspergers disorder or Aspergers Syndrome under the general classification of disease.

However rarely does one in real life call it a disease per the stigma associated with that term.

I immediately clicked 'no' in the poll because disease suggested a condition which is treatable & curable and clearly this does not seem to fit with ASDs too well.

Then I realised that there a plenty diseases of the more obvious kind (say, Motor Neurone Disease) that are not curable either although perhaps to some degree treatable.

Then I read all the posts and it is clear that there are a wide range of definitions for the word disease, and the one you choose may determine whether ASDs fit the bill or not.

That said I am still leaning towards ASDs not being diseases.

no... it doesn't

I maintain my opinion that Asperger's is not a disease. I am not concerned about what medical and psychological textbook type definitions state because this thread indicates that this is to be answered in our opinion---and my opinion is that it is not a disease.

That is the problem with a thread like this.

The definition of a word is not really open to interpretation. Yes, words evolve as a culture moves forward... new words are created and old words die... but when a word's definition fits a situation...like this one... Opinion has nothing to do with it...

stating that it is a disorder is just using another word for disease... as is syndrome ...

The words are synonymous. As are condition, debility, disability, illness, malady, sickness and the like...

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders.

It is considered a pervasive developmental disorder...

Here's the thing... So many Aspies want help centered around their condition. They either want or need education, Rx treatement, therapy, disability or the like due to impaired social function... Yet, in many cases, those same people will vehemently insist that there is nothing wrong with them and they do not have a disease...

We cannot have it both ways... If we don't have a disease... if there is nothing wrong with us, then the DSM V should not include asperger's... If people with asperger's don't have a disease, that means that we're just a bunch of insensitive, self absorbed **INSERT SPECIAL INTEREST HERE** nerds that shouldn't be coddled and should get our acts together.

Ironically enough-that is what many NTs think about us already.

As much as I hate the negative connotations of the word Disease... I dislike the concept of just being a maladjusted adult a great deal more.

It appears that since the majority of people in this world have some psychological condition of some kind, that the majority of the world is therefore diseased. It might appear that having a disease is then the norm---under these textbook definitions. It is of my opinon that to find someone without any condition/disease is exceedingly rare.