This was a very helpful and balanced reply. Thank you Callista.
Callista wrote:
I honestly wouldn't recommend psych meds unless you have another disorder than just Asperger's. I mean, yes, Asperger's can be disabling; but it's a developmental disorder, not a mental illness--think about cerebral palsy or Down syndrome; autism is in the same sort of category in that it's the way your brain is made, not some kind of craziness that has to be fixed. The best approach for AS has always been and will always be a decent environment and education that lets you tap into your strengths.
Why not medication? Well, simple: When the side effects outweigh the benefits, it's not worth it; and in this case the benefits are slight if they exist at all, and the side effects can be worse than for most people (anecdotally, we often do overreact to psych meds).
If you do have some other mental illness, though, psych meds can be useful. Anxiety disorders and depression are more likely to occur with AS than most things, but there's other things that can also pop up, from bipolar disorder to eating disorders... those things do often respond to meds.
I shouldn't say that medication is never useful for AS; in a few isolated cases, it can be. In the case of a comorbid mental illness--I had depression a few times, and the last time I recovered quickly thanks to psychiatric medication, in part--it can be downright indispensable. It's just that many other things are so much more useful, and medication can just cover up an underlying issue.
Good nutrition and a relaxed lifestyle with activities you enjoy (some of them should be physically active) will do a lot more good than medication. In my experience, an Aspie tends to do a great deal better when unneeded stress is removed--even if it's something as simple as buying paper plates and cutlery so you have to do fewer dishes, or buying a dog so you have someone to talk to who doesn't mind you being socially clumsy (and forces you to get out and take him on walks besides).