Why would someone pretend to have aspergers?

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heated debate... I read it all, but have no response because of content...

They will go to mental institutions right next to all the black people portrayed on the news.

It's the honesty that gets us into trouble. Ever hear of "white lies"? When you translate "honesty" into NT language, it all too often comes across as rudeness and insult. It might seem logical that they'd want to know their problem so they could fix it -- that is, it might seem logical to an aspie.

Yep, or anything.

I have a hard time imagining an attention seeker picking up a trendy label without having some serious underlying distress. How they pick and choose a certain label is beyond me, but whatever that choice is, indicates a serious lapse in judgement, i.e. severe problems that are more than hard knocks or abuse, etc.

For a man or woman to bounce around within labels, strongly suggests something organically wrong.

Last edited by Mdyar on 24 Jan 2012, 9:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

ha ha... white lies are a pain... people know better than to expect them from me lol

I just remind people (who have no idea I am even looking into autism aspects) that I don't really ever mean to be an as*hole but that I refuse to be dishonest.

I'm an a-hole sometimes.
When I realize I've done or said something mean, I usually do apologize, but I have a big problem with my initial (instinctual?) reaction sometimes.

I slam my fists on my desk, I curse, and I've been verbally "aggressive" (? not sure that's the right word) when I needed to defend my "stuff" or my opinion. I'm not usually verbally aggressive unless provoked.

Next time you hear someone say they have Asperger's (someone who really really doesn't seem like AS at all) because you think they just want to seem trendy, artsy, or "special", say to them: Oh, you have Autism?

Maybe that doesn't sound so attractive, does it?

(Sorry, the mean me is coming out because of something that happened to me yesterday that I will not talk about). grrrr

lol using a common human behavior as a label for people.......amusing.

Anyway, aside from a select few, here is the only place I discuss this at all. People always put labels on me all my life, I really hate 'em to be honest.
Here are some of my favorites:
Creep
Weirdo
Witch/warlock
Afflicted/possessed
schizoprenic/schizoid
my all time favorite "Gay" (Why is different equated with being gay????)
***************************************
It beats the He** out of me why anyone would pretend to be autistic. Like I said, in childhood I lived with the very real fear of being sent to someplace like Penhurst! (Check out some of the Reality TV shows on the Paranormal for a history of that NIGHTMARE). Not to mention being CONSTANTLY bullied in Middle School & High School. Heck, I encounter bullying in the workplace, even now.
Trendy? I have been alone romantically most of my adult life, this thing HURTS.

Sincerely,
Matt

I don't think it's faking, i think insecure people do it to try and excuse their lack of friends/weird behaviors. I think the majority of people on here are doing just this.

Oh, do you really? Maybe, maybe not. I intend to get an official dx ASAP myself. And those behaviors are kind of on the spectrum, anyway. Maybe there are a few who do, but I don't think the majority are "pretending".
Actually, the suggestion is somewhat offensive.

Sincerely,
Matt

You can get SSI for it.

But that's just under 700 dollars a month lmao, seems like a lot of trouble to go through. You could probably be more easily DXed with ADHD anyway which also makes you eligible for SSI.

Anyway, I think the DX might appeal to some who have a victimhood mentality but IMO this is true of mental illness in general ( I know that Asperger's isn't mental illness but it's a psychiatric diagnosis more so than a learning disability IMO).

So, there are types who will hop around and "try out" different diagnoses, I guess.

BUT, there are people here who are self-diagnosed and may really be on the spectrum, really hard to tell.

In my case, TRAITS of AS explain what I always thought was my "mysterious defect". I'm not self-DXed, I don't think most docs would DX me with it. Just reaffirm the ADHD diagnosis, but WrongPlanrt ha still explained a lot for me.

Hi Matt,
Sorry to jump in here -
I agree with you that the majority are not pretending, and I'm sure most people out there who say they have AS very likely do.


I have not come across one single person here on WP who seemed to be faking it....but now I've discovered there are some people out there who think they have it or say they have it just because they consider themselves to be a bit eccentric and they like the "label" - I came across one of those people who didn't even realize it's Autism. They corrected me saying: no, it's Asperger's.



If you haven't come across one of those people yet, I can totally understand how you feel. Those people who claim to have it but really don't aren't aware of what they're saying and they're making people like you and I who are seeking an official diagnosis look bad.


Of course the recent "epidemic" of Autism is cause for alarm, even if 1% of the people are faking it. See how many new members who have self-diagnosed (or pre-diagnosed themselves) join here every day. It's real and it's scary. I don't think anyone who seriously researches it and really wants to know for sure if they have it are faking at all.


Personally, now that I've taken a bunch of tests that come up positive, I'm not sure if I have AS or HFA, or mild Autism (although I don't really have any noticeable speech issues). I don't know where I am on the spectrum, but I'm pretty sure I'm somewhere on there.


@RandomNickname: I can't say because I haven't been here that long, but lacking friends is hardly cause for serious concern - really, anyone who has looked into AS and HFA because they are friendless will either notice that they either do indeed have many other traits that point to a possible diagnosis, or that they're just in a social lull. You may be right about their insecurity.


Sorry for the long post.

There's a debate about whether or not Asperger should be considered separate to autism or not. Anyway, I think people on this thread expressed curiosity about 'self-diagnosed' people. I think that the world in general is open to accept autism spectrum disorders, but in my case locally if you go to the public health service and you raise suspicion - I quit school when I was at the legal permitted age to quit school, didn't have a job, fought with my mum - the assumption before you get diagnosed is that you are schizophrenic, and they asked you questions accordingly. I said no to all the symptoms, and I even had to argue that yes, I do see my friends; And it was beyond absurd. One might not need a diagnosis if everyone who's supposed to help them is functioning in that way, but when the public mental health system fails to provide apt service, that's when you might want to provide a better definition of what your difficulties are/were in the medical lexicon.

Just to add:
I wrote: "Those people who claim to have it but really don't aren't aware of what they're saying and they're making people like you and I who are seeking an official diagnosis look bad."

but

I didn't mean to imply if you're selfDx and not seeking an official diagnosis that this could mean you don't have AS / HFA.


holy double negatives...oww.

There could be multiple reason to not seek out a diagnosis. Lack of insurance/money is a common one and one of mine. I also have a fear of talking to psychiatrists and psychologists. I'd be worried that they would want to lock me up or dope me up.