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Why is every weird person a suspected aspie?

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Balbituate
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08 Dec 2017, 4:14 pm

I notice this a lot here. It kind of annoys me. I get that aspies resonate with weirdos, but it doesn't automatically make them aspies.



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08 Dec 2017, 4:42 pm

Generally, people like labels and dislike uncertainty. That's why some people are quick to jump to speculation and conclusions, since we like to have answers to things (the question in this case being "Why are they the way they are?").


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naturalplastic
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08 Dec 2017, 4:48 pm

If you have a brand new hammer in your hand then everything around you looks like a nail.
A new explanation for one person could apply to others.

Also...why NOT?

What exactly is wrong with suspecting that every eccentric in history was an aspie? Fifty percent of them might well have been. So the person with the suspicions has a fifty percent chance of being right.



Last edited by naturalplastic on 08 Dec 2017, 6:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Esmerelda Weatherwax
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08 Dec 2017, 4:50 pm

^^ I see your 50% and I raise. 75%.


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08 Dec 2017, 5:23 pm

I'm not sure I understand the question.
Like weird historical figures being suspected or assumed to have been aspies? Or like everybody that seems a little weird and quirky thinking that they have Asperger's?



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08 Dec 2017, 5:37 pm

elbowgrease wrote:
I'm not sure I understand the question.
Like weird historical figures being suspected or assumed to have been aspies? Or like everybody that seems a little weird and quirky thinking that they have Asperger's?


I think the question is about self identified aspies. I struggle a bit with self identified people who don't make any effort to get a proper diagnosis. Jerry Seinfeld says he is self identified. It's not like he couldn't afford an assessment. He also says he doesn't see it as dysfunctional, it's just an alternate mindset. Yeah, right :roll: .
Then there's an Australian TV personality who used to be very popular. He's accused of sexual harassment and being a total bastard to the people who had to work with him. His excuse is he's a self identified aspie. He can't help it.
This sort of thing gets me quite upset.


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Balbituate
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08 Dec 2017, 5:53 pm

elbowgrease wrote:
I'm not sure I understand the question.
Like weird historical figures being suspected or assumed to have been aspies? Or like everybody that seems a little weird and quirky thinking that they have Asperger's?

I'm mainly talking about people diagnosing public figures or fictional characters with asperger's.



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08 Dec 2017, 5:59 pm

Balbituate wrote:
elbowgrease wrote:
I'm not sure I understand the question.
Like weird historical figures being suspected or assumed to have been aspies? Or like everybody that seems a little weird and quirky thinking that they have Asperger's?

I'm mainly talking about people diagnosing public figures or fictional characters with asperger's.


Oops, sorry. I misunderstood :oops:


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elbowgrease
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08 Dec 2017, 6:01 pm

Ah.
I see.



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08 Dec 2017, 7:05 pm

Balbituate wrote:
I'm mainly talking about people diagnosing public figures or fictional characters with asperger's.


Probably because real life Aspies have been headline news a lot more in the past couple years so it's "the flavour of the day" so to speak & everyone's an armchair psychiatrist in the age of the internet soooo.. yeah, I can see how more and more people would make the (possibly false) connection that some weird public figure may be on the Autism spectrum.


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TheAP
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08 Dec 2017, 7:12 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
What exactly is wrong with suspecting that every eccentric in history was an aspie? Fifty percent of them might well have been. So the person with the suspicions has a fifty percent chance of being right.

Where did you get 50% from?



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08 Dec 2017, 7:34 pm

Balbituate wrote:
elbowgrease wrote:
I'm not sure I understand the question.
Like weird historical figures being suspected or assumed to have been aspies? Or like everybody that seems a little weird and quirky thinking that they have Asperger's?

I'm mainly talking about people diagnosing public figures or fictional characters with asperger's.


For historical figures it is called retro diagnosing.

When you have been bullied and and excluded for bieng wierd it is comforting to believe some historical figure or celebrity is similar to you. But unless you are historically notable or a celeb they are not like you in important ways.

It is fine and neccesary to note that people with autistic traits and who are autistic have been and are successful but that is as far as it should have gone. All of the diagnosing of strangers who may or may not be autistic has led people to believe autism is a fad and very over diagnosed. This results in clinicions being reluctent to diagnose people and diagnosed people not bieng believed and thought of as using a “fad” diagnosis as an excuse to be lazy.


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08 Dec 2017, 8:49 pm

Balbituate wrote:
I notice this a lot here. It kind of annoys me. I get that aspies resonate with weirdos, but it doesn't automatically make them aspies.


Because to a lot of people autism basically just means being socially awkward and quirky.

Also because they think anyone socially awkward and quirky can not possibly be an "NT".



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08 Dec 2017, 9:06 pm

bunnyb wrote:
I struggle a bit with self identified people who don't make any effort to get a proper diagnosis.

If you don't live in a pretty big city, there's a good chance there are no psychologists who will diagnose adults. I live in a city of almost 2.5 million people, and there are exactly three psychologists who will diagnose adults.

Also, diagnosis can be pretty expensive. The first time I met with a psychologist, he told me he was pretty sure I have Asperger's just by talking to me, but that a diagnosis is expensive and, given that I am very high functioning, it wouldn't likely do very much for me other than officially confirm what he already knew.

I did follow through with getting an official diagnosis because my insurance covered it, but I could easily see someone else in a similar situation without insurance deciding not to bother with it.

I agree with you regarding self-diagnosis without doing the research, but I do truly think that, as long as one really puts in the time to do the research properly, a self-diagnosis can be nearly as valid as an official one.


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08 Dec 2017, 9:47 pm

Not only was it suspected, but I was fully diagnosed with autism. Not in a million years could I possibly have autism. Every time I wpuld read about someone here, I'd think to myself "what a weirdo lol." But no, since I don't have friends they think I have autism. They really are stupid, and my blood boils thinking about it again.



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08 Dec 2017, 9:56 pm

Appendicularia wrote:
Not only was it suspected, but I was fully diagnosed with autism. Not in a million years could I possibly have autism. Every time I wpuld read about someone here, I'd think to myself "what a weirdo lol." But no, since I don't have friends they think I have autism. They really are stupid, and my blood boils thinking about it again.

So, you think your diagnosis is wrong then?


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