Is Aspergers overdiagnosed?

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It seems that way to many people has Aspergers nowadays. The statictics are moving close to 1 in 90 people have AS. Are you a shy nerds who's afraid to approach girls? BAM! You have aspergers. Are you 36 years old and still living in your parents basement playing WoW? BAM! Aspergers. Are you a creep that likes to stare and women and sometimes film them without permission? BAM! Aspergers. When will this insanity stop? I'm not trolling, but it seems that now every other disorder or just being a weird creep is getting replaced by having Aspergers.

Whilst there may be validity in what you say (I can't speak with any authority on the matter), what is the basis for thinking that it can't be above a certain level of prevalence? So for the sake of argument, if it turned out that, say, 60% of the populace had an ASD, would that somehow be a contradiction in terms?

You might be correct in that it is over-diagnosed, but why is that a concern? What are people really gaining from being diagnosed? It's not like folks can use it as an excuse to get ahead in life. There is really no benefit at all. In fact, there are many reasons not to get diagnosed, even if you actually have it.

If anything, all a diagnosis allows you to do is to gain access to services you might need. And as far as I'm concerned, people getting more access to services isn't a bad thing.

Is it a problem that if too many people get diagnosed, folks will stop taking a diagnosis seriously? I'd argue that not taking a diagnosis seriously is hardly a new concept, particularly when it comes to mental health. Look at ADHD, for example. There are people that will argue that it too is over-diagnosed. But were people happier before it became mainstream and there was less awareness? I'm not so sure. Awareness to me seems like a good thing... and unfortunately, over-diagnosis will probably come with the territory. That's just my opinion, on the subject.

So... I guess I fail to see the downside to over-diagnosis. Perhaps someone else could explain it to me?

Edit; Typos, wording

No. The diagnosis process is long and extremely detailed.

If you're talking about people assuming they or others have it, then yes.

I suspect that it is simply a matter of getting better at detecting AS, expecially in girls. Also, it hasn't been in the DSM that long and many adults are being diagnosed (I am one of them, I wasn't diagnosed until I was 35).

If anything I think its way underdiagnosed. I would go as far to say that only 1 in 90 people actually even know what AS is.

Rather than well-worn stereotypes, I would like to see actual, real-world examples. Who is being diagnosed with AS when they shouldn't be?

It's remarkably easy to take a single factoid out of someone's life and make it sound like their diagnosis was frivolous. For the record, I did move back in with my family two months before I turned 36. I also play World of Warcraft. I don't live in anyone's basement, but that's beside the point. But I wasn't diagnosed because of my hobbies or where I live. I was diagnosed because I have a history that supports that diagnosis and because of that history I ended up in a position where I had two options: Homelessness or moving back in with family.

What is the problem here?

I think the amount of people diagnosed is going up (I have read 1 in 150 for all ASDs and of that 40% are AS) due mainly to the fact that a lot of adults who grew up when AS was not recognized are now being diagnosed.

I am 30 and a couple months ago if you had told me I might be autistic, I would never have believed you. I am going in for a diagnostic exam next week. I am a fairly successful computer programmer who just always thought I was different. I am not looking for an excuse. I am just looking for answers about myself.

I did think it was overdiagnosed at one point, but now I'm really not sure. The location, I guess, affects things because some places have more awareness (and hence more likelihood of people realising they may have it) than others.

Even about the overdiagnosis - I suspect that there is indeed overdiagnosis, but in a way opposite of many people assume: not "shy nerds who's afraid to approach girls", but boys who are uncapable to to go to the bathroom at 10 y.o., of walking alone in the street at 16 y.o., of managing money at 18 y.o., etc. being diagnosed with Asperger's.

Diagnoses of disorders that involve mental functioning are not an exact science, so it could be true that some people who were diagnosed as being on the milder end of the spectrum have been misdiagnosed, but as others have said, where is the harm exactly? If someone has difficulty functioning in their day to day, it makes sense for them to seek an answer. It could be that they have co-morbids which confuse the issue, or that they have another disorder altogether, but I am not convinced that people who are perfectly fine and require no diagnosis are being diagnosed left and right.

I have no idea. It seems like people are getting diagnosed with quickly these days because we keep hearing about it. The media is focused on it so it makes it seem like everyone is getting diagnosed with it. One of my online friends who is obsessed with psychiatrists and DSM criterias told me AS does get misdiagnosed if you have a stereotype of AS like good with math, good with computers, not into sports, not have many friends, too focused on internet games and that is all you do. He even told me his boss thinks he has it just because he is good with computers and doesn't have many friends nor drives but he says he is too busy for any and he is a workaholic and the reason why he doesn't drive is because the repair companies down there try and screw you over and car insurance is too expensive.

Even one of my aspie friends was diagnosed with AS in 15 minutes at her school because she had every single stereotype of AS but she does happen to have the condition and has it severely.