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Which of the following would you be willing to try?
Psychological treatment for autism 7%  7%  [ 4 ]
Psychological treatment for anxiety 15%  15%  [ 9 ]
Psychological treatment to improve your self-esteem 18%  18%  [ 11 ]
Psychological treatment to reduce your sensitivity to criticism 16%  16%  [ 10 ]
Psychological treatment to reduce stress 18%  18%  [ 11 ]
Gene therapy to treat autism 5%  5%  [ 3 ]
None of the above 21%  21%  [ 13 ]
Total votes : 61

emotrtkey
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15 Sep 2020, 5:36 pm

Assuming money wasn't an issue (all treatments were free):
If someone claimed a psychological treatment could cure autism, would you be willing to try it?
What about psychological treatments for social anxiety, sensitivity to criticism, and other problems common among autistic people? Do you think those problems are genetic or psychological?

Does the following information change your opinion?
Autism was originally considered to be psychological. Then, it was considered genetic. Now, it's considered about 50% genetic and 50% caused by unknown environmental factors. Since depression is also considered to be 50% genetic and some people who were depressed are no longer depressed, do you think it's possible to cure autism?



Ecclectic
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15 Sep 2020, 5:44 pm

Depends what you mean by "cure". Some of my autism-related traits give me an advantage, some can add to my struggles.

Not everybody on the spectrum has social anxiety, sensitivity to criticism or even depression.

I'm not taking pride in my neurology, but I'm not ashamed of it either, maybe lower functioning people might feel differently, but I found my niche and I'm doing quite well as I am, thank you :)



emotrtkey
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15 Sep 2020, 6:05 pm

Ecclectic wrote:
Depends what you mean by "cure". Some of my autism-related traits give me an advantage, some can add to my struggles.


If autism is 50% genetic and up to 50% psychological (part of the unknown environmental factors), I'm guessing gene therapy would only cure half of it (although not sure what that would mean) while a psychological "cure"/treatment would only help with problems not caused by genetics. I'm curious whether people would be interested in trying a treatment that someone proposes would help make it easier to understand people better, read social cues, have more normal body language, be less socially awkward, stim less often, and other stuff like that.

Quote:
Not everybody on the spectrum has social anxiety, sensitivity to criticism or even depression.


I'm aware of that. I'm curious whether people think those problems are genetic or psychological.



Last edited by emotrtkey on 15 Sep 2020, 7:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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15 Sep 2020, 6:09 pm

emotrtkey wrote:
If a cure was proposed, would you try it?
Only if our beloved president was officially diagnosed with an ASD, and only if he was first to take the cure.


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Mountain Goat
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15 Sep 2020, 6:12 pm

At the moment I would say no for one reason. I have not been assessed yet and I really want to try to understand myself and work out that has been going on. I have had all my life as not knowing and also having partial and full shutdowns etc which would be lovely if they could go as in be cured BUT, I have to say that the learning what has been going on for all this time... To make sense of things... This is actually a greater priority as it has been too long. I mean.. I HAVE to know if I am on the spectrum or not. It would feel too cruel to dangle answers and yet have some sort of instant cure without me being able to grasp my lifes history in a way that I understand.

This does not mean that I would say no to avoiding the chance to be healed from the shutdowns the stress and the effects of burnout which have been the hardest hitting events I have experienced. (Burnout was not an instant event as in snap... That was burnout. No. It was a slow event which happened over a few weeks where I was struggling more and more and more).
And yes. I do want to be healed from the effects so I can get my life back...

But to get my life back without understanding my past would be far harder hitting in a mental way as I really, really, really want to know.

I sound a bit idiotic in saying this. Why would someone... Anyone... Refuse to be healed unless they were first diagnosed with whatever it is they have had?
It is because I have had it for so long. All my life! It is because I need to understand. To make sense of things. To make sense of my life!

I know God knows me. He made me. He makes sense of me... Only God really knows me...

There IS another important aspect. I believe that God created me to be who I am. As autism (If that is how God made me? I may not be) is ones character as autism can not be seperated from ones character if that makes sense? (I can't seperate traits from my character as if I removed the traits that I know I have, there would be none of the real "Me" left!! !)

So though I want to be in a position where I can freely do things again. I want the effects of the successive burnouts... I want to recover from them so I can work again and challenge life again if that makes sense?
So though I want all that, without understanding who I am and what it is that I have gone through... Without knowing and having this understanding... Without this, my whole life up until now has been pointless. (I am not saying that the things I have done in my past have been pointless. I am saying that everything from my past is pointing towards this point in time when I will be assessed, and then when things make sense I will feel I can draw a line and get my life back if that makes sense? As the not knowing has been erroding me for so many years now that I need to know so I can have that platfoem to stand on which makes sense....

I hope I have described how I feel in a way that those of you who read can understand, as for me, this not understanding has been gnawing away at me for years!



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15 Sep 2020, 6:19 pm

Something I would like to say to add to what I have said. Assuming I am autistic (Likely to be on the aspergers side of things if I am), then I don't want to become allistic (NT) because I have no concept of what this is. Whatever I am, I have no concept of being anyone other then being who I am, so I would not cope with being someone else. I am far too set in my ways for not being me if that makes sense..?



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15 Sep 2020, 6:21 pm

Ooh....re-reading my last post and it made me think of pink wafer biscuits! How strange! Hahaha!



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15 Sep 2020, 6:31 pm

Good discussion, good posts.


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Ecclectic
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15 Sep 2020, 6:32 pm

emotrtkey wrote:
Ecclectic wrote:
Depends what you mean by "cure". Some of my autism-related traits give me an advantage, some can add to my struggles.


Since autism is 50% genetic, it probably wouldn't be a real cure but I mean something that would help make it easier to understand people better, read social cues, have more normal body language, be less socially awkward, stim less often. Stuff like that.


But we already have resources for that, the lucky ones through therapy, the rest through independent study of psychology, body language and social communication. There are also a lot of exercises and practices to help with emotional regulation, body awareness and self-control when necessary. All take effort and time, or are you talking about some kind of "magic pill" that would just make all that disappear?

emotrtkey wrote:
Quote:
Not everybody on the spectrum has social anxiety, sensitivity to criticism or even depression.


I'm aware of that. I'm curious whether people think those problems are genetic or psychological.


I'm not knowledgeable enough on the subject, but aside from depression that can actually be caused by a chemical imbalance, I think social anxiety and sensitivity to criticism are usually issues created by one's environment and repeated bad experiences.



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15 Sep 2020, 6:33 pm

Sylkat wrote:
Good discussion, good posts.


Does that mean I said the right thing? I am concerned that I come across in the right way.



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15 Sep 2020, 6:45 pm

I like my autistic brain.

I'd fix my eyes though.

I'd fix my anxiety. I hate having anxiety. I remember when I didn't have it. It developed in me as an adult and isn't me.

If you took away my autism, I'd be a different person. If you took away my anxiety, I'd still be me but I'd be healthier. If you took away my light sensitivity (from my autism), I'd still be me but with good eyes & be able to go on holiday again to hot countries & watch fireworks.


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15 Sep 2020, 7:13 pm

I'd choose stress related.

Which in my case, may or may not even be related to autism at all.


The closest possible autism relevant issue I may have would be consequently a form of sleep disorder or a form of sensitivity/vulnerability...
Both derived from neurology, yet on this chicken or egg question which caused which or if it's both.

Except I also already had plenty of odds over that without ever factoring autism or neurology for that matter.

It could've been related to women's health for all I know. :lol: Just untreated and undetected.


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emotrtkey
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15 Sep 2020, 7:55 pm

Mountain Goat wrote:
Something I would like to say to add to what I have said. Assuming I am autistic (Likely to be on the aspergers side of things if I am), then I don't want to become allistic (NT) because I have no concept of what this is. Whatever I am, I have no concept of being anyone other then being who I am, so I would not cope with being someone else. I am far too set in my ways for not being me if that makes sense..?


It makes sense to me.

People can actually have non-genetic problems that start before they are born. For example, a fetus exposed to chemicals (from a mother smoking or doing drugs) can be born with medical problems that result from it. That means even if people are born with autism it isn't necessarily genetic (of course, I'm not comparing autism to bad habits in mothers or saying autism is caused by toxins, chemicals, or anything bad). I'm just saying being born a certain way doesn't mean it's always genetic or the way God created you.



emotrtkey
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15 Sep 2020, 7:59 pm

Ecclectic wrote:
emotrtkey wrote:
Ecclectic wrote:
Depends what you mean by "cure". Some of my autism-related traits give me an advantage, some can add to my struggles.


Since autism is 50% genetic, it probably wouldn't be a real cure but I mean something that would help make it easier to understand people better, read social cues, have more normal body language, be less socially awkward, stim less often. Stuff like that.


But we already have resources for that, the lucky ones through therapy, the rest through independent study of psychology, body language and social communication. There are also a lot of exercises and practices to help with emotional regulation, body awareness and self-control when necessary. All take effort and time, or are you talking about some kind of "magic pill" that would just make all that disappear?


I'm curious about both gene therapy (for genetic aspects of autism) and psychological therapy specifically for autistic people. I realize therapy is available but it's not always helpful and has made some autistic people worse.



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15 Sep 2020, 8:26 pm

emotrtkey wrote:
Mountain Goat wrote:
Something I would like to say to add to what I have said. Assuming I am autistic (Likely to be on the aspergers side of things if I am), then I don't want to become allistic (NT) because I have no concept of what this is. Whatever I am, I have no concept of being anyone other then being who I am, so I would not cope with being someone else. I am far too set in my ways for not being me if that makes sense..?


It makes sense to me.

People can actually have non-genetic problems that start before they are born. For example, a fetus exposed to chemicals (from a mother smoking or doing drugs) can be born with medical problems that result from it. That means even if people are born with autism it isn't necessarily genetic (of course, I'm not comparing autism to bad habits in mothers or saying autism is caused by toxins, chemicals, or anything bad). I'm just saying being born a certain way doesn't mean it's always genetic or the way God created you.


I was thinking about that before. (Not recently but before before). I heard stories where an alcoholic mother had made her child an alcoholic as a baby.. But how is this possible as isn't the babies blood stream seperate from the mothers when in the woomb?



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15 Sep 2020, 9:36 pm

I would be far more likely to try anything that might at least help mitigate some of the issues I have because of my autism than to not try it. For me, my autism is absolutely a disability, at least in NT society, and I would love to be rid of it or have it eased. I'm not sure I would believe that just one thing would completely cure it, but I'd believe it might at least help me, so unless there were risks that outweighed that possibility or anything I greatly object to involved, I'd give it a go. Yes, it would change who I am if my autism was "cured," but the thing is, I don't actually like who I am now, so that's not such a put-off for me.

For what it's worth, my depression has proven to be highly resistant to treatment of any kind, including a big bowl of alphabet soup (CBT, DBT, ECT, TMS...) and a good number of medications, so if I was using depression as a baseline, in my case I would deem it unchangeable. Not saying that other people can't be "cured" of depression, or autism, just that in my case it seems highly unlikely that my depression will ever go away.


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