AS and violence

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So... At least a few here have read, and possibly, as horrible as it may be, experienced that they are a perceived threat in some sort of menacing way, ie serial killer/stalker/etc. That being said, while natively, someone on the spectrum probably isn't any more of a threat to others than the average person, I was thinking how much the co-morbid conditions, depression specifically, but possibly others, impact the probability of someone on the spectrum actually doing something violent.

Does anyone know how much chronic depression increases the probability of violent behavior, and how much less likely someone on the spectrum is to be violent compared to the average person, all things being equal, as well as if they are chronically depressed?

I have never been violent even when provoked. I know when I have been depressed I am even less likely to be violent because I don't have the energy and am busy thinking about killing myself, not others. Where do you get the connection of depression and any kind of violence besides self harm?

It seems to be that they are seen as interconnected in certain social groups.

Well, you might want to change social groups bcause those people are morons.

I'm trying to have a serious convo, not pigeon hole and/or lambaste others. I'd appreciate it if you kept OT.

Sorry but I was a psych major in college and have a life long obsession with human psychology. There just is no evidence to support the belief that people who are depressed are violent to anyone but themselves. I am not saying there are not exceptions but in general depression is seen as "anger turned inwards".

As far as the other co-morbids....there are some who have a lot of anger issues from being abused or sensory over loads or inability to read NVC leading to perceived threats from others. Some of the frustration may end in violence but I don't see it as an AS thing as NT's have the same issues (except the NVC) .

Gotta go to bed...good night to you. I'm an ardent pacifist by the way.

You are doing the same thing as that what you complain about, you complain about aspies being seen as violent and proceed to spread similar mud about other groups.

To be honest, I'd quite readily say there is NO connection between Aspergian nature and innate tendencies toward violence.
Two things do have to be taken into account though:

#1. Aspergians, moreso than average people, will find themselves in situations where they quite obviously do not seem to fit. Irrespective of who we're talking about, stress and anxiety can make a person more aggressive, toward themselves or others. Simply put, if we're more prone to getting stressed or anxious in "normal" situations, then that may lead to a higher incidence of violence.

#2. Mundies fear difference. They are wary around anything that is not "normal"... and we are not only not "normal" but our differences are social, which magnifies the issue. Of course the mundies are going to have misconceptions about us, and of course they're going to be negative. Of course they're going to notice the more negative things we end up doing rather than the positive. They're just made that way.

SAME HERE! And, and I have said this a lot here, I AM A PACIFIST ALSO!! !! !

Have I been depressed? YEP! I was VERY depressed last night in fact! Have I wanted to commit suicide? YEP! Have I TRIED to commit suicide? YEP! Have I started a fight? NOPE! Have I tried to fight? VERY RARELY! I have fought less in over 40 years than many boys fight in one DAY! How could anyone link depression to violence? It MIGHT be a trigger, but it certainly isn't a cause. If it were, I would have killed lots of people.

Btw "yesplease",

People, in jail or court, claim MANY things! Anything they think that indicates a reason, incompetence, or religion may be used as an excuse. That has been the case for at least almost 100 years!! !! ! Like it or not, they see AS as a sign of incompetence, and thus use it. That is UNDISPUTABLE ******FACT******! The ONLY thing "open for debate" is how many do it.

Last edited by 2ukenkerl on 23 May 2008, 7:20 am, edited 1 time in total.

i think some people think that AS=violent tendencies where in fact there is no link.

Well there is probably an indirect link... I can get pretty violent when I'm having a meltdown. However when it comes to intentional malicious violence there is defiantly no link.

behavior thought to be violence [also known under 'challenging behavior' by professionals] can be a lot more common amongst spectrumers,it depends on the severity and needs of the autist or aspie,for example being unable to communicate something across no matter how hard try with alternative communication forms, others finishing off what are trying to say through typing/sign etc and then them saying that its their turn to talk now when are still trying to finish it off,others guessing what the cause of a problem is and it usually being the worst guess they could have come up with,not having a connection to humans,or very little of it can also affect how act towards them.
those who have hyper fight or flight reactions aka meltdowns can go into severe rages against others or objects-with no discrimination.

being violent towards self is very common on the spectrum as well,head banging,flesh biting,cutting,punching self etc,some of the reasons include no pain threshold,sensory seeking,to release certain brain chemicals,attention seeking,wanting to communicate something,not feeling well and not understanding what it is etc.

Dude...sorry but that guy is in Invader Zim!! !

When I'm depressed I'm a lot more likely to be violent and frustrated. I can easily see how continued frustration and aching loneliness could lead to violence. What I think is remarkable is how high the percentage of us on the spectrum do NOT commit violence when attacked. And now I wonder, how come I never went after the people who bullied me every day in school? Hmm. Could it have been for the same reason that when it came time for a spanking I stood and took it while my sister ran screaming trying to escape? I knew running was futile and it was better to get the thing over with. Or was it because I never saw females fighting? Or because I knew I would need to tell Mom and didn't want to disappoint her? Or, most likely, I had no idea how to fight back.
Why aren't there more of us out there shooting up schools?

Making a vast generalisation here, but us spectrumites tend to get angry and violent when something upsets or annoys us, for example, an unexpected change of routine, an annoying noise or smell, or frustration due to an inability to tell people exactly what we're trying to say.

This doesn't equate with malicious violence, where people set out to harm people for self-gratification or because they literally hate the world. It would be a generalisation to say that Aspies never carry out malicious violence, or NTs never carry out violence due to the reasons given in the first paragraph. But I think there's some truth in this.

Sometimes if i get really mad, i can get violent. But ive never harmed another living being. Its mostly plates and dead things that suffer, and im much better at controlling my temper now than i was when i was younger.