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tallen01
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Default Mar 28, 2019 at 01:26 PM
  #1
It seems like quite a few people nowadays want to have ASD. I do not understand why they want this condition. I am just speaking for myself but ASD doesn’t give me super powers or make me a savant. In fact, it’s quite hindering to my personal relationships and professional relationships. I only have it to a very slight degree, you probably wouldn’t even be able to tell if you met me.
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Smile Mar 28, 2019 at 06:02 PM
  #2
Well... I don't know. I guess I liken it, to some extent, to the seeming explosion of people who say they are transgender. As a person who has struggled with hidden gender identity issues for 70 years (& having spent most of my life not even ever having heard the word "transgender" or "transsexual" or even "gender identity" for that matter) to now see so many people coming out as trans is little short of astounding.

I do think that the internet perhaps has something to do with it. There's now so much information available on all sorts of mental health as well as medical conditions. And, perhaps, being able to say one has ASD or ADHD or that one is trans, etc. makes one feel in some way a bit "special" & gives one a way of explaining whatever day-to-day functioning problems one may have. There is something comforting about having a label one can apply to oneself. I still don't have a mental health diagnosis. And there are times I wish I did even though I know it wouldn't really make any difference in the whole scheme of things.

I certainly don't want to be in a position of denying individuals' rights to lay claim to their truth... not after having spent SO may decades hiding my own. But I would have to admit that I do sometimes wonder if the numbers of people who are coming out as trans has as much to do with the power of the internet as it does with whatever causes a person to develop gender identity issues to begin with. Perhaps it is the same with ASD?

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Default Mar 28, 2019 at 07:16 PM
  #3
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Originally Posted by Skeezyks View Post
Well... I don't know. I guess I liken it, to some extent, to the seeming explosion of people who say they are transgender. As a person who has struggled with hidden gender identity issues for 70 years (& having spent most of my life not even ever having heard the word "transgender" or "transsexual" or even "gender identity" for that matter) to now see so many people coming out as trans is little short of astounding.

I do think that the internet perhaps has something to do with it. There's now so much information available on all sorts of mental health as well as medical conditions. And, perhaps, being able to say one has ASD or ADHD or that one is trans, etc. makes one feel in some way a bit "special" & gives one a way of explaining whatever day-to-day functioning problems one may have. There is something comforting about having a label one can apply to oneself. I still don't have a mental health diagnosis. And there are times I wish I did even though I know it wouldn't really make any difference in the whole scheme of things.

I certainly don't want to be in a position of denying individuals' rights to lay claim to their truth... not after having spent SO may decades hiding my own. But I would have to admit that I do sometimes wonder if the numbers of people who are coming out as trans has as much to do with the power of the internet as it does with whatever causes a person to develop gender identity issues to begin with. Perhaps it is the same with ASD?
Good points I’m sure those reasons play a big part in why it occurs. It doesn’t bother me that people seem to want to have an autism spectrum disorder I just find it odd but you brought up excellent points!
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Default Mar 31, 2019 at 10:22 AM
  #4
People wanting to have autism? Really? A specific age group or something? At least here if you admit of having it, your family might abandon you, you might be sabotaged at work, school... oh jeeze, yea tell the other kids if you want to be battered and bruised every day, tell just one person and everyone will talk about what either a retard you are or a mass murderer to be.

I'm not sure what super safe place they live in to even dare talking about it. Here you're happy if you can talk about it without things changing between you and those you tell. Usually everything changes, so you don't tell anyone.

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Default Apr 01, 2019 at 09:33 AM
  #5
I know what you mean Tallen. In the U.S. a lot of people have started to self-diagnose with Asperger's if they are socially awkward. Similarly, if someone is shy or socially awkward, I've heard others in the group label them as having Asperger's. Though living with autism or Asperger's is very different from simply having a shy disposition. There's been a similar trend with ADD...when I was in college it seemed like everyone around me had self-diagnosed with ADD...they seemed proud of it or excited by the prospect...it was a bit strange. A disturbing trend is among children...a lot of permissive parents are bringing their children to the doctor for medication and hoping for an ADHD diagnosis when what the child actually needs is routine, rules, and basic behavior modification. To be clear, I am -not- referring to children and adults who are actually struggling with disorders...just talking about the trend of people who want to self-diagnose or diagnose others without the relevant knowledge or training. Skeezyks' point about the transgender label was well made.

Last edited by Anonymous44076; Apr 01, 2019 at 10:26 AM..
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Default Apr 01, 2019 at 02:16 PM
  #6
I'm autistic (professionally-diagnosed) and haven't noticed this trend. Personally I'm used to being autistic and I wouldn't change it because it makes me me. That being said, it certainly wasn't something I would have asked for because it makes my life more difficult. There are a few advantages that make having it more manageable such as my close attention to detail but overall it's not something I'd recommend people wanting. People wanting ASD seems like a bizarre trend to me. Hopefully it's just a fad that will pass.
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Default Apr 01, 2019 at 02:34 PM
  #7
I haven’t noticed this trend.

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Default Apr 09, 2019 at 08:04 PM
  #8
I have definitely seen this firsthand. The 2 people I know who want it both have really bad BPD. I think they are just jealous honestly. I also know personally that I get treated much better by healthcare professionals then these people do. I think they long to be treated fairly, and the same. I’ve had ASD my whole life. It annoys me because people assume I am learning disabled instead. I don’t like that.

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Default Apr 10, 2019 at 12:26 AM
  #9
Why would people want to have it, if they are truly neurotypical and don’t have it, they should count their blessings. When you truly are socially awkward, have a learning disability, visual spatial deficits and would give anything not to have theses deficits, it’s very difficult to understand how someone could “want” to be High Functioning Autism. If someone has it and can be fortunate enough to make a career out of something they are very good at then that’s great. My disorder is similar to HFA and Nonverbal learning disorder is not easy to have.
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Default Apr 10, 2019 at 10:33 AM
  #10
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Why would people want to have it
Before I was diagnosed I had a spell of depression, and even if I had depression later on, for a while I was depression free. I didn't want depression but when that label was taken away from me I just felt so lost. I kind of realized it was because I felt different, but now everything said I was normal.

Then for a while they said I had bipolar, and I was kind of happy about it because it is life long. Then it would explain why I would feel different, and be different.

You could say I wanted to be bipolar, because I instinctively knew I was different, and that would explain it. I really JUST wanted an explanation.

When that diagnosis was taken away I was a bit frustrated but at the same time I, and finally the doctor, realized I had aspergers. I had my explanation. And it was even a correct diagnosis.

I think some people sense there is something different about them, so they listen in on what is talked about. They might not be on the spectrum at all, but they might have something else. Totally normal people are happy to be normal because there are a lots of perks coming with it. There is something going on with a person who is looking for a diagnosis. IMO.

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Default Apr 10, 2019 at 11:56 PM
  #11
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Before I was diagnosed I had a spell of depression, and even if I had depression later on, for a while I was depression free. I didn't want depression but when that label was taken away from me I just felt so lost. I kind of realized it was because I felt different, but now everything said I was normal.

Then for a while they said I had bipolar, and I was kind of happy about it because it is life long. Then it would explain why I would feel different, and be different.

You could say I wanted to be bipolar, because I instinctively knew I was different, and that would explain it. I really JUST wanted an explanation.

When that diagnosis was taken away I was a bit frustrated but at the same time I, and finally the doctor, realized I had aspergers. I had my explanation. And it was even a correct diagnosis.

I think some people sense there is something different about them, so they listen in on what is talked about. They might not be on the spectrum at all, but they might have something else. Totally normal people are happy to be normal because there are a lots of perks coming with it. There is something going on with a person who is looking for a diagnosis. IMO.
Yes I can understand what you mean about feeling different and wanting an explanation as to why. When had neuropsychological evaluation I was able to find out why I felt different, visual spatial deficits.
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Default Apr 11, 2019 at 09:51 PM
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I have definitely seen this firsthand. The 2 people I know who want it both have really bad BPD. I think they are just jealous honestly. I also know personally that I get treated much better by healthcare professionals then these people do. I think they long to be treated fairly, and the same. I’ve had ASD my whole life. It annoys me because people assume I am learning disabled instead. I don’t like that.
I just wanted to note something here,

I would like to know more about these two individuals who have BPD and want to have ASD. How do you know this? Is this something they have said or?

If so, I would chalk this up to identity issues which is common with fragmented identity issues stemming from core traumas. This can happen with PTSD as well, doesn't have to be BPD. A lot of us with trauma weren't given the proper environment as children to form a personality - we had to become chameleons in order to please our parents because if we did not - we would be abused. This is partly why those with BPD can have an unstable identity that shifts with their environments.

Someone I know with BPD will conform to others around him without even realizing it, yet it is quite obvious from my perspective. Mannerisms, body language, movements, it is quite amazing. I believe this is why those with BPD can become such amazing actors / actresses - they can become someone else subconsciously.

This is not something to be shamed. It can be looked at from a place of empathy. Perhaps those with BPD truly self-identify with ASD in some way. I know for a fact that Age regression is particularly common in both BPD and ASD and that both can find comfort in things associated with childhood, such as teddy bears and blankies. A therapist asked if I had ever been diagnosed with ASD recently - this was the reason why.

Also keep in mind that BPD usually has co-morbid diagnosis. No one is ever the same and it IS possible that they do have ASD.

IF they don't have ASD, the question I would ask them is why do they want to be ASD. That would be really interesting to know.

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Default Apr 12, 2019 at 12:57 PM
  #13
I've had the BPD label. Awful. Every health care staff mistreated me, because it was in the manual to mistreat "us". I don't know how they think someone is going to be better by being abused. They could just have beaten me up. Same difference.

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