[ SECRET POST #264 ]

[shahni.livejournal.com]

⌈ Secret Post #264 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:
- With luck, I'll be here when this gets posted, otherwise, first comment goes to name that fandom!

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 82 secrets from Secret Submission Post #038.
Secrets Not Posted: 0 broken links, [1] not!secrets, 0 not!fandom, [1] repeat
Next Secret Post: Tomorrow, Thursday, September 27th, 2007.
Current Secret Submission Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[aishiteru.livejournal.com]

.. although in rereading that, from my experience, I haven't really heard of late diagnosis cases like that, where it was mild enough for the person to go undiagnosed all their life until they read about it and realized it fit them?

I'm not saying it's not possible, not at all - I've just personally not run into it or really heard about that kind of thing happening a lot. the majority of cases will fit somewhere in-between those two outer extremes (very high-functioning and very incapacitated), normally.

.. so while it could happen, I'm sure, I don't think that can account for a large number of people in fandom saying that kind of thing. =/

[iamadoughnut.livejournal.com]

Consider the fact that Asperger's itself wasn't even included in the DSM until, what? The early nineties? And that most health care and psychiatric workers would have very little idea of what to make of a child who has moderate to mild autism. Even parents of mildly to moderately autistic children may have gone ahead and thought of their child as "special" or a "late bloomer," at least until adolescence when depression or social awkwardness and isolation make the differences more difficult to ignore. This is one reason why we're seeing a greater number of "late" diagnoses as the specifics of autism as a spectrum disorder become more publicized. Individuals may have always been seen as having some wrong with them, it just may not have been identified (or it may have been misidentified) until recently.

And people with autism may simply gravitate to fandom as place where it's okay to share in obsessive interests.

[aishiteru.livejournal.com]

... hmm. That's true. But that would honestly get me into the issue of parental denial, which can be such a huge problem sometimes, but that's not really the point here.

Publicized due to the vaccination scares, correct? I'll definitely grant you that point, as it's a good one, and I certainly won't deny that.

Granting that, what I'm more or less reduced to saying is not every single person in fandom who says they want to have or claim to have a certain disorder can possibly be of the late bloomer nature. There are those who say autism is turning into an epidemic, yes, but I just don't feel like that's a really good excuse.

And while fandom could be a place for those interests - could you really, honestly, truly believe every single person in every fandom everywhere could be explained by being a late bloomer? I'm not saying it doesn't exist - just that it cannot and does not explain every person who says that kind of thing, and for those it does NOT explain... they need to seriously re-evaluate their thinking.

[aishiteru.livejournal.com]

*every single person who claims to have a disorder of some sort or, more specifically, autism, I mean.

[iamadoughnut.livejournal.com]

Publicized as in people started paying attention to Asperger's and it started getting greater attention as a disorder. Maybe that was a direct result of vaccination scares, I've no idea.

Sure, not every person who says they have it actually has it. And while going to a doctor and getting a correct diagnosis can be a stressful procedure, I think anyone who suspects they may have an undiagnosed form of autism should go and do their best to get a neuropsych evaluation if at all possible. In my own experience, it's necessary to avoid being given wrong or harmful treatment by health care professionals later on.

I think fandom is a great place for autistics and that it often caters to people who are obsessive and meticulous. I would expect a higher percentage of people with autism in fandom. I'm not making any absolute claims here, just mentioning it.

[aishiteru.livejournal.com]

I'm not really sure, but probably. The scares been going on a couple years now and has made people go OMG AUTISM, so there's probably been a bit of OMG ASPERGER'S too. I'm not sure on that case.

I completely agree. For people who think they really, honestly have autism - they should absolutely go and get an evaluation, to try and make sure, again for the reason you stated. What I honestly, honestly meant was people who WANT to be autistic like that - people who think they MIGHT be and wish they really WERE - I've met people like that, and it's a little scary, to wish that kind of trouble on yourself, if you are actually healthy already.

.. that wouldn't surprise me entirely, but I don't think you'd statistically see that much larger a number - I think studies like that have actually been done, because I'm being strongly reminded of something similar, but I can't remember exactly what. And believe me, I know where you're coming from, and the point you're trying to make.

I just don't like people WISHING or WANTING to have disorders, in a serious way that they think will make them "special" or "interesting," or with the thinking "it'll fit my personality!" (which I'm differentiating from "I think I really have those symptoms" - the former, to me, has a certain "ooooh personality quiz!" feel to it, while the latter would have much more serious consideration.)

[iamadoughnut.livejournal.com]

I know when I first came across Asperger's (a friend was diagnosed) I was very torn. I was angry that he had an answer and I didn't, and I was scared and yet still hopeful that maybe this would be something that would give me some answers. Because I'd spent most of my life wondering why I couldn't do what other people my age seemed to do fairly easily. So yes, at that point I "wanted" to have Asperger's so I could finally deal with my life.

If I had to make a decision now, obviously I would prefer not to be autistic... because it sucks, most of the time. But at the time it was between being autistic and being considered mentally ill without much hope of successful treatment. At least knowing how my mind works now I'm able to compensate more specifically for the areas in which I have deficits.

I don't think mine is a particularly special situation, either. I'm sure that, sometimes, it has something to do with attention-seeking, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's actually a minority of people who are latching onto Asperger's or autism solely for that reason.

You said in your other comment that you weren't talking about specific cases, but I think this is a topic where you cannot ever make broad generalizations. Because it's a spectrum disorder, you will be faced with a wide variety of individuals, behaviors, and levels of functioning.