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comment by mk
mk  ·  4098 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Adam Lanza & The Dark Side of Asperger's

I understand the point that Asperger's often means more than just shyness and being easily overwhelmed. However, the spectrum is a behavioral assessment, and application of the label varies. We can label two people as having Aspergers, but cannot say whether or not they have the same physiological condition, and yet we just established a rationale to prescribe medicine as if they do.

IMO we often put too much weight behind definitions, and treat problems as if they were well-understood when they are not. Psychiatry is an imperfect science and practice, and I think it should be very honest about that. For those that would be put on the less-severe part of this spectrum, I think it's debatable whether they benefit from the label or not. A lot comes with that label, some of it may be helpful, and some of it may not.