Acceptance or cure?

  1. Jazzratt
    Jazzratt
    A lot of non-NTs have strong views on what should be done about their divergences from neurological norms, some believe they need help for their disorders where as others believe that nothing is wrong with them and that the difficulties they face are entirely due to neurochauvanist society. This is mainly a concern for autistic-spectrum and other socially-affected non-NTs, although it's not unheard of for people who have certain other functions limited (motor functions in dyspraxics, word-pattern recognition difficulties with dyslexics and so on) to not view their problems as, well, problems.

    My view is that my ability and desire to connect with and empathise with others is absolutely dandy and that those who argue differently can shove it up their arseholes, on the other hand my motor-function, memory and other dyspraxia-related problems are genuine limitations and thus I wish they could somehow be lessened or eradicated.

    What are the thoughts of other non-NT members, or even NTs on this matter?
  2. Luís Henrique
    Luís Henrique
    ADHD absolutely sucks. If there was a cure, I would be up for it no doubt. As it is, I take rytalin when I have to do serious business. The disease was probably also partially responsible for my smoking habits, since tobacco is self-medication for ADHD.

    Acceptance my arse.

    LuÃ*s Henrique
  3. ÑóẊîöʼn
    I feel it should be up to the non-NT concerned. If somebody feels that their condition is a barrier to them, then they should get the help to overcome their condition. It doesn't have to be medical or surgical - perhaps non-NTs can be "trained" how to socially interact if they feel that is what they require.

    Under no circumstances should any non-NT be denied any the help they desire, and under absolutely no circumstances whatsoever should non-NTs be forced to undergo "treatment" against their wishes.
  4. Jazzratt
    Jazzratt
    Under no circumstances should any non-NT be denied any the help they desire, and under absolutely no circumstances whatsoever should non-NTs be forced to undergo "treatment" against their wishes.
    Exactly. I doubt there will be any that disagree with this - really.
  5. Guerrilla22
    ADHD is no picnic. I feel as though my academic career would have been much more successful without ADHD, although I am still going to graduate from a decent university, I feel I could have been an excellent student at at top notch university if I didn't have ADHD. However, I am unfortunate enough to suffer from clinical depression and OCD as well. which I feel have made my life even more difficult than ADHD has. In short, ADHD is the least of my problems.
  6. RHIZOMES
    RHIZOMES
    it depends on the severity. My Asperger's Syndromes negative effects have dwindled as I got older and now I'm just an oddball.
  7. Kami
    Kami
    I don't think any of my dyspraxia could be classified as positive -.- although I suppose I've become attatched to some of the mental traits :P
  8. Marsella
    As a young teenager I was not only diagnosed with beautiful looks but also with ADHD.

    I have never taken drugs or anything of that nature.

    I'm not really sure how if affects me. I am super hyperactive. I can't concentrate on anything. Its probable that I was wrongly diagnosed or I have a very mild case (which might result in my expulsion from this group! )
  9. Jazzratt
    Jazzratt
    I don't think any of my dyspraxia could be classified as positive -.- although I suppose I've become attatched to some of the mental traits :P
    Yes, fine-motor function limitations can fuck off.
  10. Kami
    Kami
    Yes, fine-motor function limitations can fuck off.
    toobloosy riggt!
  11. piet11111
    piet11111
    i do not have any serious downsides to my PDD-NOS if anything its beneficial because i am capable of spending hours concentrating on all sorts of stuff without getting tired of it.

    social interaction is a bit odd but i do OK and i am getting better at it.
  12. Dean
    Dean
    A lot of non-NTs have strong views on what should be done about their divergences from neurological norms, some believe they need help for their disorders where as others believe that nothing is wrong with them and that the difficulties they face are entirely due to neurochauvanist society. This is mainly a concern for autistic-spectrum and other socially-affected non-NTs, although it's not unheard of for people who have certain other functions limited (motor functions in dyspraxics, word-pattern recognition difficulties with dyslexics and so on) to not view their problems as, well, problems.

    My view is that my ability and desire to connect with and empathise with others is absolutely dandy and that those who argue differently can shove it up their arseholes, on the other hand my motor-function, memory and other dyspraxia-related problems are genuine limitations and thus I wish they could somehow be lessened or eradicated.

    What are the thoughts of other non-NT members, or even NTs on this matter?
    Well, I firmyl believe that "a cure" must be found, but I disagree with the assertion that anything but widescale social - change can be considered a cure. Even that is dodgy - I don't believe humans can be fixed. Even if medication can relieve some disorder, it is still a part of your mental and psychiatric history, something you cannot avoid, ignore or escape.

    But I know I would staunchly oppose any attempt at changing my own behavior, because when it comes to personal issues I am extremely conservative and anal. So, I guess we have to give as much availability for resolution of problems without forcing people to undergo treatment unless it becomes a danger to society (even then, I think anything beyond keeping people from harming others is really inappropriate).
  13. which doctor
    I would certainly like to see a cure for stuttering. Regardless of whether or not it becomes accepted by the public, it's still a debilitating condition. Difficulty in communication is a major disability and it's not something I want to live with.
  14. Angry Young Man
    Angry Young Man
    If tomorrow there was a major jump in brain surgery, I'd have an appointment for Thursday morning. I've been finding it a real fucking albatross lately.
  15. Rascolnikova
    Rascolnikova
    At the risk of starting something terrible, I think this issue is rather like abortion; it should be a matter of choice. That means people should have the option of cure--or the option of not cure. . . and neither should bear the sorts of life crushing social consequences autism often carries today.

    So, acceptance or cure? Both.
  16. The Intransigent Faction
    The Intransigent Faction
    I'll just try and keep it short, otherwise I could go on for ages:

    Of OCD, yes, I'd like to handle of a lot that relates to it better (certain compulsions, for example), but I see myself as a person who would be somewhat uptight anyway, whether or not I was suddenly cured. Cognitive behavioural therapy has helped me with this, though I've had bad experiences, personally, with medication, and at least a couple of people who I've talked to have had problems with it as well.

    As for Asperger's I don't see much of it as a "syndrome" in need of a "cure". My social anxiety has been "cured" since I started high school and have gotten to know more people who, to be blunt, aren't assholes.

    I'm no rep league player, but I've played soccer since I was five, and been told that I've improved noticeably.

    As for "narrow, intense interests", I don't see being passionate about what most interests me as something that needs to be cured.

    Quite a few people I know, including a few people I'd consider good friends, have either Asperger's itself or a dual-diagnosis including Asperger's, and from what they've told me, they feel the same way.

    I've accepted myself in terms of typical "Aspie" characteristics, but would like to handle anxiety (obsessions/compulsions) better, which I know will take effort, and have been doing better so far, I think.

    That's my short answer.

    (NOTICE: Yes, I do think people have been over-medicated as a "quick-fix", and that "disease-mongering" has gone too far in the past. This is just from my experience/some of my friends'/acquaintances experiences).
  17. Dyslexia! Well I Never!
    Dyslexia! Well I Never!
    Neurological divergence is a vital part of humanity's neurological evolution. As such it should be used to full advantage to allow society to gain more perspective upon itself and it's direction.

    Then again as a Dyslexic (possibly with a touch of the ol' dyscalcula too) I'm not really being hampered* in my day-to-day by my neurology apart from when I want to say something clever or complicated to spell but can't spell it well enough for a spellcheck or google to recognise the fucker.

    *For example I wanted to say "inconvenienced" rather than "hampered" and it took me long enough to work out how to spell it to type all of this instead.
  18. blank
    blank
    no cure for me thanks, i like being me. what needs to be cured is this sick world. this sick society, it wants to trick us into thinking we are what is wrong and accept that dog shit. fuck that
  19. Leon_Trotsky
    Leon_Trotsky
    If you read the works of authorities such as Stephen Jay Gould and Alfred C. Kinsey are critical of the notion of an "immutable essence". Kinsey states that EVERY abnormality exists within a spectrum of normalcy.



    Gould states:



    "Although species may be discrete, they have no immutable essence. Variation is the raw material of evolutionary change. It represents the fundamental reality of nature, not an accident about a created norm. Variation is primary; essences are illusory.... Kinsey, who understood the implications of evolutionary theory so well, was a radical antiessentialist in taxonomy.... His antiessentialist perspective proclaimed two truths about variation for wasps and people alike—apparently homogeneous populations in one place (all college students at Indiana or all murderers at Alcatraz) would exhibit an enormous range of irreducible variation, and discrete local populations in different places (older middle-class women in Illinois or poor young men in New York) would differ greatly in average sexual behaviors."
    — Stephen Jay Gould, "Of Wasps and WASPs," The Flamingo's Smile (1985)


    Gould also states:


    "Antiessentialist thinking forces us to view the world differently.... We lose criteria for judgment by comparison to some ideal: short people, retarded people, people of other beliefs, colors, and religions are people of full status."


    I dare say that the notion of "curing" non-neurotypicals is completely unscientific and is very much in the realm of superstition, bigotry and social reaction.
  20. Leon_Trotsky
    Leon_Trotsky
    I personally have nothing in principle against modern medicine. Be it medicine, therapy, occupation therapy or otherwise. However, I think any such treatment of non-neurotypicals should be based on the stand point of helping them function in society and NOT "curing" them or making them "normal".

    I think that it is crucial for non-neurotypicals to have a voice in ALL of the decision making concerning them.

    In terms of aversive therapy like electric-shock therapy, I think that these should be abolished outright.
  21. Il Medico
    Il Medico
    Personally, I've never viewed a 'cure' to be anything that could be done for people who already have mental handicaps. I have always viewed the solution as genetic manipulation before one is born, to remove serve disorders. I don't think anyone here would fall under that, though, I am sure that many of you wouldn't want others to have to go through the struggle you have, so it should probably be applied to less severe disorders too. My brother has a severe case of autism. He will never have a job, probaly never have any meaning relationships outside of family, and just generally struggles through life (he can't even speak). I don't think anyone should have to live like that, or that any family should have to go through the difficulties of raising a child like my brother. (it has come to a point that my brother's behavior is extremely moody and he can become very violent at the drop of a hat, my parent are get old and can no longer handle him. So, when I move out, he is most likely going to have to be put in a home, or something, which absolutely breaks my parents hearts, but it is something that they need to do, he is a real threat to the safety of himself and others at this point.). So I am very much in favor of preventive treatment to eliminate such disorders from the gene pool.

    Oh, I, myself have ADHD, though a very mild case of it. I can't really say that it has effected my life all that much (though I would note that I think I might have been diagnosed wrongly so, I might not have it at all)