"Tragically, as many as 9,625 out of every 10,000 individuals are Neurotypicals."
Published May 13, 2004
From the website of the Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical.
More and more, people with Asperger's syndrome - a form of autism often marked by an intense interest in a single subject - are referring to the rest of us as "Neurotypicals," or N.T. for short.
Amy Harmon wrote a fascinating piece in last Sunday's New York Times about this issue, as well as the explosion of interest in the many variants of autism now being more and more frequently diagnosed.
Last year, the Autistic Adults Picture project started, with a website where more and more people are putting up their pictures along with their professions and obsessions, and frequently their own homepages. Very interesting and absorbing.
In the Times story, Dr. John Ratey, a Harvard University psychiatrist, says, "For patients, being given a name and a biological basis for their difficulties represents a shift from a 'moral diagnosis' that centers on shame to a medical one."
Ratey is the author of Shadow Syndromes, which argues that virtually all people have brain differences they need to be aware of to help guide them through life.
I don't know how true that is, but I'm buying his book as soon as I wrap this post up.
- "Tragically, as many as 9,625 out of every 10,000 individuals are Neurotypicals."
- Published: May 13, 2004
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- Section: Culture
- Writer: bookofjoe
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I beleive all these new classifications of personality "disorders" are bogus. These aren't personality "disorders"; these are personality TYPES.
Who isn't a little kooky in one way or another? Why do these people feel the need to categorize humans into different groupings of "the mentally ill"?
Homosexuals were once thought to be "mentally ill". Now it's just viewed as a lifestyle choice, or a predetermined inclination. Why can't we view other forms of "uncommon" behavior in the same manner?
Would like further information.
further information: everyone is loopy, but some are loopier than others
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I think it's entirely true that we all suffer from mental disorders. I mean, if you really look at it, personality really is just a particular combination of low-levels of all disorders that we manage and balance. How many times have we thought someone was paranoid - they're obviously not clinically paranoid.
I think everyone just wants to be a part of something. Me? I'm a very picky eater, but I feel more comfortable saying I'm a supertaster. It takes the control away from you - the label is no longer some shameful habit or personality trait - it's a legitimate issue. So if we go to a fancy restaurant and I can't find anything I can handle eating, I don't have to feel too stupid being picky - I am, afterall, a supertaster, and what I get out of food is very different than what you might get out of it.