Does Vladimir Putin have Asperger's syndrome?

CBS News ^ | February 5, 2015 | U-JIN LEE

[caww]

Post 20...some contemprary people....it’s really not as rare as most think...even Bill Gates has it.

[Dr. Thorne]

Asperger's runs in degrees. My former brother-in-law had it in a middle-of-the-road form while his son has a very mild form. It is characterized by an inability to understand or empathize with other people's feelings or cope with their own. Sufferers from Asperger's often say the rudest things, but they are generally being very honest. They just don't have a filter of socialization.

Another interesting aspect is that they are often intellectually brilliant. Because of this, they have a very poor opinion of others. Their inability to control their emotions can lead to violent outbursts that seem out of control.

Sadly, there is only limited treatment for Asberger's and sufferers can fall into despair over their feelings of distance and isolation from others. They recognize that people mostly don't like them and that their condition is a burden to others. There is a high rate of suicide.

[caww]

Here’s some others too...and the lists could go on...so point made I would think lol

Alfred Hitchcock, 1899-1980, English/American film director

Andy Kaufman, 1949-1984, US comedian, subject of the film Man on the Moon

Andy Warhol, 1928-1987, US artist.

Charles Schulz, 1922-2000, US cartoonist and creator of Peanuts and Charlie Brown

Glenn Gould, 1932-1982, Canadian pianist

Hans Asperger, 1906-1980, Austrian paediatric doctor after whom Asperger’s Syndrom is named

Howard Hughes, 1905-1976, US billionaire

Isaac Asimov, 1920-1992, Russian/US writer on science and of science fiction, author of Bicentennial Man

Jim Henson, 1936-1990, creator of the Muppets, US puppeteer, writer, producer, director, composer

John Denver, 1943-1997, US musician

L S Lowry, 1887-1976, English painter of “matchstick men”

[Dr. Thorne]

Kinda doubt the inclusion of Ben Franklin. By all reports, he was very affable and gregarious - two things that Asperger’s sufferers are decidedly not.

[caww]

I don't agree....though of course there are some who do go that far.....

I have a family member with this... who was not diagnosed until she was almost 14 yrs. old.....the reason is they develop amazing coping techniques which “hide” the issues they have.

She has excellant parents which is why it was so hard to diagnose....they were already doing what is advised for Asberger’s people so they only had to tweak a few things. She is highly functional and has developed further coping techniques for social interaction......and yes she's intellectually advanced. So I don't agree with what you wrote for those who have high functionality.

[dmz]

Asbergers is part of the Autism spectrum expansion.

[DesertRhino]

The next Obama regime change is starting. The crazy SOB is trying to destabilize and start a “Ukraine” in Russia. Today alone ive seen stories of the lavish houses of a few of Putin’s friends, now I see a confidential defense report that Putin is autistic.

If people like the instability of Libya, Syria, and Iraq, they will love a Russian implosion. The early 90s will return, gangs will run rampant again. ANd I think that’s the plan.
In the wreckage, the EU will move to gain ownership of Russian oil.

Obama spreads misery everywhere, this is the beginning of his next operation.

[caww]

I think you and I will have to disagree on the definition of Asbergers ......people who have it often recognize they “see” things differently than others and develope or “copy” what they see others do and act so that they aren't seen as “different”.

An example was my family member had two other sisters so she often just copied them in expressions and or actions in social settings.....also she always tucked her shoelaces in her shoes because... “I like them that way”...nobody caught on she couldn't tie her shoes.

I could name a host of copying techniques they develope themselves to hide what they know isn't quite normal long before they are diagnosed...if they even are.

[sparklite2]

That’s part of the risk when taking psychology classes in college. It doesn’t take very long until you start thinking, “Damn, I must be crazy. I’ve got most of that stuff!”

[central_va]

Aspergers symptoms:

1. Not pick up on social cues and may lack inborn social skills, such as being able to read others' body language, start or maintain a conversation, and take turns talking.
2. Dislike any changes in routines.
3. Appear to lack empathy.
4. Be unable to recognize subtle differences in speech tone, pitch, and accent that alter the meaning of others' speech. So your child may not understand a joke or may take a sarcastic comment literally. And his or her speech may be flat and hard to understand because it lacks tone, pitch, and accent.
5. Have a formal style of speaking that is advanced for his or her age. For example, the child may use the word "beckon" instead of "call" or the word "return" instead of "come back."
6. Talk a lot, usually about a favorite subject. One-sided conversations are common. Internal thoughts are often verbalized.
7. Avoid eye contact or stare at others.
8. Have unusual facial expressions or postures.
9. Be preoccupied with only one or few interests, which he or she may be very knowledgeable about. Many children with Asperger's syndrome are overly interested in parts of a whole or in unusual activities, such as designing houses, drawing highly detailed scenes, or studying astronomy. They may show an unusual interest in certain topics such as snakes, names of stars, or dinosaurs.
10. Have delayed motor development. Your child may be late in learning to use a fork or spoon, ride a bike, or catch a ball. He or she may have an awkward walk. Handwriting is often poor.
11. Have heightened sensitivity and become overstimulated by loud noises, lights, or strong tastes or textures. For more information about these symptoms, see sensory processing disorder.

[Star Traveler]

Why not just say ... “The devil made me do it!” ... LOL ...

[SevenofNine]

If you watch Big Bang theory fans would tell you main character Sheldon Cooper may have it

[caww]

Diane Kennedy, an author and advocate for Asperger Syndrome, writes,

“They are our visionaries, scientists, diplomats, inventors, chefs, artists, writers and musicians. They are the original thinkers and a driving force in our culture.”

Hans Asperger, the German doctor who discovered the syndrome, would agree with Kennedy’s assessment. He believed that “for success in science or art, a dash of autism is essential. .....The essential ingredient may be an ability to turn away from the everyday world, from the simply practical and to rethink a subject with originality so as to create in new untrodden ways with all abilities channeled into the one specialty.”

Likewise, Dr. Temple Grandin, an adult with autism who became a successful engineer, academic and speaker, believes that her disorder is an asset. She once famously called NASA a sheltered workshop for people with autism and Asperger Syndrome. She believes that people with autistic spectrum disorders are the great innovators, and “if the world was left to you socialites, nothing would get done and we would still be in caves talking to each other.”

it is absolutely impossible to diagnose anyone posthumously or without having the person in the room. Clinicians can only diagnose Asperger Syndrome by observing behaviors. Another problem in throwing people like Mozart and Benjamin Franklin into the Asperger population is that even if a person is in front of them, doctors have a hard time distinguishing between intellectual giftedness, Attention Deficit Disorder and Asperger Syndrome. There has been little research into the personalities of intellectually gifted people, but the few that have been done show that they are often intense, restless, strong-willed, and sensitive to light and sound — all qualities of Asperger Syndrome. People with very high IQs often question the status quo, resist direction, have long attention spans, undergo periods of intense work and effort, and like to organize things even as children. Other people often perceive them as “different.” All this is the same with those who have Asperger Syndrome.

http://www.yourlittleprofessor.com/the-benefits-of-aspergers-syndrome/

[dmz]

It’s interesting how folks with a ‘condition’, for lack of a better term, seem to tend to see others as having the same condition.

My bipolar mother was (RIP) convinced we are all bipolar.

[kenmcg]

Whatever Putin has, he’s certainly running rings around our “fearless fosdick” POTUS.

[arthurus]

Isaac Newton was probably flat out Autistic.

[arthurus]

My youngest daughter was labeled as Aspeger’s. What she is is focused. Anything that catches her interest she becomes an authority on. She has done very well for herself.

[punknpuss]

Instead of speculating on Putin, why don’t they vet Obama first?
*************************************************************

That’s exactly what I was thinking. Where’s Obama’s diagnosis?

[LibertarianLiz]

Aspergers Syndrome

I'm pretty sure that a while back, sometime last year (?), that they decided that Asperger's Syndrome would no longer exist. I don't know if they just re-named it, or what; but, the Asperger people were quite upset.

FWIW, I once looked at the signs of Aspergers, and found quite a few things that I could relate to, and my youngest daughter as well.

[Pearls Before Swine]

psychopath