Exactly.

No. I can't see any traits.

In this country we like to patronise people with an s.

Could Andy have Aspergers?

The OP has posted a perfectly reasonable question.

I find it breathtaking that some contributors to this thread can put their hands up in shock horror over such a reasonable post yet, themselves, hold back nothing when it comes to offering their own, sometimes crude, often nasty, opinions elsewhere on this site.

As to folk being 'armchair psychiatrists' and the like?

You must be kidding.

Just about every post on every topic on every thread of Digital Spy works on exactly that mechanism.

“Is so and so doing this?” “Is X a game player?”. “Doesn't Y know what a XXX they are being?”

If you hypocrites simply want a good moan, at least find a more appropriate original post to target.

NO. I take that back.

Let me give you holier than thou people a chance to have a pop at these words instead.

Go on. Knock yourselves out ... because even these few scornful comments from me deserve more negative comeback that the OP's original post

Not at all, he is a tv journalist and is far more intelligent than all he others. Vanessa Feltz said on BBOTS she has worked with him and he was lovely.

Actually, both forms are acceptable, and the -ize spelling is about 50% more common in the British English corpus.

Derrr...

Absolutely, Well said. The autistic spectrum is a wide one, and people should be made aware of this. I have spent much of my career working in educational settings to ensure that children who have been assessed as being on that spectrum are fully included, based on their individual strengths and difficulties (and, in the case of Aspergers Syndrome, some of those strengths can be really impressive!) Individual profiling is very important, and it tends to upset/annoy me when, inevitably, someone on BB is supposed to be on the spectrum, based on an FM's (faulty) assumptions about them - and about autism.

Yeah it is. I'm on the spectrum of autism and it's definitely a mental health issue for me.

It's nearly impossible for me to socially interact with others or be in social situations at times to where i can't even go outside because of the activity, or go in a store, etc.

Social interaction becomes torture in that regard.
[I have to be alone a lot also to avoid social interaction]

I would say it's most certainly a mental health issue.

It's not the same for everyone, like most mental health situations it's different for each person and the effects of it can be different from person to person but i'm speaking from my perspective. I also have severe depression which in combination with the other could take on a specific thing with me that it might not with another person for example.

It all goes within mental health though in my view and opinion.

Of course, it can be a mental health issue - often because those who have this kind of specific difficulties are not offered appropriate support. particularly at an early age when these difficulties first become apparent. This country still has a lot of work to do in terms of awareness about autism and the availability of specialist individualised support. All the best in managing your situation.

They might be acceptable to you but not me.

Thank you so much for posting this

You are absolutely spot on.

It was insulting to even suggest he has Aspergers

Yes, and like in my case the clear symptoms didn't present themselves until i was in my teens which at the time then there was even more unawareness about various mental health and so it can easily be seen and written off as simple teenage withdrawal and behavior.

Then... because of this someone who should be helped more around this situation by a specialist or someone who understands is sort of forced to interact socially and no one understands what is actually going on and it's just a lot of problems.

One of the biggest issues i find about it is just the misunderstanding by others. Thinking you're mentally challenged or just various assumptions and ideas put on you like that. For me it's just all about social interaction everything else is fine. It's like being in a cage for that one specific thing but everything else functions. Humanity being such a social species, however can make life quite difficult and torturous to be mentally caged in this area. The internet does help get around this though in some ways.

I don't think it's insulting to suggest someone has Asperger's - not in the least - but it's not as straight forward as poor social skills/socially awkward = spectrum.

My daughter is not on the spectrum but in certain social situations - namely school - she does a damn good impression - she ticks all the boxes - but its down to her trying to mask her shyness and lack of confidence amongst other things.

My son on the other hand is on the spectrum but you'd never know - he's very sociable, loves company of friends and is very popular.

There are so many things involved when indicating autism that to go to Asperger's when looking at Andy's awkwardness on occasion is a hell of a leap.

My husband will tell you, with the kids and my work, I can be a little preoccupied with traits. (Which is why i'm waffling on here even though it's not really relevant to Andy. )

He says I see them everywhere - I've even got him on the spectrum - but I'm honestly not seeing anything with Andy.

If anyone's 'not getting' people it's them not getting Andy. Andy just misjudged how reasonable they would be.

It is not "officially" classed as a mental health issue, but you can describe your own condition any way you choose.
Thank you for explaining it so well, Onthefence.

For me, I think of a mental health issue as something that can be treated and get better, and Aspergers as something that is innately part of you, although people who have it are very susceptible to mental health issues, and it might well impact on mental health.
hopefully this will lessen if we all have a better understanding.

Interesting. Well, i thought for certain it would be classified as mental health as that's how i've always seen it. I wouldn't even assume otherwise but if that's the case then that's how it is but it's not the way i look at it.

I don't see mental health as necessarily something you can fix or get better as that's not how it's been from my experiences, It can be like that but it's not definitive as such imv. it's just focused on health of the mind in a wide variety of variations.

For example, depression in my situation is something that's been apart of me as long as i've known me and i've fully accepted that as being part of who i am and it's not going to go away. That's the main thing that helps me get through it was this understanding and acceptance.

So... i don't really get how aspergers/autism wouldn't be under the classification of mental health similarly. In examples like my situation it has a lot to do with dealing in the health and care relative to the mind. It's not something you can easily see or point to with clear understanding, like a broken arm for example... depression, autism it all seems to deal with the mental from my perspective but what can i say. I guess like has been established it's very different from person to person and there's still a lot to learn and understand about it, etc.

[The lifetime health and care of the body is of a similar path as the health and care of the mind, IE]

Every year, without fail, there's a thread with some armchair psychologist asking, "Does x have Aspergers?"

Just about to post the same thing.

I agree honeythewitch. Autism and aspergers are neurological disorders that have a physiological cause. The fact that there is so little understanding and, often, intolerance of people on the spectrum by wider society is what causes the sense of isolation and subsequent depression/mental health problems.

It doesn't appear to me that Andy is on the spectrum at all. He's simply an intelligent and articulate man, not prone to dramatic episodes or emotional performances, who is stuck in a house of mostly emotionally undeveloped, self obsessed children inhabiting adult bodies.

They're out of his depth.

Perfectly put.

Nice way with words. Particularly enjoyed "emotionally undeveloped, self obsessed children inhabiting adult bodies".

Sorry, but that's nonsense. It's quite easily classifiable as a mental health issue. Pointless pedantry.

Aww honey I feel for you, The biggest misconception about Aspergers/Autism is that people who have this are mentally challenged - when this is not the case. My friends son is on the spectrum and is such an intelligent child who hopes to go to uni and become a scientist. He has issues with social interaction which may or may not hold him back, but his intelligence is amazing. He is getting some amazing help, so we are hopeful for his future.

Socially awkward with a certain demographic of people? yes. Aspergers? No.

The sociopath diagnosis is far more common of late. Every bugger and his cat thinks they know what a sociopath is these days - and they usually spot three per series.

Yes, totally. That assumption of being "mentally challenged/slow or freak" from people is in some ways worse than the actual condition/situation at times. One of my biggest frustrations as a result is being misunderstood, i just find it so frustrating when i can't be understood haha.

I'm usually extremely patient but that is one area where i can lose my chill a bit. It's also why i'm usually found attempting to explain myself in depth on any number of things because i have almost a need to be understood in that sense in what i'm saying, etc.

That's awesome to hear about the kid wanting to become a scientist. I kind of wanted to be a scientist or marine biologist as well or something along those lines but i sort of fell off the path as life got in the way but hopefully he can make it to those dreams.

There's at least being some progress made in more understanding about these things and so perhaps the future world won't be so misunderstood in these areas and situations.

It's unbelievable that people come up with this every year. Every series someone thinks a HM has Asperger's.