Aspies For Freedom

Full Version: Daily Mail article re: couple attempt suicide over aspie dau
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A year ago, a couple attempted suicide because they could not cope with their daughter's Apserger Syndrome.

Today the mother, who survived the attempt, was featured in the Daily Mail (UK paper). She said that she was struggling financially as she and her husband were paying their own rent, and were also renting a flat for their daughter, because they felt she needed some independence. The daughter constantly needed money from her parents because she spent a lot of money on shoes. The Daily Mail wrote the spending money like this was a symptom of Asperger's Syndrome. The daughter also asked her parents for money as it was an obsession of hers that she "had" to eat out every night. If her parents did not give her the money for this, she banged on neighbours' doors and asked them for money. Rather oddly though, her phobia of germs meant that the mother could not visit her in the flat that her parents rented for her. But she felt fine eating out.

It's wierd, because rather than trying to give her some independence, they just gave her money all the time. On the other hand, they didn't seem to do anything helpful for her, because she was even admitted to hospital for several days without their knowledge.

The daughter may have Aspergers, but the problems described in the article did not sound like AS to me. She clearly had mental health issues, probably caused by trying to cope on her own when she couldn't. Why did they jusy throw money at her that they didn't have, when what she really needed was some support?

The article made it sound like AS makes you unpredictable and irresponsible. For me, it also highlighted the problems that can arise if there is not enough support for us.
We have had numerous threads about this in the past, the daughter has categorically said through her solicitor that she does not have aspergers, it seems only the parents were saying that.

Also the mother had admitted in a past news story that she asked the daughter to commit suicide with them.
The impression I got was that the parents had more problems than the daugher, who may have been a scapegoat.

Tallulah Wrote:
A year ago, a couple attempted suicide because they could not cope with their daughter's Apserger Syndrome.

Today the mother, who survived the attempt, was featured in the Daily Mail (UK paper). She said that she was struggling financially as she and her husband were paying their own rent, and were also renting a flat for their daughter, because they felt she needed some independence. The daughter constantly needed money from her parents because she spent a lot of money on shoes. The Daily Mail wrote the spending money like this was a symptom of Asperger's Syndrome. The daughter also asked her parents for money as it was an obsession of hers that she "had" to eat out every night. If her parents did not give her the money for this, she banged on neighbours' doors and asked them for money. Rather oddly though, her phobia of germs meant that the mother could not visit her in the flat that her parents rented for her. But she felt fine eating out.

It's wierd, because rather than trying to give her some independence, they just gave her money all the time. On the other hand, they didn't seem to do anything helpful for her, because she was even admitted to hospital for several days without their knowledge.

The daughter may have Aspergers, but the problems described in the article did not sound like AS to me. She clearly had mental health issues, probably caused by trying to cope on her own when she couldn't. Why did they jusy throw money at her that they didn't have, when what she really needed was some support?

The article made it sound like AS makes you unpredictable and irresponsible. For me, it also highlighted the problems that can arise if there is not enough support for us.


If spending money is a trait of Aspergers, I sure as heck don't have that and she sounds more like a spoiled brat with Bipolar Disorder and maybe OCD than one with Asperger Syndrome but that's just me.

Mish, I think you're right - I don't spend money very freely and certainly don't have many pairs of shoes. I think the daughter had some kind of mental illness: probably OCD, but not Aspergers. If the girl was over-age ie. over 18, and banged on the neighbours' doors, it would have been better to not step in and let the neigbours tell her not to keep bothering them and even call the police.

I suppose the parents felt responsible for her because she was probably mentally ill but just giving her money all the time wasn't doing her any good. It is quite common for one person in a family to be designated as "mentally sick" when one or more others are actually worse than them.
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