Dr. Arturo Silva, of San Jose, Calif., is in the middle of a study of
50 of the nation's most prolific killers. He says he has spotted
something intriguing: autism.
Not in all, he says, but some. And many of the others are borderline.
*frown* ...science?!?
I sat on a bench in the park watching people pass by - and there it was I spotted something intriguing: autism! Not in all, I admit, but some. And many of the others are borderline.
They just like throwing things out to shock. Autism is a very big boomword so they use it in a lot of places they shouldn't. Unfortunately, people take it seriously and so we end up getting hurt.
But it also goes on to cite abuse in childhood as a cause.
It seems as though tey are confusing atypical development because of abuse with autistic development... yes, both might lead to social difficulty but the root cause (and the expression) of the difficulty is going to be very difficult.
Didn't Frith detail a few cases of extreme childhood abuse that led to behaviours that LOOKED somewhat autistic-like but actually were not? Or am i thinking of someone else?
autism?
Autism is the new kid on the block and every clinician wants to make a diagnosis! It used to be that schizophrenia and bi-polar were tops.
Gallers says they often have some traits in common as children:
cruelty to animals, fire-setting and bed- wetting in later childhood.
:shock: Cruelty to animals?!!!!!?? :o That is not an autistic trait and that is for darn sure. Most autistics love animals. And I've never heard of autistics setting property on fire. The only one here that is common among us is bed-wetting.
This sounds much more like Conduct Disorder than autism. Many people with CD also wet the bed.
Natalia wrote:
PS: Unfortunately we were not able to conclude precisely WHAT is wrong with america that causes this. I mean, there's a lot of things, how to pick....?!
Well, I don't think it is America that is the problem.
A fact of many serial killers is that the signs of their violent behaviour were misdiagnosed, or ignored, and often they only became serial killers after getting away with more and moreelaborate and destructive crimes.
Perhaps it is not the American culture that produces serial killers, but the American legal system that allows potential killers to go free, and thereby reinforce their violent behaviour.
In a country where statistically one in three people including children, coma patients, and the elderly own some form of firearm, it is easy to see how an otherwise harmless victim of abuse or serious mental illness could become a mass murderer or serial killer all too easily, one click of a trigger makes you a murderer, it's too easy to just fire a gun.
There are a lot of factors, including the psychiatric care policies in the states, the justice system, and the popular culture promoting violence as a means of solving problems. (one gun per three human beings)
That's what I have come to believe through my (obviously amateur) research, I often write about characters that are flawed or disturbed, abnormal, whatever you want to call it.
"Women and children and cowards, attack!"
Run to the hills, Iron Maiden
I dont condemn America, just those who shoot the cops, and the cops that beat up the kids because they're black, or chinese, or whatever colour you fancy. And the government that uses fear to command the people into anything they want, and the people that fall for it.
Okay, maybe I do condemn America, but I feel the same about Britain as well.
Serial killers exist elsewhere, but they are not quite so well publicised (ever hear of Mark "Chopper" Read of australian fame?) as they are in the US.
You don't hear about the nutters walking into hospital emergency rooms with Uzis and blowing away ten people just for the hell of it. But a black male steals a car and it's on prime time news. It's all about ratings, money and power.
Thats all the ranting I can do in one night. Phew...
Conrad
"I can't be compromising, in my thoughts no more..."
Age of innocence, Iron Maiden
A huge number of serial killers don't rely on guns, guns are too neat, they don't cause the same suffering a lot of these guys enjoy. Much better to strangle or carve someone up while still alive, they get off on that more. Somone who used to torture animals is not going to be happy just knocking someone off in less than a few seconds.
I had about a two-year obsession with serial killers and the only two mass murderers/serial killers who'd fit the bill are Jeffrey Dahmer (his dad was classic AS and Jeff was very much the same, except he had a *** home life, too) and Ted Kaczynski (the Una Bomber) who was as AS as they come.
Other than that, Ted Bundy was definitely not autistic. He was certainly Bipolar and his last escape to freedom he was probably also psychotic at the time. He was also Narcissistic and psychopathic of course. (And a necrophiliac.)
J.W. Gacy wasn't autistic either. He was far too good at reading people. He was just a mix of Psychopathic and Narcissistic. And maybe throw in some Mood Disorder as well.
Like Gareth said, there's undoubtedly a couple serial killers who were on the Spectrum, but by and large, it probably wasn't their autism that drove them to it. And also by and large, most serial killers definitely aren't autistic. You could probably find just about any disorder you wanted to in serial killers, but that's not to say it's common place.
You could probably find just about any disorder you wanted to in serial killers, but that's not to say it's common place.
Right, so I also wonder, why do people need to find a certain mental disorder as a reason for a certain crime, when there are so many more with supposedly the same mental disorder(s) who do not commit such crimes or feel a need to do so?!? Or in other words: why over-generalize when there are clearly so few cases who become serial killers? If you already so badly want to label serial killers with a specific mental disorder, make seperate diagnostic criteria in the DSM: "has a tendency to serial kill", "can have a tendency to dissect human beings", "may seek attention by outsmarting the police", for Serial Killing Disorder (SKD).
And, yes, this is also criticism on the DSM. (Each individual is unique)
Gallers says they often have some traits in common as children:
cruelty to animals, fire-setting and bed- wetting in later childhood.
:shock: Cruelty to animals?!!!!!?? :o That is not an autistic trait and that is for darn sure. Most autistics love animals. And I've never heard of autistics setting property on fire. The only one here that is common among us is bed-wetting.
This sounds much more like Conduct Disorder than autism. Many people with CD also wet the bed.
I thought he was saying that serial killers, not autistics, had these traits in common. That's how I read it -- I've seen similar studies before.
Gallers says they often have some traits in common as children:
cruelty to animals, fire-setting and bed- wetting in later childhood.
:shock: Cruelty to animals?!!!!!?? :o That is not an autistic trait and that is for darn sure. Most autistics love animals. And I've never heard of autistics setting property on fire. The only one here that is common among us is bed-wetting.
This sounds much more like Conduct Disorder than autism. Many people with CD also wet the bed.
I thought he was saying that serial killers, not autistics, had these traits in common. That's how I read it -- I've seen similar studies before.
The point is, he is saying that the serial killers are autistic. And he is using these traits as part of his proof. 2 of these traits obviously have nothing to do with autism and are actually traits of sociopath disorders such as Conduct or Opposing Defiant. Bed-wetting apllies to some sociopaths as well as some autistics. But animal cruelty and fire-setting are entirely sociopath traits. Whoever wrote this article has no idea what he is talking about and needs to do more research on physicology.
To me, as a mom, these kinds of articles are disturbing. There is already so much missinformation out there, and what is my child now growing up into? I want him to accept and embrace his aspergers as part of who he is, but not if it's going to suddenly make him the top murder suspect by it's mere existence! My son is no sociopath. Sure, he has trouble understanding what other people want and why that might trump something he wants, but he is full of empathy when given the chance. He has a stong view of what is right and what is wrong (OK, I could see where that could lead to problems in a distored mind, which fortunately his is not, but still ...) and feels remorse when he realizes he has hurt others. But to think some policeman could someday missread him ... scary.
Right, so I also wonder, why do people need to find a certain mental disorder as a reason for a certain crime, when there are so many more with supposedly the same mental disorder(s) who do not commit such crimes or feel a need to do so?!?
Medicalizing criminality serves two functions:
1: It replenishes "social insulation". Since only "sick" people do these things, that means that they're in the "not like us" tribe. So the "not sick" can all feel better about themselves.
2: I permits society to continue to abolish those nasty old "moral" questions from public discourse or relegate them to "right-wing nut-jobs".
So we have to try to change attitudes, maybe not hide out about being autistic until attitudes change.
[Maybe I am excited about this becos I just told my whole department (well, that's only 4 people) about my AS and about a bunch of autistic issues ... and they were really cool about it!]
You are right, of course. I just hate it. The having to change attitudes part. It's HARD. As for your work department being so positive, I think that's great. Ignorance wil die. Just slowly.