Someone had grabbed Lamo’s backpack containing the prescription anti-depressants he’d been on since 2004, the year he pleaded guilty to hacking The New York Times. He wanted his medication back.
I couldn't help but chuckle a little at this. I have Asperger's. Life, particularly communication and interaction with others, is fairly stressful for me. If someone took
my medication, I'd want it back. I'd be a wreck without it.
I could understand why the officers would want to call a doctor, however. It seems to be an issue of genuine concern. Unusual behavior, combined with known exposure to or withdrawal from prescription medications, would probably raise a red flag - at least to me. However, the fact that he was placed under
"72-hour involuntary psychiatric hold" is disturbing.
In regards to
sadhatter - be careful not to judge until you know all the facts. Yes, individuals with Asperger's syndrome may engage in behavior others find disturbing or strange, but only because they do not themselves find the behavior disturbing or strange. They may not even recognize that their behavior is bothersome to others. I myself had trouble recognizing when others were in pain or discomfort when I was young. Thankfully I have a psychologist for a mother, who was able to bring me to some level of normalcy. The instantaneous feelings one gets when looking at a particular expression on someone's face are the result of a process of deduction for me. Social cues form a language that individuals with Asperger's syndrome have a tenuous grasp upon, so try to muster up a bit of empathy.
Violent behavior is an entirely different story. Just because someone has Asperger's syndrome does not mean they are prone to acts of violence. I have personally never heard of self-mutilation as a syndrome of Asperger's. I myself have a very high tolerance for pain, so I may "nitpick" and end up accidentally injuring myself in a way that others would find somewhat shocking, but it's entirely accidental, of no more concern than biting at my fingernails. I have also never had difficulty in separating fantasy from reality - I'm a hobby writer, and exploring the divide is one of my passions, but I have a firm grip on reality, thank you - and don't believe that to be a major Asperger's syndrome in my own experience. It seems to be primarily a syndrome of miscommunication. Violent behavior could be attributed to some other disturbances in thinking, not Asperger's.
I could understand how Asperger's syndrome could have influenced Lamo in regards to his hacking behavior. It didn't make him more prone to commit illegal activity specifically - it prompted him to seek a challenge and master a passion. This challenge unfortunately happened to coincide with an illegal activity. His hacking attempts seem to show this - they were rarely malicious, and mostly playful, as if he was simply testing whether or not he could do it. This doesn't seem to coincide with a destructive nature. However, this doesn't mean that Lamo should be given any favors. Instead, I would advise Lamo that his skill should be channeled in a productive manner to unleash his full potential as an individual.
Lamo says it himself, succinctly.
But he [Lamo] scoffs at the notion that Asperger’s should mitigate the consequences of illegal behavior. Asperger’s might help explain his success in hacking, but not his willingness to do it, he says. “If, in fact, the diagnosis is accurate, it had zip to do with my actions at that time.”
