Ex-Hacker Adrian Lamo Institutionalized for Asperger’s

[Damien Evans]

Nooooo....A hacker? With Asberger's? Surely you jest.

Nooooo....A guy who can't spell Aspergers?
Surely you jest.

 

[rjwould]

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.

What medication are you taking? AFAIK there isn't any medication strictly for what we call Asperger's.

Again, when viewed from an evolutionary standpoint, its not a disorder, its an adaptation. There is another name for this condition - The Highly Sensitive Person. http://www.hsperson.com/. and has been found to be evident in about 20% of all species with brains. I personally think what we refer to as Asperger Syndrome is more likely part of the majority of the human species and is simply a matter of degree.

It is generally believed among people who have studied and understand this subject that people such as Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Amadeus, Bill Gates, Woody Allen among many others would be classified as Aperger. I'd add to that long list; Lucille Ball, Patty Duke, Bruce Springsteen, George Carlin, Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters as a few others. Those are people that its obvious from where I sit, but many others are similar to a lesser degree. Hell, I'd bet a large number of members on this forum, including some of the people posting on this thread are as well - they just don't know it.

Heres a fairly quick quiz that may give an indication. Its not a diagnosis by any means but it gives people an idea of where they score in comparison of a group of known Aspies. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aqtest.html

Theres lots of research I could point people to regarding this subject for those who are interested in knowing more.

 

[psychicwonderer628]

How so? I am stating that a sign of a mental condition ( in this case aspergers) should be reasonable cause to search when a crime is of a violent nature, or when the crime seems to fit that of a non standard mind.

Again, if people have done nothing wrong, they will have nothing to fear.

Seriously i find people that i have met ( irl or online) with aspergers either do not find actions that are disturbing to others strange, or do not have a concept that other people being disturbed is anything bad. This may be a minor annoyance if the action is something small like singing, or whistling at length. But can be a real concern when someone self mutilates at work, or has issues separating fantasy and reality and tries to see what happens when they suffocate someone, in the middle of a party.

( yes all first had experiences. )

Again, i am not proposing we round up those with aspergers, only that should someone show signs of a mental illness, and there is a crime that would lead a police officer to believe it was committed by one with a mental illness , that it be reasonable cause. It would not effect anyone other than people that have mental illness and that have committed a crime.

But if i am incorrect in stating that those with aspergers sometimes have trouble separating fantasy from reality, and that they tend to do things in a public situation that are disturbing to others, please correct me. I would like to know where in my personal life, and in any research i have done i have gone so completely wrong.

No, absolutely wrong. Aspergers is not a mental illness. And the cops were totally irresponsible and ignorant (surprise) for picking him up. HE called them. Is that a prerequisite for being considered a danger to himself and others? Aspies are not any more violent than your average citizen.
While I am happy his meds are working better, this was an egregious violation of his rights!

 

[Damien Evans]

What medication are you taking? AFAIK there isn't any medication strictly for what we call Asperger's.

Again, when viewed from an evolutionary standpoint, its not a disorder, its an adaptation. There is another name for this condition - The Highly Sensitive Person. http://www.hsperson.com/. and has been found to be evident in about 20% of all species with brains. I personally think what we refer to as Asperger Syndrome is more likely part of the majority of the human species and is simply a matter of degree.

It is generally believed among people who have studied and understand this subject that people such as Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Amadeus, Bill Gates, Woody Allen among many others would be classified as Aperger. I'd add to that long list; Lucille Ball, Patty Duke, Bruce Springsteen, George Carlin, Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters as a few others. Those are people that its obvious from where I sit, but many others are similar to a lesser degree. Hell, I'd bet a large number of members on this forum, including some of the people posting on this thread are as well - they just don't know it.

Heres a fairly quick quiz that may give an indication. Its not a diagnosis by any means but it gives people an idea of where they score in comparison of a group of known Aspies. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aqtest.html

Theres lots of research I could point people to regarding this subject for those who are interested in knowing more.

I scored 39, and I have Aspergers.

 

[ponderingturtle]

No, absolutely wrong. Aspergers is not a mental illness. And the cops were totally irresponsible and ignorant (surprise) for picking him up. HE called them. Is that a prerequisite for being considered a danger to himself and others? Aspies are not any more violent than your average citizen.
While I am happy his meds are working better, this was an egregious violation of his rights!

If he is taking medications he likely has some sort of mental illness. If he was acting in a manner that would classify him as an emotionally disturbed person, then he could well end up in the hospital for three days of observation.

So what was he doing that got this attention in the first place?

 

[Sledge]

I'm guessing there's something missing from this story, unless LA cops and judicial officers routinely hospitalise people for psychiatric evaluation just for the lulz. It seems rather presumptuous to leap to "OMG teh evul cops locked the aspie up 4 no reason!!!" when the story doesn't go into any detail on why everyone who saw this guy decided he needed to be held.

 

[kerikiwi]

I'm guessing there's something missing from this story,.

There usually is, especially when someone has a barrow to push.

 

[psychicwonderer628]

He called the cops because his anti-depressants were stolen. That does not indicate a mental illness, only a tendency for depression. The article does not state he was violent. I am sure the cops had him comitted since they are unfamiliar with Aspies and even basic psychology.

 

[ponderingturtle]

He called the cops because his anti-depressants were stolen. That does not indicate a mental illness, only a tendency for depression. The article does not state he was violent. I am sure the cops had him comitted since they are unfamiliar with Aspies and even basic psychology.

The article also does not cite the police report at all, just his claims. Also for example the police are not the ones who held him for three days, they just took him to a hospital and the hospital held him.

If there was that much impropriety why isn't he suing the hospital?

 

[FenerFan]

He called the cops because his anti-depressants were stolen. That does not indicate a mental illness, only a tendency for depression. The article does not state he was violent. I am sure the cops had him comitted since they are unfamiliar with Aspies and even basic psychology.

Although is probable that the police officers that dealt with Lamo did not have specific knowledge about Aspberger's I do believe that most police academies impart some sort of psychological training to potential officers. Also, most police officers that I have known acquire a lot of knowledge about psychological disorders on the job.

"While Lamo thinks he shouldn’t have been confined against his will, he says most of the hospital staff were well-intentioned and professional, and he’s been happier since the incident."

I think this quote from the article is the most telling.

 

[Woolgatherer]

I scored 39, and I have Aspergers.

I scored a 33 and have been evaluated recently by a Psychiatrist and was found to be normal in many areas. I'm way above average in pattern recognition and recalling numbers backwards and way below average in language in new situations where I'm not ready to receive information.

My father has Aspergers and my mom is bipolar.

 

[kerikiwi]

He called the cops because his anti-depressants were stolen. That does not indicate a mental illness, only a tendency for depression. The article does not state he was violent. I am sure the cops had him comitted since they are unfamiliar with Aspies and even basic psychology.

It is not who called the police which is relevant, nor why the call was made;it is what they found when they attended.
He does not have to have been violent for there to have been cause for concern. There are all sots of scenarios where it would have been wrong to walk away and leave him.
You may be sure of what happened, but you weren't there and have very little on which to base your certainty,other than prejudice.

 

[Beerina]

I scored 39, and I have Aspergers.

29, but I don't have half the symptoms web sites list. I'm more of a painfully shy kind of guy. I know when it's my turn to speak on the phone, I just clam up and my brain goes wonky and I can't think of what to say. I've also had a friend say, "Your problem is you assume everyone is dealing with you honestly, because you deal with everyone honestly."

But then I'm intelligent enough I don't have to cheat or lie to get ahead, so maybe I would have turned out differently if I were stupider...oh, there I go again.

 

[Harpyja]

What medication are you taking? AFAIK there isn't any medication strictly for what we call Asperger's.

Generic anti-anxieties.

Again, when viewed from an evolutionary standpoint, its not a disorder, its an adaptation. There is another name for this condition - The Highly Sensitive Person. http://www.hsperson.com/. and has been found to be evident in about 20% of all species with brains. I personally think what we refer to as Asperger Syndrome is more likely part of the majority of the human species and is simply a matter of degree.

It is generally believed among people who have studied and understand this subject that people such as Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Amadeus, Bill Gates, Woody Allen among many others would be classified as Aperger. I'd add to that long list; Lucille Ball, Patty Duke, Bruce Springsteen, George Carlin, Robin Williams, Jonathan Winters as a few others. Those are people that its obvious from where I sit, but many others are similar to a lesser degree. Hell, I'd bet a large number of members on this forum, including some of the people posting on this thread are as well - they just don't know it.

[*snip*]

Theres lots of research I could point people to regarding this subject for those who are interested in knowing more.

I looked at the quiz, and I feel pretty skeptical. Most of the statements were rather repetitive, and some would apply to all people.

For example, while the "sensitivity to strong sensory input" tends to hold true, the "very sensitive to pain" outright contradicts what is known about Asperger's. (When I was young, I burnt my elbow on a hot stove because of this - I was talking to my mother and didn't realize I was being burned. My mother had to move me away from the hot pot.) So would the "other people's moods affect me." Some of these statements on the quiz would apply to most, if not all, people. All in all, I would hardly call it another name for Asperger's, as it concerns only extreme sensitivity to stimuli.

 

[SpuriusMaximus]

Having read the article, he wasn't "institutionalized for Asperger's", nor for a symptom of Asperger's or anything. His speech problems are attributed to his medication not to being an aspie. (In fact, that's why he called the cops in the first place: someone had stolen his backpack with his antidepressant medication in it.)

Speech problems can also be a symptom in a multitude of problem, starting from certain kinds of poisoning and ending at permanent brain damage. The latter ranging from palsy (usually congenital,) to degenerative diseases like MS or Alzheimer's, to just having a stroke.

And he wasn't institutionalized or arrested, they called an ambulance for him.

Which frankly is how society is supposed to work. You see someone who probably needs medical attention, you call a bloody ambulance or drive him/her to a doctor. That's what those cops did. Kudos to them, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[ponderingturtle]

And he wasn't institutionalized or arrested, they called an ambulance for him.

He might have been held for some psychiatric reason at the hospital, but again the police are not the ones who make that call. Now the police could have been involved in the transport of him if he did not want to go to the hospital and they insisted. EMT's have very limited autority to force people to go to the hospital if they don't want to.

 

[Harpyja]

sadhatter did say exactly that.

I suppose you're right. My apologies, sadhatter.

 

[INRM]

I think this is extremely dangerous that the police or government can just arbitrarily hospitalize a person with a disorder that is not dangerous (like schizophrenia), but just makes them a bit quirky...

 

[kerikiwi]

I think this is extremely dangerous that the police or government can just arbitrarily hospitalize a person with a disorder that is not dangerous (like schizophrenia), but just makes them a bit quirky...

But they can't, so you needn't worry. They can't even arbitrarily hospitalise dangerously psychotic people.

 

[Sledge]

INRM, why would you post a comment without reading the article and the thread?