The Isla Vista Shooter: This is Not the Autism Spectrum

[bloom]

http://m.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/05/the-isla-vista-shooter-suffered-from-pathological-narcissism-not-autism/371768/

"In the interest of prevention in the aftermath of the horrific killing spree in Isla Vista, California, last weekend, the public is again looking to mental health experts for a window into the state of mind of a mass murderer. This time, because the assailant, 22, left us with abundant personal information in his harrowing YouTube videos and 140-page manifesto, My Twisted World, we have an opportunity to analyze a state of mind. The detailed and transparent nature of his videos and life story, as well as their ease of access on the Internet, provide mental health, public policy, and law enforcement experts with an unprecedented opportunity to find some insight in the psyche of a mass murderer.

It is doubtful that his true diagnosis was “high-functioning Asperger’s syndrome,” (a diagnosis which has been phased out and is subsumed under that of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)) as alluded to by the family attorney. His behaviors are much more consistent with malignant narcissism.

Making the case for the inappropriateness of an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis in Elliott Rodger’s case is critically important to address the public misconception that autistic individuals have an unusually high potential for violence. One in 68 children currently has a diagnosis of ASD, so the potential for misplaced fear is great. In fact, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicates that people afflicted with autism spectrum disorder are less prone to engage in any criminal behavior compared with the general population.

Nor, for that matter, do autistic individuals typically hyper-focus on their appearance, crave admiration and sex, act as if they are consumed by envy and the need for revenge, desperately try to undo shame and humiliation by shaming and humiliating others, or harbor grandiose fantasies of fame and fortune—all of which percolated in the mind of Rodger. We are squarely in the realm of pathological narcissism here.

By definition, people afflicted with ASD are under-concerned with their appearance, not over-concerned. They exhibit a fundamental deficit in wondering about what people think of them and absorbing and learning from social feedback...." [much more at link]

[Demeter]

1. Agreed. He was a psychopath, not AI

And why did he have a BMW? What kind of parenting is that?

[SheilaT]

2. Yep. As the mother of a young man

with Asperger's, I am likewise highly doubtful that he (the shooter) had it.

[AAO]

3. My daughter, nee son was diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome at 4.

She wouldn't hurt a fly. She gets very angry at the republicans for tying our government into knots.. I'm very proud of her.

Nobody with high functioning autism has ever been documented as hurting anyone. This person was just a normal person that was sick in the head.