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Comment by nopenopenopeno | Hacker News Reader

I was convinced by a therapist (who first convinced my parents) that I have aspergers after talking to them for like 20 minutes and taking an IQ test. At first, it seemed pointless to care one way or another, but for a brief time I bought into it and started viewing myself as disabled or special and it started influencing my behavior and relationships. Then I came to my senses and swore off of it and have been so much better off since.

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I don't think you can "swear off" your neurology, but it's good you don't see it as a disability. It isn't.

If thought alone were not able to help with mental afflictions, then how would therapy have any effect?

Because dysfunctional thought when alone cannot be challenged, and becomes self reinforcing. A therapist helps a patient examine the ways in which their thinking is detrimental to their wellbeing.

Theoretically, maybe. But they could just as likely, or maybe more likely, just make it worse. They definitely made it worse it ny case. It was a very reckless process, from my perspective.

"Thought" is a very broad term. You cannot "swear off" a broken leg. That doesn't negate the existence of the placebo effect, or people who do ridiculous things like walk a mile for help without realizing it's broken.

And with psychology just remember Freud. Not that things haven't gotten better, but I still consider that there could be real possibility of either miss- or overdiagnosis...

Aspergers/ASD is a neurological condition, not just psychological

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