This letter showed up in the comments on another post about the liars at Wrong Planet who pretend to be autistic to the detriment of actual autistic people. I put it here to help illuminate the dishonesty.
Post deleted by Alex on wrongplanet twice, author anonymous due to safety concerns with Wrong Planet psychopaths
Dear Alex Plank,
Hope you can accept criticism.Summary of below. Many of us are clear in observing you don’t have Aspergers. Instead we think you have distinctive personality traits in the realm of Schizoid Personalty, and Avoidant Personalty. Schizoid Personalty (Disorder) is: Very very poorly known about. The term ‘schizoid’ is met with disgust, confusion, and anxiety. The term ‘schizoid’ is misinterpreted incredibly. The term is associated with schizophrenia, psychosis, scary bizarre behavior.The term is abused widely, mocked widely, disrespected widely.The diagnosis is avoided by people, doctors rarely give it.Doctors now more easily give the Aspergers diagnosis.When the majority of people were given Schizoid diagnosis, they stopped seeing the doctor and refused treatment.
The personality (disorders) are known about very little. Very few people can discuss them intelligently. They, especially Schizoid, were, and still are, extremely unpopular, feared, hated, avoided.Compare-When you go around announcing your Aspergers or autistic, this is respected. If you went around announcing, as you do, you have Schizoid Personality, this would be not respected. The personality disorders are major mental illnesses. They found in medicine to be medical illnesses. They are illnesses that impact the person’s life incredibly. A main part of these personality disorders, by definition of the disorder (see the DSM criteria) is the people with the disorders do not feel anything is wrong with them, they reject they have a disorder, they refuse treatment. I think this is what you are doing Alex, and what you’re promoting. Like ADD (attention deficit), the diagnosis Aspergers is over diagnosed. Likely 80%, like ADD, do not have Aspergers. Most have Schizoid, Avoidant… Aspergers the diagnosis and term has become a popular trend. You’ll find it being thrown around now by lay-persons, saying this person and that “probably has Aspergers”. Now, anyone even slightly eccentric/shy/introverted/awkward is likely to be ascribed the diagnosis. Just like how people with even slight attentional problems are easily given the diagnosis.
Well, know it is ADD is greatly over diagnosed. And greatly over prescribed (tons of medicines). Some estimates have it as 80% diagnosed have completely normal attentional differences. Likewise, Major Depression is greatly over diagnosed. People with usual situational life problems causing transient depression, are easily given the diagnosis in millions of people per year, and prescribed masses of drugs (billions of dollars a year).
By DSM definition, Major Depression is not an illness caused by situational life problems. Estimates of 80% diagnosed have completely normal depressive symptoms caused by life events. This responds to therapy. Medicine is not indicated for this disorder. Could be considered malpractice to misdiagnose ADD, Major Depression, Aspergers like this. I consider it malpractice.
I watched many youtube and other videos of you and others. Like this one with you, your girlfriend Katie, Valerie Paradis. “Alex Plank / Katie Miller at United Nations World Autism Day”. I saw may other videos too. Watched carefully. I At the UN world autism day meeting, you and Katie announced yourselves as “autistic” to the discussion leaders. I was embarrassed that you did so. And sad. It’s misleading. Inaccurate. You play on certain terms for effect. Aspergers is not autism. Fact. Period. At least, please report your specific diagnosis, Aspergers. It is a specific DSM diagnosis and is not autism. Fact. Period. II You, Katie, Valerie, don’t have Aspergers in my opinion. You may have one or more of Schizoid Personality, Avoidant Personality, Generalized Anxiety. Certainly you have completely normal eccentricities, social style, thought style, and so on.III You interviewed Heather Kuzmich. “Interview: Heather Kuzmich of America’s Next Top Model” She with much voice and in public claims to have Aspergers. She doesn’t with no question. She has completely normal traits. Yes she has some very slight deficiencies compared to some others. But well within the normal/typical. I’m sad and embarrassed and mad she believes she has Aspergers. Her claim to have so appears a part of this very unfortunate trend to popularize and make desirable and popular the diagnosis and term. IV I think most of what you do, Alex, is very misleading. You appear to be on crusade. Fine. But it’s founded by Internet gossip and trends. It’s founded by fear of certain diagnoses (Schizoid, Avoidant…). It’s based on advertising, marketing, and promotion of this diagnosis. Little concern for the hard business of accurate diagnosis. You also support self-diagnosis. These are major medical diagnoses, the only people qualified to diagnose them are trained professionals, self-diagnosis is irrelevant, your supporting it shows you’re not interested in the business of facts and accuracy. V From your site homepage “Review: If You Could Say it in Words [Asperger Love Story] – October Premiere” Nelson the character, in seeing the movie videos, certainly has not Aspergers. Likely Schizoid, if that. VI Each of you, including character Nelson in the movie, have the abilities someone truly with Aspergers lacks. VII You could easily switch your website to one for Schizoid (and other personality disorders) and little would be different. Sadly this is because you don’t have the fully medical facts supporting you. Your crusade is based on advertising, need, marketing, persuasion, gossip, self-help therapy, …VIII I’ve been saddened that so many either very normal/typical people believe they have Aspergers. Why do they believe they do? As it is, without the diagnosis, they hate their atypicalities, they hate their slight shyness, slight awkwardness, social differences, … With the diagnosis, they NOW can respect and like their differences. Why? Because they are not their fault. They are medical. Step two: now they can accept and like their “medical differences”. They had to become medical in order for them to accept and like them. Otherwise they hated them.
IX Another “abused” diagnosis. Caught up in the throws of popular trends, need, gossip. ADD, Major Depression, Aspergers, Many more. Jack has some paranoia. Maybe he has Paranoid Personality Disorder, or even Schizophrenia. Or likely not. Likely not. Kris has some mood swings caused by a complicated life she’s trying to handle. Maybe she has Bipolar Disorder. People will easily say she does, she might feel better to say she does, she might try to convince a doctor she does (by reciting the DSM symptoms), she’ll take the medicines. Yet she doesn’t have Bipolar.The scary facts (Schizoid, Avoidant, the personality disorders) ignored and covered over by fright, fear, anxiety, trends, disgust, confusion, intentional ignoring, intentional avoidance of education. X Alex, you wrote about the movie Your link, search “Review: If You Could Say it in Words [Asperger Love Story] – October Premiere” Alvin’s performance as Nelson is quite possibly the most authentic portrayal of an autistic person that I’ve ever seen in the movies.”
I object. Not nearly the “most authentic portrayal” and not an “autistic person”. He is (said) to have Aspergers. Please stop calling Aspergers autism. Please. You’re misleading when you do this. It’s likely a part of your advertising and marketing crusade, and term crusade, and diagnosis crusade. An “authentic portrayal” IN YOUR OWN VIEW, BASED ON YOUR OWN PREFERENCE. This is what YOU want the standard of Aspergers people to be. Aspergers, in reality, comes in degrees, though all severe. You like to choose one style, one degree, and consider it the standard. Bias. “Unlike the usual stereotypically overblown representation of autism so common in the media, Nelson’s character more closely resembles someone you could know in real life. Nelson doesn’t count cards at the casino and faces the same realationship problems that many of us have had.” The “stereotypically overblown representation” is very much not this. It’s true autism. And not Aspergers. Please don’t disrespect the great media pieces about true severe lifelong autism. Please also don’t disrespect true severe autism as “count cards at the casino’s.”
JOHN BEST JUNIOR as FORESAM (This entry has been deleted from Hating Autism but is preserved here and it’s reproduction is true and correct)
A dishonest person like Best, calling someone else for dishonesty. What a hypocrite! You’re on the Spectrum, Best, so how about YOU admit THAT!
Should also note that Best’s sock puppet, Watson, made certain accusations – and Best modded out my reply. So here it is, where he can’t remove it from!
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Original diagnosis – 1997 (not 2006)
First confirmation – 1999
Second confirmation – 2000
Third confirmation – 2001
Fourth confirmation – 2004
All by medical professionals
The one for 2004 is my current treating psych.
Ignore the profile on Aspies For Freedom. That was changed to “Other” by Gareth. Before I was banned it was “Official DX Aspie/HFA”.
“Having lived with an Aspie for 18 years and being a firm believer in finding a cure for this horrendous disorder….”
Shut up, anonymous idiot. I’ve seen siblings like you treat Aspies like crap, and it’s about time you stopped whining and started understanding. That’s what needs to be cured.
And no, Best, I wouldn’t qualify for an MR DX. More your area I would have thought! You’ve been retarded ever since I’ve known you.
And this time let this through! I’ll keep posting it until it is, Best!
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And now it is!