Asperger's syndrome

Asperger's syndrome is a very rare condition which has detrimental effects upon behaviour and social development. In 25 years as a GP, in a very busy practice in Manchester, I have never come across this condition.

The syndrome is characterised by obsessive preoccupations, inability to relate to people and situations, along with abnormalities of the personality resulting in peculiar attitudes and mannerisms.

Many sufferers are just regarded as rather peculiar individuals. Their preoccupations are often centred around hobbies and special areas of interest, such as trains, cars, prehistoric monsters and so forth.

The preoccupation can be all consuming, causing some sufferers to spend abnormal amounts of time on their obsession, causing problems in other aspects of their life.

There is no recognised cause of this disorder, and it often goes unrecognised and therefore undiagnosed, as the sufferers are usually regarded as being rather peculiar and odd.

As it is not easily diagnosed, sufferers have major problems in coping with normal social behaviour and forming relationships.

The severity of Asperger's syndrome covers a spectrum from very mild, where behaviour might be slightly odd but tolerable, to very severe where harm can be done to others. For instance, in 1994 an elderly widow was stabbed to death by a 13 year old boy as she was going to church. The boy had throughout his life been obsessed with one topic after another, most of them being morbid or macabre. He was unable to relate to others and became increasingly frustrated and violent.

Recognition of this syndrome can bring some relief to family and friends, as they can then understand that there is 'something wrong' to account for the peculiar behaviour of the sufferer.

There is no effective cure for this condition, but counseling and support can make life easier for all concerned. Some patients have shown some improvement when tried on the medications known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac, Faverin and Seroxat.

This article was published on Mon 31 July 2006