Saturday, October 7, 2017

Psychiatrist Keith Ablow MD Claims Las Vegas and Several Other US Shootings Implicate Autism Disorders



I never head of Doctor Keith Ablow until a few minutes ago. He is according to Wikipedia a Psychiatrist, television personality, author and contributor on psychiatric issues for FOX News channel and "The Blaze". The Wikipedia article points out that Ablow has been involved in several political controversies because of his expressed opinions.  Dr. Ablow has a blog called Res Publica in which he talks about the recent Las Vegas massacre and the possibility that the perpetrator of that massacre might have had Aspergers' Disorder.   


In Did Stephen Paddock Have Asperger’s Disorder? Does That Explain What He Did?  Dr. Ablow asserts that "The explanation for the carnage in Las Vegas may be as mundane as this: Stephen Paddock may have had Asperger’s Disorder—part of the spectrum of autistic disorders."  Dr. Ablow goes on to explain his speculation on various aspects of Paddock's life and connects them, in his opinion, to Aspergers' Disorders.  He also qualifies his speculation by pointing out that he had never met Paddock. He then goes on to state some very sweeping conclusions about persons with Aspergers' and other Autism Disorders:


"Many patients with Asperger’s Disorder become progressively more enraged as they note their tendency to fail in relationships, to lose employment and to lack the ability for joy.  And, sometimes, that feeling of being on the outside of everything makes them want to destroy everything.
I know this from my 25 years practicing forensic psychiatry, including my treating many people with Asperger’s. Some of these people shared with me thoughts of harming many others, and I took the proper precautions to prevent that.
Asperger’s Disorder or other disorders on the autism spectrum have, in  have, in fact, clearly been implicated in mass murders such as Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech and Aurora, Colorado.
I don't know if Dr. Ablow's claim that it is a FACT that autism spectrum disorders have clearly been implicated in other mass murders is correct. I am the father of an adult son with severe autism, intellectual disability and epilepsy.  My son is not even remotely capable of engaging in such planned activities as the Las Vegas massacre but I am concerned that Dr. Ablow has painted autism disorders as factually connected to several massacres.  
If Dr. Ablow's claim is accurate then so be it but I have never heard it before. I hope that other medical professionals either confirm, qualify or contradict his assertion. 

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