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To say that the revelations in the Hrithik-Kangana standoff are ‘shocking’ will be the understatement of the year. However, what’s most intriguing is that in one of the mails Kangana allegedly admits that she has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and has 98% symptoms of the disorder.
So where did you hear about this disorder before? Well, Shah Rukh Khan’s character, Rizwan Khan, suffers from Asperger’s in the movie My Name Is Khan.
Asperger’s is a developmental disorder. People with Asperger’s don’t have cogntive or language deficits but they have a problem in socialising and communicating. They struggle to relate to the world around them. Psychologists I spoke to, say that people don’t realise how much effort, energy and dedication from patients of AS go into trying to appear ‘normal’.
To be a lousy socialiser is one aspect. Often people on the other end of the spectrum are very orderly, become unglued if things don’t go their way, live in a disarry and have a lot of difficulty with daily responsibilities.
This is often accompanied by a trouble in empathizing with other people and understanding another point of view.
Most people with AS aren’t geniuses but that doesn’t mean they are dumb. Their brain functions differently and takes a little longer to process but they are academically superior to the rest of the peers.
A lot of people with AS are also diagnosed with depression or anxiety. Growing up knowing that you are different and your struggle is more than the other kids, takes a toll on your self-esteem.
To a person with social anxiety the outside world can be exhausting and terrifying. Their mind is bombarded with sensory information and sometimes the anxiety levels can soar sky high.
Asperger’s is a daily struggle for the patient, sometimes the person might seem in front of you but many miles away.
What’s striking in going through the alleged emails of Kangana is her obsession. The obsession with the routine- of sending emails, of understanding and then swaying away from reality, of refusing to wake up and smell the coffee, of being uncomfortable in making a face-to-face conversation. Interestingly, you must note that Asperger’s patients hate making eye contact in some situations. It makes them uncomfortable.
Now that you’ve read the symptoms and the meat of Kangana’s alleged emails to Hrithik, do you think she could be on the spectrum? Write to us in the comments box below.
Related Read: 10-Year-Old Autistic Boy’s Powerful Poem Goes Viral on Facebook
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