below is something I wrote long ago
Some time ago I discovered a new psychiatric condition which I have named "normalitis". I wrote up a clinical definition of this condition by inverting the DSM-IV definition of autism which I found here:
https://www.kennedykrieger.org/stories/interactive-autism-network-ian/dsm_iv_criteriaI believe normalitis is very widespread, particularly among women. I hope that you can find a cure for this debilitating affliction. Here is my clinical definition:
(I) A total of six (or more) items from (A), (B), and (C), with at least two from (A), and one each from (B) and (C)
(A) time wasted in pointless social interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following:
1. excessive dependence on nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction at the expense of actually considering the content of what is said
2. indiscriminately develops shallow relationships with others
3. spontaneously seeks to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with other people who may have no interest or understanding in what is being shared, (e.g., by showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of their interest to other people arbitrarily)
4. lack of independent thought and action ( examples: not actively participating in solitary independent activities, preferring simple social play or games, or involving others in activities only for social, as opposed to practical, purposes )
(B) qualitative impairments in thought as manifested by at least one of the following:
1. delay in, or total lack of, the development of rational thought (not accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of reasoning such as deductive or inductive)
2. in individuals with adequate reasoning, marked impairment in the ability to get to the point in a conversation with others
3. stereotyped and repetitive use of flawed logic or arguments based on convention instead of reason
4. lack of varied, spontaneous inner thoughts
(C) unfocused and stereotyped patterns of thought, interests and activities, as manifested by at least two of the following:
1. lack of dedication to one or more areas of interest either in intensity or focus
2. apparently inflexible adherence to generally accepted, nonfunctional social customs or rituals
3. stereotyped and repetitive thoughts and arguments (e.g arguing that something is true because everyone knows it to be true, or rejecting unusual ideas as being "ridiculous" without explanation)
4. persistent preoccupation with social status
(II) Delays or non-superior functioning in at least one of the following areas, with onset prior to age 5 years:
(A) deductive reasoning
(B) logic as used in debate
(C) symbolic or imaginative thoughts and arguments
(III) The disturbance is not better accounted for by mental retardation or other neurological defects in analytical capacity
Locked
