Letters to the Editor
-
Whah?
Okay, first of all -- this article uses the terms "SSRI" and "antidepressant" interchangeably. They are not. SSRI's are a class of antidepressant. At this point, they're probably not even the most widely used class of antidepressant. So ... is it antidepressants as a whole that supposedly inhibit one's ability to feel love, or just SSRI's? Given that the decision to go on antidepressants might be a life-or-death one, I think a little more precision is called for.
Secondly -- enough with the "autism = extreme male brain = good at math, bad at empathy" crap! The "scientist" attached to that theory, Simon Baron-Cohen, is reviled throughout the spectrum community. He really doesn't understand a thing about the condition. I have Asperger's. I am female. My ring and index fingers are precisely equal on one hand, and on the other hand the ring finger is slightly longer. There is a difference of thirty-six points (more than two standard deviations) between my verbal and performance IQ's, with the verbal score being higher. I am competitive. I am driven. I am compassionate. I am empathic. I am extremely good at some types of math and extremely bad at others, depending on how they are taught. I have no musical or spatial ability whatsoever. I am not what the "professionals" assume me to be.
How these people maintain any sort of professional respect while spreading this pseudoscientific tripe is beyond me.