Shoot the Damn Dog: A Memoir of Depression by Sally Brampton

Author:Sally Brampton [Brampton, Sally]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Non-Fiction, Psychology, Biography, Health, Self Help
ISBN: 9780393346084
Amazon: 0393346080
Goodreads: 2616221
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: 2008-01-20T14:00:00+00:00

If there are quarrels between the parents or if their marriage is unhappy, the ground will be prepared in their children for the severest predisposition to a disturbance of sexual development or to neurotic illness

My mother’s irritation with and disappointment in my father has a source, even if it is not one that we understood as we were growing up. Although he has never been officially diagnosed, it seems almost certain that he has Asperger’s syndrome. This condition, also known as high-functioning autism, was not officially recognised until the early nineties, although it was described in medical literature in 1944 by Hans Asperger. It has become yet more public since the publication of the best-selling novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, in which the main character, a young boy, suffers from Asperger’s. Its sufferers are predominantly male and the spectrum of the condition ranges from very mild to severe in its manifestation.

The recentness of its discovery explains why my father, who is now in his eighties, was oblivious to the condition. He only became aware of it when my nephew, Michael’s son, was diagnosed and, in order to better understand the condition affecting his grandson, read a textbook on the syndrome. He pointed out that he recognised himself on every page. And we recognised him. Michael, himself aware that he also has distinct characteristics of Asperger’s, is convinced that my father is affected.

It has always been apparent that there was something very different about my dad. It was just that until recently, we did not know what. The most pronounced characteristics of the syndrome are social discomfort to the point of avoidance of any situation involving unfamiliar people or places, repetitive behaviour patterns and extreme difficulty in looking somebody in the eye. As children, we used to put my father’s odd manner down to an almost pathological shyness. Even normal interactions, which the rest of us take for granted, are difficult.

There is also a possible link between Asperger’s and depression. According to the Autism Research Institute, researchers believe that Asperger’s syndrome is, ‘probably hereditary because many families report having an “odd” relative or two. In addition, depression and bipolar disorder are often reported in those with Asperger’s syndrome as well as in family members.’

The other, and most difficult characteristic of Asperger’s syndrome is the distinct absence of what we call normal emotions or attitudes. Among its described behaviours are,

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