I was so touched by Neil Hughes in this series. He has many characteristics of an Aspie, I wonder if he has ever been tested for Aspergers? I mean, he is like the poster child for Aspergers (an Autisim spectrum disorder). A diagnosis can make life so much easier.
shareI think he might have. I have a feeling he also might suffer anxiety depression.
shareThe way he rocks back and forward while he talks is a dead giveaway.
I was gutted watching him on 56 up. This guy should have been helped long ago.
One cannot help a person who declines treatment. There are many people in the world with treatable mental illnesses who are not compliant with meds and therapy. And there is no way to "make" them do it, shy of locking them up ala Cuckoos Nest. I am sure he has been diagnosed--the UK does have socialized medicine--but my guess is he is the reason he rallies and suffers again.
shareBesides all the BS diagnosis from people like You who are clueless about medical issue. Neil is a person who also has had a tough childhood; lack of love from his family, lack of employment and money, lack of friendships. He talked about that in 21 up, "loneliness" is the root of almost many psychological issues, its not just treatment but a support group is vital for a person like Niel, he has kind of achieved that through being busy with his involvement in the city council. Its mostly Americans who think drugs are a solution to every problem.
shareI saw a screening last night where Michael Apted discussed the Up series and fielded questions from the audience. He mentioned schizophrenia as the reason for Neil's mental health issues.
shareaspergers manifests itself in childhood and if you look at 7 up, neil doesnt show any symptoms
seems his symptoms manifested during his early 20s
he has never disclosed what he was diagnosed with, so to speculate would be wrong
I don't think so. Neil as a child is a talktive and outgoing. As someone said before, Asperger shows itself already in childhood. Not every quiet non-social person has Asperger. It seems to be the psychiatric fad nowadays, just as bipolar was some years ago.
shareYeah. You never heard of Asperger 5 years ago, now everyone and their brother seems to have it.
share"You never heard of Asperger 5 years ago, now everyone and their brother seems to have it."
Actually, nobody has Asperger's now. The new DSM-5 has officially eliminated the diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013 /05/autism_spectrum_diagnoses_the_dsm_5_eliminates_asperger_s_and_pdd_ nos.html
I'm very glad to read that article, pretty much confirmed what I've always thought -- that term has been too freely thrown around, especially by people who aren't mental health professionals. I agree with the poster who said it was basically a fad diagnosis. Much like ADD was in the late '90s.
Sir, I'm going to crack your *beep* head open!
I doubt he had Aspergers. It seemed that whatever was wrong with him probably manifested in early adulthood/when he went to university which is often when a lot of mental illnesses present due to the stress of university. I don't pretend to know what he has but certainly, as he indicates he had suicidal thoughts, depression.
shareActually he mentioned in one of the segments that his first symptoms appeared when he was 16. But it would appear that they got worse when he left for university. (Presumably being on his own made it harder for him to manage.)
But I agree that it's not ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)but probably some more chemical.
Yes, what she said. Neil himself states he was 16 when he began having his issues.
I love Neil, btw. What a gent.
"Rampart: Squad 51."
I don't know, but I do think there are a lot of people that are never diagnosed with Aspergers. I personally like Neil, though I don't really know him obviously. He is so well spoken and seems to be very forthcoming with his views. I do wonder why Apted had to ask about his sex/romantic life and didn't do that so obviously with the others. It just seemed like a dumb thing to do.
shareApted does indeed ask the others about their sex and romantic lives. He asks about their marriages and their relationships. He asks if the 'spark' (or a similar word -- I don't recall) is still there after 20-30 years.
The questions for Neil are a bit different since he's the only one who has never been married. (He also asked Jackie about her attempts to find a relationship.)
Yeah, the interviews have been pretty much the same for everybody, but I think Apted has to approach each person in a different way or he might not get an answer or the person might get fed up.
I think that Neil has found his own way to be happy rather than trying to be happy in the way that others expect. Hew knows he has relationship problems and lives his life the way he's most comfortable. he's functional and does most of what he wants. He just seems to wish he had more money. But I don't see him as a sad. mentally ill, or lonely guy. He's like some of the other people that haven't become great career and financial successes. They seem to be people that have matured enough to find their own kind of satisfaction.
Most people nowadays have no idea what satisfaction and contentment with their station in life is all about.
He doesn't seem completely balanced. He seems like a real nice guy though, but life sure has him down.
In 21up and 28up I was actually kind of wondering whether he was on drugs, I know it's not good to judge without any information but he seemed really on edge. Then later on you kind of see it's his personality.
I thought the same too. He was homeless around that time too. I thought it was because of drugs.
I doubt we'll ever know what imbalance he has. If anything, he looks the oldest in the whole group. He hasn't taken very well of himself, he's had a harder life than all of them. I was surprised at how he looked in 56 Up, he's just aged a good 20 years in the last 7 years.
Looks like anxiety and depression. Does not look like Aspergers/autism or schizophrenia. (FWIW: I'm a mental health professional, but don't actually know this individual.)
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