They're saying he had a form of autism callers Asperger's syndrome. Some people with Aspergers can be very intelligent and even function fairly well but they lack empathy. When the facts come out about the killer I'm sure we'll find that he was profoundly mentally ill.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger_syndrome
Originally Posted by joe bloe
My wife works in the mental health field in London, and the publics's fear of violence or aggressive behaviour is, in general, not supported by evidence, although some forms of mental illness of course do have an effect, and she often needs strong police support when taking them to hospital. Use of banned substances, even mild ones, can tip them over the edge also.
Anecdotes do not make good laws, but a relation of mine once had a mental episode and went into a church attacking people with a Samurai sword. Luckily nobody was seriously hurt, although it made headline news. He is now stable, and I dread to think what would have happened if he had had access to other weapons. I know another client of my wife who collected swords. Guns exist in London, but I haven;t heard about my wife ever finding any or being threatened by firearms by her clients. The police attending always wear bullet proof vests.
Another relation has aspergers, but has gradually grown out of it as he matured.
As a mathematician, some say half of mathematicians suffer from aspergers.
Joke (hope not inappropriate).
How do you tell an extrovert mathematician?
When talking to you, they look at your feet rather than their own feet.
From your link:
The
hypothesis that individuals with AS (Asperger syndrome) are predisposed to violent or criminal behavior has been investigated but is not supported by data.
[1][30] More evidence suggests children with AS are victims rather than victimizers.
[31] A 2008 review found that an overwhelming number of reported violent criminals with AS had coexisting
psychiatric disorders such as
schizoaffective disorder.
[32]