Dear Dr. Trainwreck, I have a friend with a few mental health diagnoses confirmed by doctors. She has many symptoms, including “rejection sensitive dysphoria”—meaning (as I understand it) she has a hard time accepting any criticism and overreacts to it. I like my friend and want to hang out with her, but this trait makes it very hard to have any kind of serious conversation or resolve any...

In no way am I looking forward to writing this particular piece. Truth? I am a little bit afraid to do it at all. Not that the previous columns have been chock full of levity and good times, but this one might piss some people off. Because it is time. We are here. We are going to talk about autism. And ‘the spectrum’, and I already feel a little bit nauseated, because I know that there is no...