Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Dan Aykroyd: Asperger's and Tourette's Diagnoses

Dan Aykroyd - in Australia recently - has opened up this week about his struggles with Asperger's, as well as Tourette's syndrome.


In a new interview with the Daily Mail, the Canadian "Ghostbusters" star revealed he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in the 1980s, when his wife convinced him to seek professional help.
"One of my symptoms included my obsession with ghosts and law enforcement — I carry around a police badge with me, for example," Aykroyd said. "I became obsessed by Hans Holzer, the greatest ghost hunter ever. That’s when the idea of my film 'Ghostbusters' was born."
And long before he was diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Aykroyd was told he had Tourette's at age 12.
"I had physical tics, nervousness and made grunting noises and it affected how outgoing I was," he told the Daily Mail. "I had therapy which really worked, and by 14 my symptoms eased."
The 61 year old Canadian actor also happens to have heterochromia iridum - one green eye and one blue - and syndactyly, which means two of his toes on each foot are webbed.
Plans for a third "Ghostbusters" instalment could start shooting as early as 2014.
"We're going to really put it into ninth gear, in this third one," Aykroyd said earlier this year. "It's going to be very, very exciting."

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