Asperger's Syndrome, ADD, ADHD, Bi-polar, depression, are they just all code for "I am a jerk"?

It seems that every decade there is a new mental 'condition' that ails a generation of people. In the 80's and 90's there was Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and medications such as Adderall and Ritalin were handed out like candy at the nurses station across American schools. It was prescribed to any kid (mostly boys) who couldn't sit through a class without jumping out of their chairs or felt the urge to poke the person next to him. And when the home room teacher had enough, she would send him to the nurses station and boom a diagnosis was given. He will most likely be ADD or ADHD, take your pick, which the school will most likely march the parents in and duly and solemnly inform them that their child has this attention deficit disorder and they need to be medicated. If the parents refuse to medicate them and the child's behavior is not corrected, they could be asked to leave the school and this is enough to scare parents into medicating their child.

The reasons for little kids not being able to sit still in their chairs are many, but the first one would obviously be that it's not natural for kids to sit so still for such long periods of time. This kind of routine takes disciplining from a young age, like students in Asia, they were raised to think that they must sit for long hours in school each day and play after school. But unfortunately in America, the state of our educational system is so broken that exercising any form of discipline could be construed as abuse by an over-protective or over-zealous parent.

Now there are adults (mostly men) who self-diagnose themselves as ADD or ADHD when they cut you off when you are talking, butt-in while you are talking or tell off color or rude jokes to an unwilling audience, all because they have ADD, they can't help themselves. Translation: I am a jerk and I have no manners, I just can't help it. Call the cops on me if you want.

Fast froward to the new millennium, the new 'diagnosis' for people who behave badly is Asperger's Syndrome. When the symptoms of this diagnosis became well known to people, which are: unable to read facial cues to determine someone's feelings emotion, obsessive fixation on a certain object, hyper-activity, unable to sit still, unable to make friends or form bonds with one's peers....etc. This sounds like half the population.

This is also the new excuse to be a jerk, because I have Asperger's Syndrome, so I don't realize that when I said you look like Dumbo, I would hurt your feelings.

or

I have an online porn addiction because I have Asperger's Syndrome, I have unhealthy fixations and obsessions with random objects not of my choosing.

or

I can't help banging on my key board when I type because I have Asperger's Syndrome and it makes my very hyper sometimes.

or

I am a rude pig because I have Asperger's Syndrome, I don't know how to look you in the eye or acknowledge that you are speaking to me and I don't care that you find my jokes crude or rude.

And depression? Come on, everyone is depressed sometimes, you wouldn't be human experiencing the human conditions if you weren't depressed. And Bi-polar? Isn't it just an excuse for erratic and irresponsible behavior that you don't want to own up to so you put a label on it and then the rest of the people have to excuse you?

*Note: I understand that mental illness can be very serious and harmful, what I am objecting to is the over-diagnosis of certain mental conditions and then drugging people, turning them into zombies, and at the same time provide a 'valid' excuse for bad behavior. Just because someone has a mental condition, it does not give them carte blanche to act as they please without regards or considerations to other people!