"The Cambridge study suggests a "continuum" of disability, "with AS as the bridge between autism and normality". Res may represent a point on the spectrum between AS and obsessive - a place other top hackers might also occupy."

This is an odd article. Why computer hacking may be a symptom of mental illness... I'm skeptical of this sort of thing. Psychologists recently have wanted to define any unpopular behavioral pattern as "abnormal" and further tag it as a disease. ADD is the classic example. Seems like everybody's kid has ADD. I wonder how often "my kid has ADD" means "my kid doesn't do what I say so I've put him on drugs." There is a great difference between this sort thing and a serious mental illness which prevents someone from living life, and I don't think its appropriate to blur the lines. Start by asking yourself if you think the behavior is a problem because it makes YOU unhappy or because it makes life difficult for the person who exhibits it.