> Recently, when I was at mum’s alone, the house phone rang. I didn’t answer it. It rang again immediately. I didn’t answer it. It rang again immediately. I stood over it, willing it to stop, palms sweating.

Sweating palms is a fear response. It's adrenaline and fight / flight. It's pathological, it interferes with his day to day life, and he deserves safe effective evidence based treatment.

If his response was normal there would be no telephones because no one would use them. Hence he is not normal, he is unusual. Different.

I get to decide because i am human and humans make assessments about things and people.