Poll: Doctor suspects I may have Aspergers Syndrome (Calling anyone who has Aspergers or knows about it)

[Treblaine]

Go to the specialist. Then get a second opinion FROM EXPERTS!!

It's utterly pointless to open this up to a poll of amateurs who have neither the qualifications nor have they examined you.

part of being a good rational person is the ability to say: "I don't know"

It is the work of charlatans and religious leaders who think because nobody knows therefore they can just make baseless declarations.

And part of "I don't know" is "I'll find out for sure". Because when you claim to know when you are ignorant, then you won't bother to find out the truth but will continue to dwell in worse than ignorance but dwell in illusion.

If you choose to see the specialist, let them know you'll accept a CERTAIN "I don't Know" than a spurious conclusion.

 

[smithy_2045]

So.. From what I've described, Does that sound like Aspergers?

I'll do my best to define my Aspergers from a diagnosed's point of view and you can yourself reflect on if you have it or not. Aspergers itself is a wide spectrum from what I've experienced, but I think I've found some core elements of it after some of my self-studies.

Example one, Imagine you are at point A and want to get to point B. A "normal" person would in this case pick path 1 for whatever reason, and think of it as the most obvious thing to choose. A person with Aspergers would likewise choose path 2 and think of it as the most obvious, not even shedding a thought about path 1. Both paths lead to the same goal, but the execution is different. This can often lead to misinterpreting of instructions and the likes between two people.

Example two, routines and habits, both rational and somewhat silly, plays a big part from an early age. With routines comes an addictive sense of safety that you begin to long for, consciously or not. You may grow aware of these overwhelming feelings in your earlier teens and may use them as ways to make chores easier, something I had much use of.

Example three, a person with Aspergers is not necessarily socially inept because of his diagnose, but rather because he has a lesser inherent need for companionship. He may rather be alone than with friends on a weekend because that way he does not need to force himself to interpret the world around him through path 1, something that I've found takes a great toll on my mental stamina through the days.

Example four, idioms are easily misunderstood because if their interpretative nature. A person with Asperger might interpret "let's skip food" as actually jumping over a plate with food on it, or "make a point of" as if the person saying it would turn something into a physical point.

If you can confidently say that you identify with these examples, then you probably have Aspergers Syndrome.
That's all the help I can give.

As someone who has been diagnosed as having Aspergers, I don't find your examples to be very good, in particular 3 and 4.

With 3, it seems like you're saying people with Aspergers don't socialise at all. That's simply not true. It can be quite draining to get through, but the vast majority of the time I feel it's worth the effort. I still want to hang out with my mates and the like.

With 4, I can't remember ever having any problems like that. On the other hand, I have a lot of difficulty in trying to figure out when people are genuinely being friendly, or if they're making fun of me. It's not because I misunderstand what they're saying. It's because I don't pick up the non-verbal cues about the intent of their words.

Your observations might generally be true, but they're not particularly helpful to the OP because not having some of the specific traits you mention doesn't mean that a person doesn't have Aspergers.

 

[Xaio30]

Example three, a person with Aspergers is not necessarily socially inept because of his diagnose, but rather because he has a lesser inherent need for companionship. He may rather be alone than with friends on a weekend because that way he does not need to force himself to interpret the world around him through path 1, something that I've found takes a great toll on my mental stamina through the days.

Example four, idioms are easily misunderstood because if their interpretative nature. A person with Asperger might interpret "let's skip food" as actually jumping over a plate with food on it, or "make a point of" as if the person saying it would turn something into a physical point.

If you can confidently say that you identify with these examples, then you probably have Aspergers Syndrome.
That's all the help I can give.

As someone who has been diagnosed as having Aspergers, I don't find your examples to be very good, in particular 3 and 4.

With 3, it seems like you're saying people with Aspergers don't socialise at all. That's simply not true. It can be quite draining to get through, but the vast majority of the time I feel it's worth the effort. I still want to hang out with my mates and the like.

With 4, I can't remember ever having any problems like that. On the other hand, I have a lot of difficulty in trying to figure out when people are genuinely being friendly, or if they're making fun of me. It's not because I misunderstand what they're saying. It's because I don't pick up the non-verbal cues about the intent of their words.

Your observations might generally be true, but they're not particularly helpful to the OP because not having some of the specific traits you mention doesn't mean that a person doesn't have Aspergers.

Hello Smithy! I am well aware of the things you just told me.

At 3, I never said that we did not socialize at all, nor did I hint to it. I did however explain why a person with Aspergers might want to be alone more than others. I fully enjoy my friends companionship but sometimes I just need some rest, as I expect you also do.

At 4, It's a textbook example of Aspergers, but that does not mean that everyone with Aspergers has that trait. Neither you nor I apparently.

Also, let him judge if it was helpful or not. No offence.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

From what I've read.. It seems pretty unlikely, I only really fit the social-anxiety characteristics.. I don't have any intense interests, I don't have any sort of daily routine, I don't obsess over small details, I'm not overly sensitive to loud noises, I don't need to plan/organize things,etc.

To make matters more confusing for you, one of the common side effects of Asperger's syndrome is that you often won't think you have it if you do.

Which makes sense, considering you have nothing to compare your own feelings to. It's hard to tell if your own affect is different because you inherently can't know what it's like to have a set of experiences which you haven't experienced. There's this thing called 'Mary's room' in philosophy of mind.

General rule for reading any medical condition on the internet is don't try to self-diagnose. Find someone who knows what they're doing. The second rule is don't read about medical conditions on the internet. It's a good way to drive yourself insane.

 

[carpathic]

Giving yourself a label, or rather having one attached to you is rarely helpful for your sense of self. If you have Aspergers (which needn't be a curse, but is in fact pretty positive in many ways), getting the label to go along with the "disease" will only be helpful if you use it to find strategies that are helpful with coping.

If you look at it as an excuse, you will not be helped in any way.

Focus on living a good life, use strategies that help you and you will be fine.

Autism Spectrum stuff right now is as over diagnosed as ADD was five years ago. I would just avoid getting any label unless you have a coherent plan on how to deal with the issue.

 

[Aurora Firestorm]

Asperger's is a huge spectrum. I've dated four people with it (the techie/engineering community is full of this, so it's not that strange in my area), and it manifests very differently for different people. If your doctor says you likely have it, then believe said doctor. People with Asperger's can and often do have very fulfilling, comfortable lives with friends and lovers and other normal social relationships. It's not a condemnation; it's just something else about you. You get to choose how much you want to learn to catch up where you might be behind many people socially or emotionally or whatnot, and how much you just want to live your life however it falls. You're not any different after you're told than you were before; you just now have more information.

Good luck

 

[miketehmage]

There's a guy on my course at university with aspergers. I don't think it affects him that much but I remember one time someone was talking to him, and I said his name to start a conversation with him (Not realising that the first guy was talking to him) and he scolded me for it because apparently when people do that to people with aspergers it stresses them out.

But he's the smartest guy on the course and he's a fun guy to be around aswell.

So my point here OP is that your doctor may be right but don't allow yourself to live by a label

 

[MetalMagpie]

All the people I have known with Aspergers Syndrome have other symptoms on top of having trouble in social situations. Over-sensitivity to bright lights, loud noises, physical contact, etc. seems to be fairly common.

A guy I knew at university had hypersensitivity (light and sound) and social difficulties, but no OCD. He was perfectly confident and loved to chat with people, but had huge problems reading people's faces and emotions. When I first met him, he explained his condition to me and said "So if I'm talking too much and you want end the conversation, you need to just tell me, because I can't read your face - I can tell if you're smiling or frowning, but not if you're bored or uncomfortable". His hypersensitivity meant that he couldn't go to the cinema because the volume meant that any sudden noises would trigger a panic attack. And once I saw him literally cower under a table because a light had flashed in his face.

He was very positive about it all, though. A side-effect of his hypersensitivity was that human contact was massively intense for him. Apparently for some people with Aspergers this means they don't like being touched at all. But for others it means they become what he called "hug sluts". It was fairly normal for him to ask for a hug five or six times during a twenty minute conversation. He said the buzz from getting a hug more than made up for the panic attacks caused by loud noises and flashing lights.

People with Aspergers Syndrome can have a wide variety of different symptoms. So much so that it's not always a very useful term. Maybe focus on what difficulties you have and what you might need support for, rather than what label applies to you.

 

[DugMachine]

Just sounds like severe social anxiety to me. I'm pretty much the same way around people I don't know. I don't completely lock up but my heart is always racing and I try to say as little as possible as to not make a fool of myself. I used to sweat like crazy out in public but I've trained myself to put on a calmer front.

 

[Nerexor]

My brother has aspergers, and another symptom that is usually a very clear sign is if you find it extremely difficult to look people in the eye for more than a second.

As for the OCD thing, it doesn't mean a desire for cleanliness, but rather the desire for routine or for things to not deviate from your expectations. If you have a plan, do you find it hard or upsetting to deal with changes to it? Do you tend to plan things out in detail even if you don't really need to?

Either way, wait for the specialist for a diagnosis. If you had it particularly badly though, you'd know about it by now, as severe aspergers is quite distinct. That's my two cents.

 

[Headdrivehardscrew]

Careful. Diagnoses for Asperger's are still trending, and it's Hell on Earth.

From what you shared it could 'just' be some social phobia, lack of self esteem, lack of positive experiences... nothing of that needs to be in the pathological drawer, most of which can be fixed with practice and/or therapy, even though you would have to be officially labelled somewhat ill in order to not have to pay for therapy out of your own pocket. Funny system, that.

As long as you haven't done any sessions with an expert on the subject matter, be wary and remain vigilant. Being diagnosed on a hunch by a general practitioner who might just have had some advanced training weekend on the broad subject of, say, psychological disorders is not something you want to bet your money and your future on. I hope the doctor you mentioned is not a general practitioner? If that was the case, I think you should really try and get a second opinion from any other doctor and/or specialist... but I believe/hope you're already on track for that, if I am not completely mistaken.

Since you already have an appointment with a specialist, I suggest you write down your most burning questions, and if you cannot resist reading up on the subject, or worse, have already done so, I think it's important to write down everything that you yourself believe to make sense, and more importantly everything that clearly does not make sense to you.

Also, I suggest you write it down on paper, anything from printer paper to a small notebook goes, but since you mentioned living in a messy compost heap you call home, hell, do go about this in the most orderly fashion you can get yourself to do. After all, it's about your life, and you really only got one of those. You do not want to misplace or lose that life of yours. Crappy and miserable is better than none at all, but there's room for improvement.

Take notes, ask questions, take note of the answers, ask some more questions IMMEDIATELY, do not rely on internet resources. Be open about your worries, be crystal clear about what it is you're currently taking (meds/drugs/alcohol/anything) and see if the specialist suits your needs, i. e. is knowledgeable enough AND someone you could imagine trusting and working with for months or years to come. If that's not the case, I suggest you look for another specialist yourself and arrange for an appointment until you find a specialist that suits your fancy.

Good luck!

 

[Gunner_Guardian]

I was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, when I was about, oh, I dunno, 5 or 6 years old, back when no one knew what the disorder was. (Now it seems like everyone and their cousin claims to be autistic just because they think they are.)

If you do have it, then don't sweat it, I know plenty of well-adjusted people with autism. (Also, is OCD a part of it? 'Cause I've always been a messy person about some things and neat about others... go figure.)

This

I've been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome as well and really I really couldn't tell you want it means other then social anxiety. It's a spectrum disorder and I'm on the mild side, it honestly seems like now-a-days it gets put on anyone who has trouble making friends.

The label will mean anything you want it to, just don't let it limit you.

 

[Slayer_2]

Maybe you're just shy? I don't think every personality quirk needs to be listed as a disorder. Not many people are instantly warm with strangers, "normal" people aren't.

 

[Rack]

Give this a go, if it takes much longer than a few seconds for each one and you aren't able to intuit the answers you may have it. Your description makes it sound like you don't but it's a spectrum disorder and hard to judge especially from your own descriptions.

http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/Faces/EyesTest.aspx

 

[JochemHippie]

Could be, you could always go see a specialist if you really want to find out.

Also I've never heard a case of someone gaining any benefits from the medication they give you.


And yes I've got PDD-NOS and yes that was diagnosed by specialists.




Just don't let it hold you back

 

[Catalyst]

Autism's cause/s are still largely unknown. Fortunately Asperger's Syndrome is a mild form of autism and many or it's denizens eventually become well adapted. The hyper-connectivity theory is an intriguing area of research.

http://senselab.med.yale.edu/modeldb/ShowModel.asp?model=140033
http://people.fas.harvard.edu/~trinaldi/Rinaldi_Markram_FiNC08.pdf

To me, it makes a lot of sense that if a person is significantly more aware of details/senses/emotions than a "normal" person it will take them more time to decide how to respond to all the information. Sensory overload could also account for the social anxiety. There are entirely too many possible ways to take what someone new is doing or saying to easily cope with. Personally, I think that what does not kill me makes me stronger. With practice I become better at the things that are hard for me. That said, there are a ton of things that are ridiculously easy for me that a "normal" person finds hard.

Normal is being placed in "quotes" because we are all quite unique. Asperger's Syndrome or not you may be more unique than the average bear. My advice is to play to your strengths (it may surprise you what other people find difficult) and face what is hard for you a little bit at a time.

 

[Zack Alklazaris]

snip

I have Aspergers and I am pretty messy too, I just don't see that correlation. I don't recall anyone telling me there was one, but I could be wrong. I see myself more tied to Autism that OCD.

Its really hard to diagnose and it can't be based on how you are with crowds alone. Many Escapist could describe what you feel like in crowds and they do not suffer from Aspergers.

Generally, my issues are that I tend to say things that I don't understand are inappropriate, I do not handle stress from a relationship well, and when people talk to me one on one I avoid eye contact... it just is easier to talk to them when I'm not looking at them. I also stumble over my words when I get really excited about something, but strangely not when I'm angry.

Physical issues too, I didn't understand the concept of hugging, kissing, stuff like that... my GF at the time (now Wife) said I had a very calculating cold personality.

Strangely enough I'm really good with class crowds, like doing speeches in a classroom setting of my peers. I can avoid direct eye contact with them and act like I'm just talking outloud.

Give this a go, if it takes much longer than a few seconds for each one and you aren't able to intuit the answers you may have it. Your description makes it sound like you don't but it's a spectrum disorder and hard to judge especially from your own descriptions.

http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/Faces/EyesTest.aspx

The multiple choice actually makes this test much easier. I felt like I cheated.

 

[Ingjald]

ust because you're socially awkward doesn't mean you have a psychological syndrome that makes you unable to function in life.

and no one has even talked about such a thing: Asperger's is a psychiatric disorder, not a psychological one. and aspies are perfectly capable of functioning, thank you very much.

I am sorry for my ignorance/bad wording on that part, I guess.
Actually, what IS the difference of psychological problems and psychiatric problems?
Never heard of the latter.
Also I've seen enough Aspberger's cases that somewhat back my statement up.

no worries, sorry if i sounded snappy. Psychatric disorders have to do wtih brain wiring and chemistry, psychological disorders deal with more abstract things like modes of behavour and thinking. while there is some overlap, there is enough distinction to warrant differentiating them.

There's a full overlap - thinking IS chemistry. What else would it be?

To be sure, I looked into it: Psychiatrists have medical degrees, psychologist have degrees, but not medical ones. I'm seeing both kinds for various reasons. From my understanding, and take that for what it is, there are psychological issues that can't be effectively treated with a psychiatrists modus operandi.

CAPTCHA: LETS EAT

which reminds me, it's midnight, and I havent had supper. do'h!

 

[Ihm Fedup]

ATTENTION TO ALL PEOPLE WHO SAID THAT AUTISM IS LIKELY IN THIS CASE: YOU are the reason that aspergers is off the new dsm 5. This person shows classic signs of social anxiety, but nothing more, and if he can be diagnosed just by that, under the excuse that aspergers is a "wide" spectrum, then the condition of autism is indistinguishable from social anxiety. With that, it will be HIGHLY over diagnosed, and MISDIAGNOSED.
It is comical that one can have no other than one trait of aspergers, and be told that they still have it due to the fact that aspergers is a "wide" spectrum. For your information, ADHD can cause social problems and shyness, without being comorbid with AS. Lack of ability to focus in social situations can not only lead someone to lack confidence, but can also lead them to be shy. In some cases inattentive ADHD combined with natural shyness can lead to an extreme social phobia and selective mutism.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AS AND ADHD DISORDERS IS HOWEVER, that people with ADHD do NOT lack theory of mind, or imaginative skills, and although they can display ticks out of anxiety, they certainly do not have the stereotypical stimms seen in autism.
Aspergers is being taken out of the dsm 5 because it is over diagnosed . They should have looked for lack of eye contact and such as potential signs, and not definitive diagnostic criteria. Definitive diagnostic criteria for EVERYONE with aspergers is that they lack theory of mind, cognitive and/or emotional therapy, lack imaginative play, and may lack the usage and understanding of sarcasm. It seems that a common excuse was that the spectrum is wide, so wide that you don't actually have to have it. With the new dsm, we will see this ignorance disappear.