am i autistic?

[jason00]

hi, my name is Jason and I am new to the forum. i am not sure if I have autism or not, but I was hoping some of you might be able to help me out? i compiled a list of things my Mom said I did in my childhood, as well as what I see in myself now. Does any of this sound familiar? I am currently diagnosed with ADHD, GAD, and Biploar 2. Could these symptoms be attributed to any of those instead? Thank you all in advance.

 

[Sarah S]

Welkome to the forum

Only the professionals can diagnose you im afraid we CANT do it im afraid

What i can say is there is a known medically acknowledge co relationship between ADHD (as i also have ) & Autism spectrum diagnose (ASD ) wich i also have so its not impossible But as i said only a professional evaluation can confirm this. what i would suggest is try to get a evaluation whether you have or dont have ASD. & also you do show many of the signs that is connected to this diagnose BUT whether you have it not is up to the professionals to find out

 

[Tom]

As just about anyone will tell you, we are just people on the spectrum mainly +friends & family and not medical personnel versed in diagnosis so no one here can really tell you yes or no. But interfacing with people on the spectrum is a investigative step, and you can compare notes so to speak. In fact not all seek formal diagnosis, and after becoming convinced are satisfied just with that self knowledge. It depends much on if the diagnosis would be of some tangible benefit.

That said, many of the things on your list are common to some people on the spectrum. We don't all fit any particular mold by the way and there is a lot of variation.

 

[Pats]

I think bipolar is a diagnosis that they throw on people when they're not sure. I've heard so many people say they were bipolar when they should have just been diagnosed with depression. They will even say they are so depressed they don't want to get out of bed. Then I ask if they have extreme opposite and they have no idea what I'm talking about. The manic part of bi-polar. And these are professionals doing the diagnosing. Okay - this is a big pet peeve of mine so I tend to go on about it, but I will make myself stop here.
There is nothing in your lists that I would think fits bipolar. There are many things in your lists that would fit into the autism spectrum. I see nothing here to indicate that you go from extreme lows (maybe staying in bed for days or weeks at a time) to extreme highs (so up that you can't not be doing something - usually something extreme like giving away keepsakes, buying a new car, etc)

 

[Pats]

P.S. I drive people crazy when I put in one of my own recorded cd's and the same song plays multiple times. I can listen to one song over and over ALL day long. And I do watch the same tv shows over and over without adding anything new, and eat the same foods day in and day out, refusing to try anything new - @Fino lol).

 

[Suzanne]

Hi Jason

With all your details, it shows how unprofessional "professionals" are, as it screams aspergers or asd ( as professionals insist on.

Can you find an expert in autism? I found one and on the second visit, was diagnosed on the spectrum. My regular psychiatrist could not and even disagrees that I suffer from agrophobia!

I could easily listen to a song over and over, but I fear getting sick of it and so, force myself not to.

 

[jason00]

I think bipolar is a diagnosis that they throw on people when they're not sure. I've heard so many people say they were bipolar when they should have just been diagnosed with depression. They will even say they are so depressed they don't want to get out of bed. Then I ask if they have extreme opposite and they have no idea what I'm talking about. The manic part of bi-polar. And these are professionals doing the diagnosing. Okay - this is a big pet peeve of mine so I tend to go on about it, but I will make myself stop here.
There is nothing in your lists that I would think fits bipolar. There are many things in your lists that would fit into the autism spectrum. I see nothing here to indicate that you go from extreme lows (maybe staying in bed for days or weeks at a time) to extreme highs (so up that you can't not be doing something - usually something extreme like giving away keepsakes, buying a new car, etc)

thank you! on this list i put mostly what i considered to be relevant to whether or not i have autism, not all of my symptoms for every mental health issue i face. i agree with you about the bipolar diagnosis, though. i do not see myself as have ever been "manic", but rather hyperfocused due to my ADHD! i think i should probably just be a unipolar depression diagnosis. they just didn't realize i had ADHD until recently.

 

[jason00]

Hi Jason

With all your details, it shows how unprofessional "professionals" are, as it screams aspergers or asd ( as professionals insist on.

Can you find an expert in autism? I found one and on the second visit, was diagnosed on the spectrum. My regular psychiatrist could not and even disagrees that I suffer from agrophobia!

I could easily listen to a song over and over, but I fear getting sick of it and so, force myself not to.

i think that they didn't consider the possibility of having Autism because I do not have a "severe" social deficit. i watch others closely to make sure i do not do things wrong, and have a sort of script for small talk.

i understand that; i've definitely gotten sick of songs before.
thank you for your reply!

 

[Fino]

P.S. I drive people crazy when I put in one of my own recorded cd's and the same song plays multiple times. I can listen to one song over and over ALL day long. And I do watch the same tv shows over and over without adding anything new, and eat the same foods day in and day out, refusing to try anything new - @Fino lol).

Is this @me because you're describing me exactly or is there more to it? LOL

 

[Major Tom]

Welcome to the forums! Unfortunately only the professionals can diagnose you as others have said before. One thing I do know is that supposedly you can't be bipolar and be on the spectrum, but I have doubts about that theory.

 

[Isadoorian]

ADHD is indeed a co-morbidity of Autism, as are Depression and Anxiety, 2 of which you've already noted

Also, Welcome to the Forums! I hope you make new friends and enjoy your stay in the process!

 

[Nervous Rex]

Welcome to the forums. Whether you are or aren’t autistic, you might consider reading some of the discussions on this forum. You can search by thread title for an issue you want help with and will probably find some very good discussions. Also, you can start a thread of your own. I hope you find this forum as welcoming and helpful as I have.

For formal diagnosis, you will need to see a real doctor. For a very informal guess, you can try this quiz:

Autism Spectrum Quotient

You can also try comparing yourself to the formal definition of autism in the DSM, which doctors follow to diagnose autism:

Diagnostic Criteria | Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) | NCBDDD | CDC

As you read this, please remember that this is a medical text. Without medical training, terms used in it may not necessarily mean what you think they mean.

 

[Pats]

thank you! on this list i put mostly what i considered to be relevant to whether or not i have autism, not all of my symptoms for every mental health issue i face. i agree with you about the bipolar diagnosis, though. i do not see myself as have ever been "manic", but rather hyperfocused due to my ADHD! i think i should probably just be a unipolar depression diagnosis. they just didn't realize i had ADHD until recently.

That's exactly why I say they over-diagnose bi-polar - usually the manic part IS missing. unipolar is more suitable.

 

[Bolletje]

Welcome to the forums! Unfortunately only the professionals can diagnose you as others have said before. One thing I do know is that supposedly you can't be bipolar and be on the spectrum, but I have doubts about that theory.

You can be both.

 

[Tony Ramirez]

I was called to have bipolar only after going to another doctor and getting another say from my therapist that I am not bipolar.