Between confusion and understanding

[Aneka]

Some days ago I wrote about high sensitivity (as opposed to hypersensitivity) in the chat and decided to do further research.
I found a study that approached the topic about how High Sensitivity is different to ASD, PTSD and shizophrenia. It also tried to find the similarities through neuro-imaging.

Defintion of high sensitivity in the study:
"According to SPS theory, the trait is characterized by greater depth of processing, cognizance of subtleties in the environment, being easily overstimulated, having stronger emotional responses (both positive and negative), and empathy to others' affective cues [6,10,11,16–18]. Found in over 100 other species [11], including primates [18]"
Link: The functional highly sensitive brain: a review of the brain circuits underlying sensory processing sensitivity and seemingly related disorders

If you're interested in reading the paper have a look at the link above.

Now to my issue: A therapist who saw me told me after our first session I might be highly sensitive. She came to the conclusion because I appear to have high empathy and self-reflection in her opinion.

Now to my question: I've also read about many young women who got the label high sensitivity first and got diagnosed with autism later. Because autistic women are better at masking and socializing.
And there have been highly sensitive people who got misdiagnosed as autistic. The paper proves there are differences, but therapists seem to often confuse both with each other, due to an overlap of symptoms (the autistic clichè stuck in many heads might also be a reason). While autism is considered a disorder, high sensitivity is not. How can you tell the difference then? I've only ever known myself and honestly can't judge how empathic I am. What is certain, is that I am different.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Interesting, well have to read later middle of book. A topic for design of experiments confounding variable.

Subject

 

[Ken]

Haven't read it yet, but thanks for the link.
I wonder about the possibility of being both. I think I may be both.

 

[Au Naturel]

Sometimes I feel like psychology is mostly opinion and psychology is mostly opinion plus prescription drugs. It is easy to find a lot of theory and hypothesizing based on that theory. It is rare to find good peer-reviewed studies that link behavioral traits with brain structure.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

How can you tell the difference then? I've only ever known myself and honestly can't judge how empathic I am. What is certain, is that I am different.

I think, in this case, you have to break down the differences between cognitive empathy and emotional empathy, as these are two different things coming from distinctly different areas of the brain. It's been my observation and understanding of the literature, that someone with an ASD can have high levels of emotional empathy,...but will stereotypically have low levels of cognitive empathy.

Having said that,...I am also a fan of the statement, "Lies, damned dirty lies, and statistics",...as there appears to be a subset of autistics,...often female,...that almost appear as "psychic empaths".

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Since my stroke, I have seen a distinct difference i my personality, more emotional. damage on left side, I AGREE with previous poster, not a big fan of the soft sciences like psychology.

 

[Aneka]

I have to agree there. But I believe that autism (and the overall character of a person) doesn't come out of the blue. It's all in the hardware.

Social sciences are very subjective and easily influenced by trends. The worst are pedagogics. They tend do go from one extreme to the other in the education system and proudly announce how they have invented the wheel.

Where I live the saying goes like "Never trust statistics you haven't faked yourself".

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

I stick with chemistry and physics, sister is geologist and economist we have debates over how rigorous it, is younger brother not aspie, has undergraduate degree in psychology agrees its bs never got job it with. Stroke has effected my typing skills, no brain damage just can't type.

 

[Aneka]

I stick with chemistry and physics, sister is geologist and economist we have debates over how rigorous it, is younger brother not aspie, has undergraduate degree in psychology agrees its bs never got job it with. Stroke has effected my typing skills, no brain damage just can't type.

Geology and economics- an unusual combination.

I come from the field of pedagogics. Theory and reality are two entirely different worlds.

 

[Major Tom]

Sometimes I feel like psychology is mostly opinion and psychology is mostly opinion plus prescription drugs. It is easy to find a lot of theory and hypothesizing based on that theory. It is rare to find good peer-reviewed studies that link behavioral traits with brain structure.

Exactly it's a guessing game with a bonus of drug roulette...

 

[SDRSpark]

This is just my opinion, and I'm definitely not an expert but here goes:

I don't believe in "highly sensitive person". I think it's neurodivergence, pure and simple, but it's a type of of neurodivergence that doesn't appear dysfunctional enough to outsiders to warrant a diagnosis. The psych community has drawn a neat little box and says "this is autism". That box is small, and many of us don't fit inside it. Those of us that don't fit inside it get "we don't know what this is, but it doesn't fit in the autism box." We, or those who know us well and work with us, continue to look for answers and concepts like "highly sensitive person" are born. I've noticed that a lot of these "HSPs" tend to be women in their 30s or later...those of us that would have been missed for an autism diagnosis.

The same goes for Sensory Processing Disorder - the adult SPD groups are mostly populated by adult women who have a ton of autism traits but are certain that they're not autistic. (In fact women are so overrepresented in the one adult SPD group that I am a member of - that is not designated a women's group - that it's actually rare that a man posts or comments anything at all.)

Before HSP and SPD, there were "indigo children" etc. People who are clearly neurodivergent but aren't allowed access to the (at the time incredibly tiny) autism box.

As more research is done and autism (especially in women) is better understood, the autism "box" is getting bigger and I feel pretty safe in speculating that it will eventually include a lot of these other things.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

She is an aspie, worked ,in the field for years got married, started a family, sat at home raising three kids, wanted to get back in the work force. She went back to school got degree graduated in economics landed a position at a large mining conglomerate as a risk administrator.

 

[Ken]

This thread reminds me of one of my often used statements: I think I may be confused, but I'm not sure.

 

[Aneka]

She is an aspie, worked ,in the field for years got married, started a family, sat at home raising three kids, wanted to get back in the work force. She went back to school got degree graduated in economics landed a position at a large mining conglomerate as a risk administrator.

Your sister sounds like an amazing woman. Going back to school after many years can be tough.

This is just my opinion, and I'm definitely not an expert but here goes:

I don't believe in "highly sensitive person". I think it's neurodivergence, pure and simple, but it's a type of of neurodivergence that doesn't appear dysfunctional enough to outsiders to warrant a diagnosis. The psych community has drawn a neat little box and says "this is autism". That box is small, and many of us don't fit inside it. Those of us that don't fit inside it get "we don't know what this is, but it doesn't fit in the autism box." We, or those who know us well and work with us, continue to look for answers and concepts like "highly sensitive person" are born. I've noticed that a lot of these "HSPs" tend to be women in their 30s or later...those of us that would have been missed for an autism diagnosis.

The same goes for Sensory Processing Disorder - the adult SPD groups are mostly populated by adult women who have a ton of autism traits but are certain that they're not autistic. (In fact women are so overrepresented in the one adult SPD group that I am a member of - that is not designated a women's group - that it's actually rare that a man posts or comments anything at all.)

Before HSP and SPD, there were "indigo children" etc. People who are clearly neurodivergent but aren't allowed access to the (at the time incredibly tiny) autism box.

As more research is done and autism (especially in women) is better understood, the autism "box" is getting bigger and I feel pretty safe in speculating that it will eventually include a lot of these other things.

I believe that there might be an equal amount of women and men with autism. Not a 1:4 ratio. Women get overlooked, symptoms look different in them.

In another thread someone came up with a great metaphor for neurodivergence/ asd:
They described it as a cloud thinning out at the border. The transition is seamless. Therapists draw a line (and not all therapists have the same standards) that excludes a few water droplets. I might be one of those droplets.