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Self-Diagnosed

Catalyst

Catalyst

Mentally Unsound
V.I.P Member
Hello. I'm self-diagnosed, and perhaps incorrectly, but Asperger's (according to the DSM-IV, anyway) fits me very well. My therapist and my psychiatrist believe my bipolar disorder explains everything I've been through as a kid and my social awkwardness now, saying that even aside from bipolar disorder, everyone has autistic like traits without being autistic.

Psychology and genetics are my big focuses. I'm obsessed with them. Have been ever since I could find material about them on the internet. I'm currently saving up to get a book about the DSM-V (it simplifies it, which I don't need, but I also can't afford a copy of the actual book). I also love computers, technology, and web development, though I'm not as obsessed with it.

I have an AAS in Microsoft Systems Engineering (which is not an actual Engineering degree, it's more a System Administrator kind of degree), but that was only due to very generous teachers who worked closely with me and believed in me. I was the first one at the school to take and pass both A+ exams one right after the other. Probably because once I latched onto the material, I didn't let go.

I don't know about comorbidity between bipolar and autism, which I've only found one article on and it didn't have any documentation or references, so I don't know if I can trust it. But all it said was that it was possible for the two to exist together. I know depression and anxiety have been seen in people with autism though. I don't know how much of an authority Temple Grandin is on autism (other than the fact that she is autistic) but I've read The Autistic Mind and Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships (which is very helpful, but feel I could benefit from therapy to get a better understanding) and both have not only given me some insight into Classic Autism, but how I can still learn to function with a job, which seems to be difficult to get into since I never seem to get past the interviews in person or personality quizzes online.

One time an interviewer pointed out to me that I talked out of turn and I just turned into a deer in headlights because I was fairly certain I couldn't explain to her why I did it and couldn't come up with a way out of the situation so I just froze. I'm planning on learning more about web coding and design and putting together a portfolio to freelance, hoping my work will speak for me about my abilities and someone will overlook my social issues.

TLDR; Hi, I'm Catalyst. Self-diagnosed Asperger's, and struggling to fit in with society.
 
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Hello & welcome, Catalyst!
I'm pretty sure you will find a lot of answers to your questions here (and new questions as well). See if you can get your hands on articles or books by Tony Attwood, too, for clinical information on Asperger's that digs much deeper.
 
Katleya said:
Hello & welcome, Catalyst!
I'm pretty sure you will find a lot of answers to your questions here (and new questions as well). See if you can get your hands on articles or books by Tony Attwood, too, for clinical information on Asperger's that digs much deeper.
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Thank you! The books by Temple are very good, but they're all from the point of view of classic autism, rather than Asperger's, so I always feel like I'm missing something.

EDIT: Just found something on his site about girls/women with Asperger's and it sounds all too familiar.
 
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Hello and welcome to the site. Hope you find the answers you are looking for.
 
Catalyst said:
EDIT: Just found something on his site about girls/women with Asperger's and it sounds all too familiar.
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I wasn't sure if you were a woman based on just your profile, but now that I have that piece of information, try typing Asperger's and women or female in the search box on the forum. A bunch of threads should pop up, which you'll most likely find both very useful and probably relatable. We've also discussed the difficulty of getting a diagnosis at length, since our traits can show somewhat differently.
 
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Catalyst said:
Thank you! The books by Temple are very good, but they're all from the point of view of classic autism, rather than Asperger's, so I always feel like I'm missing something.

EDIT: Just found something on his site about girls/women with Asperger's and it sounds all too familiar.
Click to expand...

Do you mind sharing with me? I am recently self-diagnosed and would love to learn more.
 
I don't guess gender because, you may not be what you present as . HOWEVER, I had no doubt that you present as Female because of the way you said you were invalidated by your psychiatrist. ("it's ALL bipolar!") Women get that a lot. If I man acted the EXACT SAME WAY, they get the ASD dx.

Is your shrink male?

I was dxed by a female, but later, a male dr undxed me, and rudely. He invented a dx on me (personality disrder) but when pushed, he had no explanation (no tests, etc.....saw me for two hours) and refused to specify which one. He just used it as a cover. I don't even have one.

I was needig that dxc for support. I am not NT and have a lot of support here, but I needed it because in USA, wihtout it, you are toast.
 
Lula1989 said:
Do you mind sharing with me? I am recently self-diagnosed and would love to learn more.
Click to expand...

Girls and women who have Asperger's

The book seems interesting, but the forward on that page just seemed all too familiar from my childhood.

OkRad said:
I don't guess gender because, you may not be what you present as . HOWEVER, I had no doubt that you present as Female because of the way you said you were invalidated by your psychiatrist. ("it's ALL bipolar!") Women get that a lot. If I man acted the EXACT SAME WAY, they get the ASD dx.

Is your shrink male?

I was dxed by a female, but later, a male dr undxed me, and rudely. He invented a dx on me (personality disrder) but when pushed, he had no explanation (no tests, etc.....saw me for two hours) and refused to specify which one. He just used it as a cover. I don't even have one.

I was needig that dxc for support. I am not NT and have a lot of support here, but I needed it because in USA, wihtout it, you are toast.
Click to expand...

My psych and therapist are both female. I had one psych that was male that I really liked and was upset when he moved practices (outside of my insurance). My therapist (the one who says non-autistic people have autistic tendencies all the time) is actually an Intensive Outpatient Program therapist. They work with people at-risk for being a danger to themselves and others.
 
A book I found useful is "Appreciating Asperger Syndrome" by Brenda Boyd. I'm now reading "The Jumbled Jigsaw" by Donna Williams, very useful with interesting ideas. Another useful book is "Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger Syndrome" by Rudy Simone.

I prefer to read books on autism by people on the spectrum from an insider's perspective, because they are the ones who experience it, and not the professionals, who can only give an outsider's perspective.
 
Catalyst said:
Hello. I'm self-diagnosed, and perhaps incorrectly, but Asperger's (according to the DSM-IV, anyway) fits me very well.
Click to expand...

Welcome to AC.

Where I think you'll find you're in good company with those of us who are not particularly happy with the DSM-V for any number of reasons.
 
Judge said:
Welcome to AC.

Where I think you'll find you're in good company with those of us who are not particularly happy with the DSM-V for any number of reasons.
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I was actually wondering about that. I'm very dissatisfied with the changes made to autism and Asperger's diagnosis criteria (or lack thereof in the case of the latter) in the DSM-V and was wondering how others felt about it.
 
Catalyst said:
I was actually wondering about that. I'm very dissatisfied with the changes made to autism and Asperger's diagnosis criteria (or lack thereof in the case of the latter) in the DSM-V and was wondering how others felt about it.
Click to expand...

Some of us believe the DSM-V reflects entirely too much the influence of politicians on both sides of the aisle as well as insurers to contain costs rather than professionally and ethically diagnose people on the spectrum of autism.
 
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