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We all have some varying degree of "Autism"

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livingwithautism
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07 Jan 2018, 6:20 pm

EzraS wrote:
To me that sounds like saying we all have a varying degree of cerebral palsy or epilepsy.


Yeah. You either have autism or you don't. It can vary greatly but you can't just be partially autistic.



savavdpeas
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07 Jan 2018, 6:23 pm

livingwithautism wrote:
EzraS wrote:
To me that sounds like saying we all have a varying degree of cerebral palsy or epilepsy.


Yeah. You either have autism or you don't. It can vary greatly but you can't just be partially autistic.


What about mild Autism?



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07 Jan 2018, 7:12 pm

magz wrote:
My own belief is that psychiatry needs a big breaktrough, moving from lists of symptoms into mechanisms.


Yes! The nit picking over how severely autistic a person is as determined by a non-autistic psychiatrist seems ridiculous to me most of the time. I was really aware of how differently I thought from others before I knew there was a label for it. I started a thread that asked can you define autism without listing symptoms. Out of all the people that replied, one talked about brain wiring and synapses. From the rest, half gave nice analogies and half gave symptoms. Are doctors not giving info to people about what autism actually is when they are diagnosed?



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07 Jan 2018, 7:21 pm

savavdpeas wrote:

What about mild Autism?



Mild autism/able to pass all the way to totally non-verbal autism needing care is still the same thing, autism. Autism as a label for "other" starts to feel like when people use it as an insult that means "I don't understand you." The gray area where people have autistic traits but "aren't autistic," I guess it's up to the individual to decide what they want to be called.



livingwithautism
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07 Jan 2018, 9:14 pm

savavdpeas wrote:
livingwithautism wrote:
EzraS wrote:
To me that sounds like saying we all have a varying degree of cerebral palsy or epilepsy.


Yeah. You either have autism or you don't. It can vary greatly but you can't just be partially autistic.


What about mild Autism?


It's still autism. As I said, it can vary greatly but when all is said and done, it's still autism.



EzraS
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08 Jan 2018, 12:13 am

starcats wrote:
magz wrote:
My own belief is that psychiatry needs a big breaktrough, moving from lists of symptoms into mechanisms.


Yes! The nit picking over how severely autistic a person is as determined by a non-autistic psychiatrist seems ridiculous to me most of the time. I was really aware of how differently I thought from others before I knew there was a label for it. I started a thread that asked can you define autism without listing symptoms. Out of all the people that replied, one talked about brain wiring and synapses. From the rest, half gave nice analogies and half gave symptoms. Are doctors not giving info to people about what autism actually is when they are diagnosed?


What people have to start with is that autism is a neurological disorder / dysfunction / disability / abnormality. It's not some kind of quality or attribute or characteristic like being creative or thoughtful. Autism itself is not a trait.



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08 Jan 2018, 5:59 am

EzraS wrote:
starcats wrote:
magz wrote:
My own belief is that psychiatry needs a big breaktrough, moving from lists of symptoms into mechanisms.


Yes! The nit picking over how severely autistic a person is as determined by a non-autistic psychiatrist seems ridiculous to me most of the time. I was really aware of how differently I thought from others before I knew there was a label for it. I started a thread that asked can you define autism without listing symptoms. Out of all the people that replied, one talked about brain wiring and synapses. From the rest, half gave nice analogies and half gave symptoms. Are doctors not giving info to people about what autism actually is when they are diagnosed?


What people have to start with is that autism is a neurological disorder / dysfunction / disability / abnormality. It's not some kind of quality or attribute or characteristic like being creative or thoughtful. Autism itself is not a trait.


Absolutely, autism is not some sort of mild character trait. It is an integral part of who you are. It is not something to be affected by people looking for excuses for their lack of success in life. For example, here in the UK, it is not uncommon for pushy parents to want an ASD diagnosis, if their child does not do well. This seems to be often because they cannot cope with their exaggerated expectations of their offspring not being fulfilled by a not very bright child. You see this sort of thing in adults as well, particularly celebrities. This is a lifelong, frequently debilitating condition, not an affectation.



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08 Jan 2018, 10:56 am

League_Girl wrote:
What misdiagnosis were you given?

Schizophrenia.
After getting out of this and gaining some perspective, I guess my shutdowns looked from outside like psychotic attacks, while alexithymia didn't help to explain what was going on.

Luckily, I got out of that bog.


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kraftiekortie
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08 Jan 2018, 10:59 am

^^^^ and you maintained your knowledge-base in the sciences....



magz
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08 Jan 2018, 11:25 am

kraftiekortie wrote:
^^^^ and you maintained your knowledge-base in the sciences....

I wonder if the doctor believed my science career to be just my fantasy... once you are accused of schizophrenia, everything you say can be used against you.


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kraftiekortie
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08 Jan 2018, 11:27 am

Not that you have to, but you can certainly provide proof of that career.



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08 Jan 2018, 11:40 am

kraftiekortie wrote:
Not that you have to, but you can certainly provide proof of that career.

He wasn't interested.
And finally when he acted surprised after I mentioned I had a job, I had a proof that this man did not really know what was going on with me.
Then I went to another psychiatrist, who knew me from my earlier major depression episode. Together we proved my previous diagnosis wrong.
The ASD was brought up by a psychologist working with me, based on my difficulties I listed to her and some other traits (I guess I mentioned my hyperfocus, too). My doc denied me ASD diagnosis, saying AS is overdiagnosed nowadays, but at least he doesn't give me medication for something I don't have and treats my depression and insomnia.


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08 Jan 2018, 12:13 pm

magz wrote:
League_Girl wrote:
What misdiagnosis were you given?

Schizophrenia.
After getting out of this and gaining some perspective, I guess my shutdowns looked from outside like psychotic attacks, while alexithymia didn't help to explain what was going on.

Luckily, I got out of that bog.



Wow I got adjustment disorder. I am not sure how accurate that is but there was no change of school or loss of job for one of my parents or death in the family or divorce or moving house but yet I still got that label in 6th grade by my therapist. When I first heard the name, I just thought it was another component for AS. But no it's just a label for people who have a hard time dealing with the stress from these factors and it impairs them. I think it's also given when the therapist doesn't know what else to give them because nothing fits. Someone online who was abused as a child got this label too and the therapist gave her this diagnoses so the insurance company will keep paying for her sessions. I assume she didn't fit into PTSD.

I have wondered how many people on the spectrum are also given this AD diagnoses before autism. I asked it on here once and no one really responded so I figure I must be the odd one out.


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08 Jan 2018, 12:56 pm

I believe I was diagnosed with some sort of "adjustment" disorder a few times in the 1960s and 1970s.