Asperger's and Anxiety

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Are Anxiety problems a common secondary symptom of Asperger's? I got so anxious a couple of months ago about a foreman at work that I had to take time off. I'm better now but only because of my daily dose of Effexor. I've had problems like that through most of my life . I believe most of my difficulties in this respect would fall under the category of "Social Anxiety Disorder".

I was quite intrigued to read this caption in the recent TIME magazine article on Autism:

"The Amygdala is also enlarged. This area plays a role in sizing up threats in the environment and in emotion and social behavior. Its size may be related to the high level of anxiety in autistic people. Research shows their amygdala is activated when looking at faces - as if confronting a threat".

It seems to me that I see anxiety issues mentioned quite frequently in these forums.

My brain seems to be hypersensitive resulting in anxiety like feelings with fast driving, loud noises and uncertain situations of volatility, likely the last others do as well.

One can re-condition there mind ( like re-programming a computer) certain ways by creating self awareness of it and to challenge it reactionarly. Anxiety manifests further anxieties and so on, yet uncertainty and unpredictability are mandatory for If's and possible worry.

If a person such as a teacher or let’s say professional were to raise there voice to me I’d have it throughout my body, anxiety. Change is the same way, that’s why I hated school with changing classes and differing environments.

I recall once, though much younger, making a rude noise impulsively (fart noise without councious intent) in front of a simi-silent class-room. The teacher was very mad and disturbed, that was anxiety!

I find the more I know someone and understand there behaviour, the less anxiety I experience. That is the importance of predictable routienes that are non-invasive to ones natural state of being, regardless of mind altering "accomodations".

I have problems looking at faces. I was thinking about it and I just relized that much (not most) of the anxiety I get when talking to people is from looking at them. Most of the time I look straight ahead and try not to make eye contact.
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I have problems with anxiety and I get worried a whole lot. So yes I think it does has something to do with AS.

I seem to experience a tremendous amount of anxiety that other's do not. I have discussed this only recently because it was such a part of my life that I thought that everyone felt this way. My husband has accused me many times of being tense (that makes him tense) and I didn't understand that I was! I am used to living with tension and axiety. It makes life more difficult. I think that it is the reason I am so tired much of the time. Anxiety sucks energy! The things that other moms and wives do with ease require a great effort from me. I fail a lot. People cannot understand why I am the only mom who can't get their kid to their practices on time or bring the snack or volunteer. I'd rather stay home! Just thinking about doing these extra tasks with the responsibility they add to my life, freaks me out! I like to stay home because it is peaceful here but life sweeps me away.

I had that all the time when I was younger. Even now I still experience it.

What is that with the feeling like you're going to get in trouble or something? I have that everytime I see my mother several days in a row. She used to always yell at me about something and the more I see her, the more I'm worried that I'm going to get into trouble for something. I'm 26 years old. My goodness. Why am I afraid of her getting angry with me? I didn't even do anything?

I think many of us with AS have these issues. That anxiety makes me feel like I'm going to explode sometimes.

quote: What is that with the feeling like you're going to get in trouble or something?


The feeling of impending doom. I used to suffer from this CONSTANTLY! I hated it! It's not so bad now but the anxiousness is still there.

Anxiety is a continuous problem, and I believe it has something to do with AS. I am always worried that something will happen that will cause me to lose control, so I continuously watch everything I say or do as to avoid not being yelled at or criticized. I sometimes won't talk under some circumstances, especially ones having to do with a very personal nature, just because I'm afraid of confronting negative feelings from someone else. When I see or hear someone else yell at another, that can get me irritated as well.

I think professionals call it hyperarousal or something. I'm always alert and focused on the tone of voice and the words of people I speak to. I can get irritated by minor vocal inflections, and I tend to feel tension when someone takes on a vocal pattern that is different from their normal one, which usually signifies a depressed or angry state in an individual.

If people do not appear happy to me, then I tend to focus on something else. The anxiety tends to put me into a trancelike state, though I'm well aware, but I more or less focus on stimming.

- Ray M -

Thanks for giving a voice to what my son experiences. You just perfectly described what he goes through. He doesn't stim but acts "weirded out". I know that he can't take rejection, the answer "no" or other's high emotional states very well. He likes things calm. (and so do I!) If only we lived in a perfect world.....

Anxiety is such a huge part of my life that I don't think I would know who I am without it. I've been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, but the doctors I had been to while I could still afford to go refused to give me anxiety medication because they think forcing myself to "deal with it" (as I've already been doing for my entire life) will make it eventually go away. Their brilliant methods have included gems like, "Visualize a stop sign when you have an anxiety attack," and, "You're doing this to yourself." *sigh* Unfortunately I don't have an unlimited source of funds with which to continue to play Doctor Roulette, so I'm pretty much stuck envying those of you who've had better luck. :/

Anyway, back on topic, there's a direct correlation between my AS and my anxiety...at least the social anxiety. I basically fear what has happened before -- the pariahdom, humiliation, and angry disapproval that result after I do something that's socially unacceptable for some reason I don't understand. I have come to be able to control a lot of it, but there's always the fear of coming up against some situation I haven't encountered before and thus have not been able to adequately prepare to hide my awkwardness in. I believe the generalized anxiety is somewhat related as well, as it tends to have a lot of the same roots...if I cannot plan out a situation and prepare for it ahead of time, I'm a mess.

I feel that anxiety is a big part of me, too. Stimming does help, though sometimes I still work my way up to a panic attack. Analysing my thoughts does not help during these times, the thoughts are too fast to have any control over and usually it is something sensory that sets me off.
Recently I was on a plane, seated between two old men, for five and a half hours. At one stage I thought I was going to explode. I went to the toilet and sat in there, it felt much better. I thought that if I didn't, the crew would know all about mid-flight disturbance! After quite some time in the toilet, I went out and discovered a long line of people outside, heh. By the time I got to my destination, I was drenched in sweat and had a whopper headache. I never want to fly again alone. But I know that if it comes down to it, I will do it. I loathe doing a lot of things out of anxiety, but I end up doing those things anyway. I have to. Nothing will get done otherwise.

I understand this. Due to the nature of my trade I find myself at a new employer every two or three years and it seems like I inevitably have to put up with what I call "That new guy Bullsh*t". This is where either a supervisor or co-worker feels they have a right to treat you in a derogatory manner because they possess the magic knowledge that you have yet to obtain. It usually involves some sort of humiliation. You know, if I only felt the Anxiety in the moment that wouldn't be so bad, but it's the anticipatory anxiety about going into work that takes over my life , that's the really rough part.

Okay, this is scary - my son's anxiety reached new levels last fall. We've taken steps to help him and he's made tremendous progress. His anxiety is greatly reduced, finally.

Now I'm starting to worry about his future. He's home now and we've tried to stabilize his environment, but what do we do when he's older and doesn't have as much control?

I have always been tense, and I can't ever relax. It is as if I am constantly on high alert, watching out for a blitz attack from any direction. Up until recently, however, I have been able to control it, but the past six months or so has seen a dramatic increase in anxiety.

I've started having to pace and snap my fingers at work at least twice a day, and if I am ever called into the manager's office I generally react with an accelerated heart beat, faster breathing, and sweaty palms. It is irritating, especially since I have never been called back there to get in trouble, but only to get instructions. And I am trying to register for a class at school, but it isn't working--and I need this class so I can take the next level next semester--so every time I call and get the answering machine, or visit the department and get told to come back later I react the same way I do at work: like a walking heart attack.

I am debating about going to a doctor, because I really don't want to fork out the money since I need every penny for school. (Of course, if I don't get this under control I probably won't do well at school anyway.) I've been keeping track of what happens when I get anxious, things like what I've eaten, what has been said, what music is playing in the background, what action precipitated the onslaught of fear, etc. It is troubling because the only commonality between everything is a perceived lack of control, and since I can't really control everything, the only thing I can see happening is the anxiety growing worse. And I can't spend every minute pacing and stimming because I can't control everything. It just won't work.

Does medication help? How long does it take for it to work? Is it expensive? Are there other ways of calming down?

Effexor has worked for me. It's like an SSRI but controls another neurotransmitter in addition to serotonin. I've found Cognitive Behaviour Therapy helpful as well particularily as presented in the book, "Feeling Good, The New Mood Therapy" by Dr. David D. Burns. I would think the exercises outlined in the book would be particularily well suited to Aspies as they (the exercises) are very structured and concrete. I've had some limited success with deep breathing exercises.

Being around people makes me anxious, even the members of my own family. I think it is their energy. I think that people emit energy and it's too hard on my nervous system, let alone the noise they make that causes me to be so tense and jumpy! I don't get as freaked out in public as I once did. I used to get this feeling of overload; like I couldn't single out what one or two people were talking about and filter out the rest of the universe. I would get panicky, my heart would beat so loud I could hear it, as well as the blood pulsating in my ears, I would feel as if all of the blood drained out of my body, feel strangely like stone, and then I would disconnect somehow and not be aware of anything but my own existence. This usually lasted for a couple of minutes and then everything would rush back into living color like a hurricane! Then I would just have to repeat multiplication tables or Bible verses or stare at the patterns in the carpet or something so that I didn't faint or run out the door! This caused me to miss bits of information in school or church or in group events and really affected my life negatively and made me feel like I was stupid because everyone else knew what to do and where to go except me! and I was in the "gifted" class at school! I just couldn't figure this out.