Is autism a neuropathic pain disorder?

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I wonder if it might make more sense to think of autism as a pain disorder rather than a mental disorder. To me autism feels somewhat like constantly having a hangover (for example the migraines and blurry tunnel vision), which makes sense because it was recently found that it's probably due to a lack of GABA in the brain, which is the chemical that's increased by drinking alcohol.

Maybe the reason people with autism fidget is because it keeps their mind off the neuropathic pain that's constantly in the background. Perhaps the imperfect integration of the senses is perceived by the brain as being damage to the body, sort of like when a person has phantom limb syndrome. This might explain some of the derealization and Cotard-like behavior in autism.

It can also explain why autistic people often have violent meltdowns or run away as children. The stress caused by sensory overload and physical agony puts them into a fight or flight mode by raising their levels of adrenaline and natural opioids.

I think people on the spectrum perceive time as passing much more slowly than neurotypicals do, and this makes the sensory inputs desynchronized which leads to dysphoria, neuropathic pain and irritability. To a person with autism, a 15 minute wait might seem like hours to somebody who is neurotypical, and a day at school will seem to last forever. It also explains why many people with autism have low energy levels and trouble sleeping.

Maybe in some cases--especially amongst people who are seen as "low-functioning."

i have pain sensory
im not low fuancton

None of that describes me accurately.

Time often goes quick for me and I don't have constant migraines, blurred tunnel vision or sleep difficulties.


Describing Autism like OP makes it feel like it's some sort of disease or something.

I just stick with ''social, emotional and sensory disorder''.

pain is not alwyas .

This is interesting and would make a lot of sense for me. Especially why my mind felt so much sharper and clearer when I used to drink moderate amounts of alcohol, not enough to get blinding drunk.



"Autism" as it is currently understood is a syndome, a pattern of symptoms, and probably not everyone who has the pattern of symptoms has the same underlying cause.

autism not a neuropathic pain

Have you tried taking GABA supplements?

Last edited by dianthus on 22 Dec 2015, 7:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I just read an article that says it's not lack of GABA but inability to use GABA correctly.

The OP's description only applies to me when I'm extremely overloaded. OP, is it possible that you're chronically overloaded? Maybe if you cut out a bunch of stress and sensory stimulation from your life, you'll feel much better.

At baseline, being autistic is not painful for me. I don't have chronic headaches or blurry vision, I don't feel like time passes more slowly, my energy levels are normal and I sleep fine. I also don't have derealization or anything like that.

But put me under extreme stress, and I will get headaches, time will slow to a crawl, I will have trouble sleeping and feel tired all the time, and things will stop feeling real to me. As soon as I recover from the stressor, those symptoms disappear entirely.

I do not handle stress well. It results in headaches, hives and pain. After an especially difficult day, I get headaches that last for days, joint pain and face pain. Mindfulness helps.

Discomforting not painful would describe how I experience it daily.
Emotionally/psychologically painful at times yes

I take Neurontin/Gabapentin for OCD & it helps with GABA