Co-occurring mental impairments

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My co-occurring psychiatric impairments: major depression, OCD, GAD, Tourette's (mild), ADHD--inattentive type.

Anyone here with other impairments? E.g. bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders?

Anyone here taking psychiatric medications? I am.

I have depression and Executive Function Disorder, both of which I have been dx'd with. I most likely Non-verbal Learning Disorder too, but I have not been dx'd with that.

I have taken Zoloft in the past for my depression, but am no longer. Nowadays I manage my depression with diet, exercise, herbal and vitamin supplements and other life style changes.

I know of two aspies who are also bipolar. One is type II, the other I think is type I. The type II aspie recently got off meds (strong dislike for them).

I have AS and bipolar NOS. I also have anxiety disroder NOS presently, with a history of panic attacks.

I take Ultram, Valium and Rozerem.

yes, unfortunately. Asperger's, ADD, Cyclothemia, SAD, sometimes Anorexia, possible EFD... a whole host of attention and mood disorders. Dx's a few weeks away.

Quite frankly nobody has been able to tease everything apart.

Been on and off meds and I prefer off even though it has it's own drawbacks!

Why does anyone bother to get diagnoses' for other things like depression and anxiety and that? I don't understand why you would.

Perhaps they'd like to be treated. Just a guess?

I take medications. I take Concerta, Risperdal, Lexapro, Geodon, and Depakote.

There are two ways of answering that question, depending on how you interpret the question.

"Why would you want to get other problems diagnosed?" Because they're problems. If you have three or four problems that are defeating your ability to lead a happy and productive life, what is the point of fixing only one of them if the others will still limit you?

"Why would the doctor diagnose other problems if you weren't interested in them?" Because that's the doctor's job. The role of a doctor is to examine your current state of health and make a diagnosis, not simply to confirm or reject your narrowly conceived self-diagnosis. You might think you have an ASD, but what good is it if the doc says "yes you do" or "no you don't" and kicks you out of the office without looking any further? Your ASD (or lack thereof) may have no bearing on the actual problem's you're experiencing. Any good doc will take your self-diagnosis as a starting point for discussion but will then look at all of the symptoms presented and reach an independent conclusion, which might include more than one diagnosis. When I went to the doc I expected to get a diagnosis of AS because the description fit my history and circumstances so well, but I was quite surprised when he also diagnosed Inattentive Subtype ADHD. The funny thing is that the treatment for ADHD has had a far more obvious impact on my daily life.

As for myself, my comorbid disorders are:

1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (dx-- though I sometimes wonder if this isn't actually Social Phobia, since my panic attacks aren't quite so random and usually involve people or peopled situations)
2. Attention Deficit symptoms (undx)
3. Stuttering (dx-- though this stuttering is anxiety-related)

I also show some NLD symptoms but not the full symptom picture. I have poor spacial skills, but I am very 2-D visually oriented. My left arm is also very uncoordinated and weak. I am VERY right-side dominant.

I don't take any medications currently. Though I certainly have in the past.

I'm diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and severe depression. I'm currently on Wellbutrin and Klonopen which work very well. I was on Effexor also until Tenn"Don't"Care, the state-funded insurance, stopped paying for it since they changed their policy on what they would cover.

How long ago did Tenn Care decide to do that?

*notices insurance in this country is all going to hell and a hand basket*

I take Xanax as needed, but that's not very often. Unless I'm extremely agitated, I don't take it because then I get really tired. I prefer to be off meds.

I may or may not have other impairments. I don't feel like any of the other impairments I might have are serious enough to warrant seeking out a diagnosis.

I first saw a psychiatrist 9 years ago and he diagnosed me with Depression. Over the years, I've collected the following: MDD (Major Depressive Disorder), GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) with a history of panic attacks, and, until I see an AS specialist next month for an official diagnosis, my current PsychMD thinks I have social phobia. Yeah, right. Anyway, the answer is that people don't generally go to a doctor to get a diagnosis, they go to a doctor cuz they feel crappy, and the doctor gives them a diagnosis based on what the person does and says, and lastly, not all psychiatrists are very good. In fact, a lot of them leave a lot to be desired, in my personal and professional opinion.

Also, in case nobody else has mentioned it, having AS tends to lead towards anxiety and depression and other diagnoses because we are trying to function in a world that is more difficult for us than for NT's. I have a hard time understanding how anybody with AS could be happy and NOT have concurrent psych diagnoses. Luckier than me, I suppose.

Because these conditions can be very severe and overwhelming, and thus the individual needs help coping with it. Sorry, but I'm a little rubbed raw by that comment.

Depression is not something that should be blown off so lightly. I struggled painfully with serious depression for many years since childhood, ranging from mild bouts to suicidal ideation to psychotic episodes, not fully understanding what was wrong with me. I figure I should just cope with it on my own. But it continued to get worse until I was having compulsive thoughts of suicide I couldn't override. It went on for months too. I thought about suicide when I woke up until I went back to sleep. I could barely function, think about or do anything else, other than sit there with these involuntary thoughts about killing myself filling my head.

When something like this inhibits volition and impairs well-being, it's essentially a disease. Diseases need to be treated. My depression has always needed treatment, but due to years of it not being treated, it nearly killed me. That is why I was on Zoloft - to help with those compulsive thoughts of killing myself. It worked for that. When that part of my treatment was done, I stopped the meds and continued with other forms of treatment.

But getting dx was a very significant step for me. First it made my problem real. Second, it gave me access to professional help. Thirdly, it helps me get other people, like my family, to take my problem seriously. I'm 34 now, have lived with depression since I was 8, and tired of living under the weight of this disease. I take my treament seriously, even if there's still a pervasive attitude in our culture that seems think depression isn't that big of deal.

As is not an imparement.