I was randomly diagnosed with Asperger's...

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I went to see a psychiatrist recently due to my issues with gender dysphoria. We talked for 30 minutes, and I left with a prescription for Citalopram (Celexa) SSRI along with a diagnosis of Asperger's, Gender Identity Disorder and 'possible infrequent schizophrenic tendancies'.

We didn't even talk much about my life, I just told him how I was feeling and how I have always found it difficult to fit in and make friends, how I've been depressed, how I feel the government is watching me sometimes, etc.

Should I try to get a second opinion? I'm thinking that would be quite hard, because this is the psychiatrist that was assigned to me by the government health service and I'm not sure if it's possible to request another.

Also, why is a user forced to select Male or Female when signing up? I don't feel like a male, and I'm obviously not a female, so I had no idea what to select.

Also, when we spoke on the phone about making a second appointment, he asked me if I had been taking my SSRI, and he also asked me how I would feel about being prescribed olanzapine and diazepam too.

Hi,

Well you should at least ask him to go further in the diagnosis or see another one. 30 minutes is very short and it's just impossible he can know enough on you to Dx Asperger's (though it doesn't mean he's wrong!). You could even ask people online if you both got enough time. There are some psychologists here that do online DX - it probably doesn't worth an IRL one, but it's better it you want to be sure.

"Also, why is a user forced to select Male or Female when signing up? I don't feel like a male, and I'm obviously not a female, so I had no idea what to select."

Same here.

I would be skeptical if I was labeled with a condition within the first session. As for gender, I would select based on what gender parts you have, do you have a penis or a vagina? (rhetorical question here because I am not expecting you to actually answer)

Obviously I don't know you, your situation or the psychiatrist, but what you describe is worrying. 30 minutes seems very quick to diagnose 3 disorders and prescribe medication - have you explored any alternatives like counselling, maybe from a lgbt perspective? Psychotropic drugs can be difficult to get off and can have bad side-effects, personally I would not take them unless I had no other option

Yeah, I am a bit skeptical of a 30 minute Dx of all those disorders too. As to the Asperger's, maybe your speech patterns were just that obvious? Then again, maybe because you are dealing with a government run healthcare system it may well be that the patient load far exceeds what he can actually handle. As such, he might be doing a lot of quick and dirty Dx'ing to try and deal with the work load.

I also wonder why you think the government is watching you? It is not necessarily an invalid argument given the extent of the data mining a lot of governments have been engaged in over the last several years. If you have a logical reason for thinking it then it is not necessarily a sign of psychosis. Now if you think everything you see has to do with you and that everyone is against you then yes, you do have a problem that needs to be medicated (schizo-affective disorder).

I told him that it feels like everywhere I go, a CCTV camera is watching me, and everything I do online is logged by the government. Not me specifically, but in general.
He then started asking me questions like, "Does the television have messages just for you?" and many others, and every time I said "no" he just asked another one.

I would be too. If he said "I think you have Aspergers; but you need further appointments", I could understand it.

I would also be skeptical if someone suggested Asperger's in the first session. When the therapist I was seeing suggested I look into getting a diagnosis, I had been seeing that person for over a year, so they had a chance to notice the traits.

I've read that this (a quick, one-visit diagnosis and prescription) is a trend in psychiatry today in the US, promoted by insurance companies, who'd rather pay for a prescription than for lengthy assessments, talk therapy, or anything else that is proven but costly. I would try to get a real assessment if it were me. One reason I'm self-diagnosed is that I can't afford assessment, don't even have anyone nearby who does it, or transportation to go further to find someone.

Mental health care in the US is deplorable right now and getting worse. The only ones benefiting from it seem to be the pharmaceutical companies.

Last edited by SpiritBlooms on 12 Aug 2012, 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

the goverment IS watching you and everyone else. this is a fact but when you tell people who have not realized this they will automatically think your crazy.

Laughing, but it's really not that funny, and consider that school requires compliance, so it's usually (not always) the most compliant students who manage to get through that much schooling to become doctors.

Yes if people were more aware of their surroundings they would realise that CCTV really is everywhere. This doesn't mean to say you are delusional, merely more attuned to your environment unlike the vast majority of people who see nothing unless it is pointed out to them by the media. The average psychiatrist has mainstream political opinions and so will interpret any critique of society as a delusion, no matter how learned and articulate your critique.

To me it sounds like you have a normal and realistic appraisal of your surroundings. However, it is something I would not bring up in a clinical setting as anything you say there can be interpreted wrong. BTW, I am just guessing here, but you live in the UK don't you? If so then yes. They really ARE watching you. With all of the license plate recognition cameras and CCTV cameras that are spread around that country I would be a bit paranoid too. Then again, many major cities in the US are getting to be just as bad as London.

Wow, I like how a very literal answer about the government watching you, turns into a delusion.

OP: You really do need to demand a second opinion on this, this possible pschizophrenic tendencies thing could cause problems for you. If it's all based on your feelings on CCTV then he's clearly made a humongous error.

It is exceptionally hard to identify schizophrenia in someone with AS. Even speculating this within a 30 minute session seems premature.

If you explain to your GP, that he has made three possible diagnoses in 30 minutes, along with 3 recommended drugs. I think he should understand your reasons for concern.

If you are in the UK you do have a right to have a free second opinion.

I don't want to scare you, but please co-operate with him while you get that second opinion. The last thing you want is to be made an in-patient.

Jason.

Sounds like this DR is only interested in writing prescriptions - First off there are no accepted drugs for "treating" Asperger's itself - there drugs for treating some of the secondary "symptoms" like depression Though I do have to say anti-depressants did my son no good - and changing his circumstances seems to have done the job quite well. There are drugs that are recommended for schizophrenia though my wife (who is in the mental health field) knows several people with schizophrenia that prefer to deal with the problems of schizophrenia rather than the problems the drugs cause. Yes, a schizophrenic can live a fairly normal life (depends how they are effected by schizophrenia) without drugs. Many more could manage if our society was into teaching coping skills and provided some support. In other cases when these people are violent we do nothing until they do something to injure others. There is a woman schizophrenic in prison here that had been to the local mental hospital many times they would get her on her drugs and release her (my wife tried a couple of times to get the hospital to keep her - this woman's wish) over and over again - until she committed armed assault. I kinda wandered here - just trying to show you not to trust the first psychiatrist you come upon.

I am no doctor so this is not medical opinion - but if it were me I would do the following -

1. Go on line and take the ASPIE Quiz and maybe a self-assessment for schizophrenia - then
2. I would go shopping for a new psychiatrist or psychoanalyst or what ever they call themselves - looking for one that specializes in the areas your self-assessments suggest may be your problems.
3. If the professional you find only wants to see you for one short visit and prescribe medications you got the wrong person - repeat step 2.
4. I would look for support groups that can supply a place and people willing to help teach coping skills.

PS - I would trust the outcome of the Aspie Quiz over the unsupported statement of a "professional" that has only spent a few minutes with you.