Aspergers/Autism & Bipolarity...

[Merlin]

There is very little in-depth info' available on AS/Autism in adults and even fewer adults, surrounding or affected by it, discussing it.

I'm in my early 30s and despite knowing on a personal level, was only diagnosed very late in my life.

So far I've battled to find others to converse with. I'd love to get insights on how life is handled from others who have or are affected by AS/Autism, more so if you/they battle with BP too.

I'm available via PM on here.

 

[sparticus]

There could be a link with BP and Autism. There is already a known link with Aspergers and Autism . My son is Autistic and I am OCD/Bipolar. I have recently been for genetic testing to try and see if there is a link.

 

[Merlin]

Hi sparticus,

As of next year, with the new version of the DSM, AS will become a rating on the Autism Spectrum, i.e. an Autism Spectrum Disorder.

A number of Aspies are in two minds over this, myself included. I think that it'll lessen the view of those of us who suffer a 'defined' set of traits, but agree that it is an ASD.

What type of testing did you go for, if I may ask?

I too exhibit OCD traits, but like a number of others, it's been enveloped in/by the AS/Autism diagnosis.

Is there a history of Autism in your family?

 

[sparticus]

Hi , As far as I know there is no history. I have been to psychologist , psychiatrist and genetic testing.

 

[Merlin]

Hi sparticus,

Thanks for the info'. Without close reporting, I would expect AS to be very hard to trace back. I've got my suspicions about it with my genetic line, but doubt I'll ever confirm them. On the other hand, I can clearly see the BP lineage going back a few generations.

I'll admit to being very hazy on genetic testing. ...definitely on my 'To Read' list now though.

 

[ichigo]

I just have Asperger's syndrome not all 3

 

[Merlin]

I just have Asperger's syndrome not all 3

How do you cope with 'normal' life, ichigo?

Do you battle to make and maintain friendships? Relationships?

Do those of you with AS battle to get NTs, or 'normal' people, to understand what AS is and that you tick differently?

 

[ichigo]

How do you cope with 'normal' life, ichigo?

Do you battle to make and maintain friendships? Relationships?

Do those of you with AS battle to get NTs, or 'normal' people, to understand what AS is and that you tick differently?

1. Ive learnt to live like a normal person and ignore the people who are weird to me, if I dont it just makes me more angrier that they dont get me and may end up hitting them .

2. Dont really have relationships, but am friendly with a lots of people and strike up conversations, not into going out to random places when I am not in the mood.

3. Yes seems like oversees everyone understands AS but here people are so clueless about it and think we are weirdos and that we must change for them even though we cant.

Had a episode with my bosses wife where I had to get a postbox key done and she wanted me to go to a place I hate going to so went to a shop I know who cuts keys well and did it there, but when I told her she went all aggro so just played it cool and ignored her since she does it everytime for no good reason and the place was also cheaper.

Other time she accused me of losing something yet I didn't since I am meticulous about checking if everything is there everytime I deliver or bring something to the office and it was actually the bookkeeper who lost the item and wouldnt admit it.

It feels like she is against me cause I am different oh and her husband and daughter have it and they too scared to tell her since she would go crazy, they have told my mom confidentially since shes good friends with them.

 

[Merlin]

1. *lol* @ hitting them. Your 'learnt to live like a normal person' comment strikes a chord with me. I try to explain myself by saying that I study people and their habits. Obviously there is the core 'me', but I've adapted to life around me by mimicing certain social habits that I've observed. For the most part, it works.

2. I'm currently in my first 'proper' relationship. It's taken a massive amount of work, on my part, to handle it, but it's going fairly well, so far. It's a day-by-day thing at this stage, really, and is still to new for me to confidently define anything in detail as yet. It sounds like you're a little more at ease with dealing with random social situations than I am, although I can 'get by' well enough, most of the time.

3. Your boss' wife sounds like a bit of a witch. Period. I'd give her as wide a berth as possible, if possible. If her husband and daughter have it, she may be projecting her feelings about them onto you [and others].

 

[ichigo]

1. *lol* @ hitting them. Your 'learnt to live like a normal person' comment strikes a chord with me. I try to explain myself by saying that I study people and their habits. Obviously there is the core 'me', but I've adapted to life around me by mimicing certain social habits that I've observed. For the most part, it works.

2. I'm currently in my first 'proper' relationship. It's taken a massive amount of work, on my part, to handle it, but it's going fairly well, so far. It's a day-by-day thing at this stage, really, and is still to new for me to confidently define anything in detail as yet. It sounds like you're a little more at ease with dealing with random social situations than I am, although I can 'get by' well enough, most of the time.

3. Your boss' wife sounds like a bit of a witch. Period. I'd give her as wide a berth as possible, if possible. If her husband and daughter have it, she may be projecting her feelings about them onto you [and others].

Ye I think you are spot on about her wish she wouldn't do that though, since it makes it hard to carry on working after getting stressed out by her.

In theory I think I will do fine in a relationship, but in practise I am not sure, though it works in the dreams I have .

 

[Merlin]

Although I've had ladyfriends in the past, this one is the first one >I< am defining as a proper relationship. It's been a real learning curve though and it's not always easy going, for either one of us. I am doing my utmost to push myself out of my comfort zones though.

 

[ichigo]

Although I've had ladyfriends in the past, this one is the first one >I< am defining as a proper relationship. It's been a real learning curve though and it's not always easy going, for either one of us. I am doing my utmost to push myself out of my comfort zones though.

I did have a girlfriend in primary school and the relationship worked well until she moved somewhere else and lost contact was before cellphones

 

[Azbubu]

What exactly is it that you guys do for others to think you're weird? Do you have tics etc?

 

[Merlin]

abzo,

No, we don't have tics.

AS is a...form...of Autism. More people know the Autism term than the AS term, so the way that I've tried to explain myself for ages now is to bring up the stereotypical image of an Autistic kid, isolated in a corner, rocking away in his/her own world. To a degree, we Aspies are like that, but the problem, and it is one, is that we 'appear' 'normal'.

We battle to integrate on a social level. We can't easily read 'signals', perceive social cues differently, are usually very blunt, are known to be smart & lateral thinkers and we tend to have very focused interests and fields of conversation.

From what I've learnt, we tend to be anti-social. Whether that's as a result of or part of it, I can't say.

Some are known to have dulled or sensitive senses.

Most battle with eye contact, contact, like hugs, etc.

Some of us also exhibit related conditions or traits. I am OCD, ADHD, etc.

I must point out that I consider myself very bad at describing AS, so please, if you are interested, take it upon yourself to do some additional Googling.

Typically, if someone new spent a bit of time around me or talking to me [probably no more than a few minutes], they'd pick up that something was awry, but not bother to find out what.

I have a small group of Friends that have taken the time to know me and put up with me, for which I am eternally grateful. Looking back, there is a wake of social carnage and I can't generally understand why most of them got so upset with me. It's hugely depressing.

This is mostly based on my experience and what little I've gleamed from others in my path/the 'net.

 

[Azbubu]

Ohhh wait, sorry, I had AS confused with Tourette's which is why I asked about the tics.

 

[Merlin]

Ohhh wait, sorry, I had AS confused with Tourette's which is why I asked about the tics.

I have that too, but only in the vicinity of taxi drivers and most Durban drivers.

 

[proxilin]

abzo,

No, we don't have tics.

AS is a...form...of Autism. More people know the Autism term than the AS term, so the way that I've tried to explain myself for ages now is to bring up the stereotypical image of an Autistic kid, isolated in a corner, rocking away in his/her own world. To a degree, we Aspies are like that, but the problem, and it is one, is that we 'appear' 'normal'.

We battle to integrate on a social level. We can't easily read 'signals', perceive social cues differently, are usually very blunt, are known to be smart & lateral thinkers and we tend to have very focused interests and fields of conversation.

From what I've learnt, we tend to be anti-social. Whether that's as a result of or part of it, I can't say.

Some are known to have dulled or sensitive senses.

Most battle with eye contact, contact, like hugs, etc.

Some of us also exhibit related conditions or traits. I am OCD, ADHD, etc.

I must point out that I consider myself very bad at describing AS, so please, if you are interested, take it upon yourself to do some additional Googling.

Typically, if someone new spent a bit of time around me or talking to me [probably no more than a few minutes], they'd pick up that something was awry, but not bother to find out what.

I have a small group of Friends that have taken the time to know me and put up with me, for which I am eternally grateful. Looking back, there is a wake of social carnage and I can't generally understand why most of them got so upset with me. It's hugely depressing.

This is mostly based on my experience and what little I've gleamed from others in my path/the 'net.

That sounds like a description for an engineer.

Jokes aside, I have read a fair bit about autism and aspergers, and I'd like your opinion on my opinion, seeing as though you have first hand experience I get autism, but in some cases it seems that people get labelled with "high functioning" Aspergers when they have a couple of personality traits that someone has decided is abnormal. People are going to come in all shapes sizes forms personalities quirks etc. People like labelling others, and conversely people enjoy being labelled. It's nice to know that there is some "cause" for your weirdness.

So whilst I do realise that there is a spectrum of autism, and most cases diagnosed are legit, I find myself thinking that some of the people labelled on the mild end of aspergers are actually just normal people that fall within the very wide spectrum of personalities. Personally I know a lot of people that would identify completely with the description you gave above.

 

[Merlin]

That sounds like a description for an engineer.

Jokes aside, I have read a fair bit about autism and aspergers, and I'd like your opinion on my opinion, seeing as though you have first hand experience I get autism, but in some cases it seems that people get labelled with "high functioning" Aspergers when they have a couple of personality traits that someone has decided is abnormal. People are going to come in all shapes sizes forms personalities quirks etc. People like labelling others, and conversely people enjoy being labelled. It's nice to know that there is some "cause" for your weirdness.

So whilst I do realise that there is a spectrum of autism, and most cases diagnosed are legit, I find myself thinking that some of the people labelled on the mild end of aspergers are actually just normal people that fall within the very wide spectrum of personalities. Personally I know a lot of people that would identify completely with the description you gave above.

Hi proxilin,

I agree 100% with you. Far too many people are appended to labels there days in the pursuit of medicated parity.

ADHD kids, Bipolar depressives and the like come to Mind immediately.

A combination of delayed knowledge in this country and slack doctors, of which I've encountered quite a few, help contribute to this problem.

I have no doubt that a sizeable number of people have been incorrectly diagnosed. In my case, I was clearly 'different' from the youngest age. We weren't able to find the 'right' doctors until I was well into my 20s, by which stage I had spent a very large amount of time researching the Mind and its various ailments.

I was confident about what what my situation was and went through quite a few doctors until I found three that worked for me and agreed upon the BP diagnosis. I made the one doctor my permanent choice and after a full year, with the help of my closest Friend, who knows me far better than anyone else, approached her for her thoughts on what else troubled me. When the subject of AS (and its related matters) arose, I gave her my findings and we proceeded to go through a lengthy checklist of AS traits. I sat and listened whilst she read through every question. At the end of it, I told her that I could confidently answer every one of them with a yes, to which my Friend agreed.

Again, I want to make very clear that I still have a lot of trouble explaining it properly, so I always insist on others doing their own research, usually via Google or via a doctor.

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Hi guys, sorry to necro this thread,

Having a bit of an issue understanding if i do or dont got it;(aspeger)

Did the tests, online ones, passed as normal and passed well, problem is my dad is saying I cheated, when i actually didnt....
Really thought well and answered truthfully,
How did anybody here with aspie get diagnosed accuratly?

Is it actually a requirement to get somebody else to answer the questions on your behalf?
Also whats the best way to get an 2nd opinion on aspeger,

Dont want to go to a shrink if i can avoid it,
Dont trust them, and afraid of the potential pyciatric evaluation having negative effects on jobs and future, heard you can lose driving licence ect....

 

[ichigo]

Hi guys, sorry to necro this thread,

Having a bit of an issue understanding if i do or dont got it;(aspeger)

Did the tests, online ones, passed as normal and passed well, problem is my dad is saying I cheated, when i actually didnt....
Really thought well and answered truthfully,
How did anybody here with aspie get diagnosed accuratly?

Is it actually a requirement to get somebody else to answer the questions on your behalf?
Also whats the best way to get an 2nd opinion on aspeger,

Dont want to go to a shrink if i can avoid it,
Dont trust them, and afraid of the potential pyciatric evaluation having negative effects on jobs and future, heard you can lose driving licence ect....

Never had problems when I went to a Psychiatrist for my diagonosis and unless you tell someone no one will know and I have my drivers license still

It also helps with getting a job if people understand why you are like that.