Aspies For Freedom

They have a way of coming back whether or not you have time for them

This sounds similar to my own situation: the bipolar II diagnosis, and earlier diagnosis with personality disorder or social phobia.

I don't have any tics but I do feel nervous and hyper-sensitive to my environment. If I overhear someone talking about me, it generally can be confirmed by third parties that they were talking about me. My hearing has always been sensitive. You probably feel restricted and isolated socially and have people talking behind your back. It comes with the territory.

You have a son. That's good. I'm not sure how many aspies do. I'm not sure that any of this is autism per se. For example, if you are autistic wouldn't there have been ticks since early childhood?

Some of your feelings may be hypochondriacal caused by earlier unresolved feelings and issues. If you have a family of your own and can study physics just think about how much better off you are than the majority of diagnosed people, let alone the "normies". For one, you're smarter than them, and some of them may know it and be jealous.

The same here as far as needing absolute quiet in order to study and concentrate. I also don't seem to ordinarily require the social contacts that most people have but do nonetheless have fairly normal work and school interactions. Nobody knows that I have any issues whatsoever.

How this fits in with the sensitivity, attempts to fit in socially, and even less, the bipolar II diagnosis I would have no idea.

I would like to help but it would be like the blind leading the blind since I too am at the same crossroads and don't understand the pidgeon-hole that I've been assigned in my "diagnoses".

Keep in touch.

Up to 30% of people on the spectrum DO have some degree of Bipolar (Digby Tantam sees this as an explanation for why there are some studies that claim that psychosis can occur later in life in people on the spectrum - psychosis is also part of manic episodes in Bipolar), so it's not necessarily a question of incorrect diagnosis.

If someone exhibits signs of Bipolar then these signs need to be treated - Bipolar is not something you can just sweep under the carpet and hope it goes away if you pretend it's all just Asperger's...

I got the impression that in that context they were just trying to be cautious, they were relying on a variety of different findings rather than one big study. They had more on this on the NAS site but since they re-did the site I can't find it any more.

That's what I'm wondering, obviously, especially when the "mania" is solely mood related.

anbuend: BTW that's very funny.

I really like this part of the test, although the test itself isn't exactly all-encompassing, it still seems to break things down more comprehensively than other such tests.

I wonder what "aspie communication" means though. Does a normal score there mean you communicate normally FOR AN ASPIE?

Yes I guess that must be it - it was just odd because you have some items that say "Above/below average" and relate to NT levels and others that do the same for AS levels. But yes that makes sense.

I work in a field where I use numbers on a constant basis but find that I enter the numbers in the calculator, more often than not, due to OCD tendencies.

Numbers arranged in a grid format, a table or some in some other visual- spacial format are much easier to comprehend.

As for the bank account number: Why would you have that memorized? IMHO it's really quite normal not to remember these things.

As for my symptoms
I'm a little more afraid with my not naturally collecting the social base of movies, sports, music and other entertainment information that makes small talk so much easier with the normies.

Well, that seems a little extreme. However, typically I can't remember or simply don't store the birth dates of close friends and loved ones making me feel like some kind of selfish alien being.

And yet, you are disturbed about this which shows human emotion. Perhaps the "zoning out" is related to autistic characteristics.

If you truly can fit in, then you are lucky. I feel perpetually like a stranger putting on some kind of act. Sometimes it's a comedy/ farce and sometimes it's scholarly, but never seems to be just me.

I hated my earlier differential diagnosis of Schizoid personality disorder because it implied both a relationship to schizophrenia, which I know that I can't have, and at the same time described some kind of cold, aloof guy that doesn't enjoy any social interaction which is definitely not me.

I sense depression, here. Don't get too self-analytical.

So do I. However, earlier in life you may not have had such good motor skills and may have learned them.

Sometimes, I feel like a chameleon, learning all the time.

Seeee....

I think you may have clinical depression.

Probably not the basic motor skills, though social learning and mimicry of behaviours would seem possible. I for one, never used to wink one eye to indicate that I was bluffing. Now, I do it all the time.

Fake smiling can be a little wierd looking though, imho. Just look at when the celebrities do it. They end up looking like a Philosoraptor (dinosaur with all the teeth) from the movie, Jurassic Park.