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lazamb_girl
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15 Nov 2012, 1:26 pm

Well I started going to a psychiatrist recently and have had a couple of sessions. I went with a detailed set of notes describing my problems and also why I suspect that I fall on the Autism Spectrum. Even in my first session she identified that I have acute Social phobia and anxiety disorder and also that I am very lonely. In the second session, I brought up AS again. Also she said she was not entirely convinced that I have AS though I do have some symptoms.
She says that my problem could be the way I have been brought up. But I am not entirely convinced about it.

Anyway she was open to discussing the tests I took for AS in the next session.
But she raised a few questions :
1. What would you do if you do have AS?
2. Are you open to medication to cope with stress and anxiety?

But I have been thinking about it since then:
1.Maybe if my social phobia is a co morbidity of ASD then the therapy techniques should be different. I believe that my social phobia stems from fact that I am still confused about social cues.
2. I am scared of all anti psychotic drugs. I do not want to be dependent on them. Also there would be withdrawal symptoms.

Well my questions to people who have been diagnosed:

1. What should I do if I do fall on the spectrum?
2. Should I take medication?
3. Well my psychiatrist has specialization and experience in clinical psychology.Nevertheless she is not an expert on Autism. So is it possible that I convince her that I fall on the spectrum when I actually don't?


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naturalplastic
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15 Nov 2012, 2:48 pm

Well... you should get a formal diagnosis.

One has to take a charge a little bit and be a self advocate when it comes to shrinks. Even if they are competent and well meaning they tend to biased towards their own specialties and approaches.

The official test for aspergers is a long, not cheap, battery of tests and interviews. But I think its worth it for you to take it.

Either way- if you turn out to be on the spectrum, or not, its vital to know.


Your psychologist is probably biased against thinking that your problems are neurologically based, and wants your problems to be caused by your upbringing because thats her specialty- talk therapy about family stuff. The idea that you're just wired differently, and could be an aspie, an autie, or ADD, or whatever, just isnt on her radar screen.

It sounds like you could be an aspie.



Last edited by naturalplastic on 15 Nov 2012, 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

windtreeman
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15 Nov 2012, 4:29 pm

Agreed...I really think you need to see a specialist in autism disorders to get any proper feedback on your symptoms. Luckily, I skipped all the in-between stuff, called a local psychologist, told her my issues and asked where I could get assessed...she forwarded me to a company (Ryther) that specializes in autism disorder assessment and treatments; from there, I had a one-hour appointment with a psychologist who's goal was to determine whether an assessment was necessary. Since she's an expert in the field and had dealt with and diagnosed an untold number of previous patients, it didn't take long before she scheduled the full assessment which I did this past Tuesday over a 5.5 hour appointment. I certainly still haven't been diagnosed, and for all I know, it'll end up being something else but I think trying to go through psychiatrists with very little experience in that area is just going to suck up time.


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Ettina
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15 Nov 2012, 5:16 pm

Quote:
2. Are you open to medication to cope with stress and anxiety?


Quote:
2. I am scared of all anti psychotic drugs. I do not want to be dependent on them. Also there would be withdrawal symptoms.


I doubt that's what she's talking about. Anti-psychotics don't generally get prescribed for anxiety. It's more likely you'll get an anti-depressant (which help with anxiety too) or an anti-anxiety med, and those have a lot fewer dangers associated with them.

Quote:
1. What should I do if I do fall on the spectrum?


First of all, accept yourself. AS is not some horrible disease, we're more of a minority group. Things can be tough for us because the world is designed for NTs, but there's nothing inherently wrong with the way we think. It's just different.

Secondly, if you have AS, then that should shed some light on some problems you've been having. For example, learn if you have sensory sensitivities, and figure out strategies for avoiding or coping with overload. The NT mindset doesn't really account for that possibility. For another example, it may be that some things you thought were just a matter of not trying hard enough actually require skills you lack, which everyone assumed you had. Learning those skills, or at the very least cutting yourself some slack, could be a big help.

Quote:
2. Should I take medication?


There is no pill for AS, only pills for coexisting conditions such as depression or anxiety or ADHD or whatever. So it's an individual thing, depending on what issues you have.

Quote:
3. Well my psychiatrist has specialization and experience in clinical psychology.Nevertheless she is not an expert on Autism. So is it possible that I convince her that I fall on the spectrum when I actually don't?


It is possible, but not very likely. It seems to me that inexperienced clinicians are more likely to reject AS when it's there than diagnose it when it isn't, especially with an adult (since it's more often seen as a childhood condition).

If you're worried about it, ask her if she could refer you to someone with more experience in AS.



littlelily613
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15 Nov 2012, 11:21 pm

lazamb_girl wrote:
1. What should I do if I do fall on the spectrum?


I am not sure how to answer this, and I am not sure why your psych would ask this either. What CAN you do? If you are on the spectrum, you are no different that you always were. The only thing I would suggest is to have your therapy tailored specifically for someone on the spectrum (as we sometimes need to take different approaches than NTs)


Quote:
2. Should I take medication?


That depends on how severe your symptoms are AND if therapy is not working. Therapy tailored toward ASD, if you are on the spectrum, might be what you need. If anxiety is severe though, medication could be helpful. Keep in mind, many psychiatrists WANT to write out prescriptions for people, so you can't ALWAYS accept their opinion as unbiased. They are not psychologists, and many of them see medication as a necessary step in healing. If YOU know that therapy isn't working, then you can give it a shot, but don't JUST do it because he or she tries to persuade you to.

Quote:
3. Well my psychiatrist has specialization and experience in clinical psychology.Nevertheless she is not an expert on Autism. So is it possible that I convince her that I fall on the spectrum when I actually don't?


If she is not a qualified ASD diagnostician, she cannot officially diagnose you. If she IS qualified, then she should know enough about it to know whether you have it or not.


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Kairi96
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16 Nov 2012, 8:06 am

Quote:
1. What should I do if I do fall on the spectrum?


You should try to improve and you should try to make the bad symptoms go away. That's all.

Quote:
2. Should I take medication?


That is your business; the decision is yours.

Quote:
3. Well my psychiatrist has specialization and experience in clinical psychology.Nevertheless she is not an expert on Autism. So is it possible that I convince her that I fall on the spectrum when I actually don't?


I don't know; if you said all the truth, you probably didn't. However, you shold go to an expert of ASD. Asperger's is a difficult diagnosis for someone who isn't qualified.


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