What did/would you complain of to a specialist?

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1. The first time you went to see a specialist (Psychologist, Psychiatrist, therapist, whatever) for your problems, what were the problems you went to complain about? If you've never been to a specialist and you went next week, what would you complain of?

2. Have your complaints changed? If so, what did they become later on? What are they nowadays?

3. What diagnosis/treatment/advice/whatever did you receive in each occasion?

I ask because I'm trying to understand why, though most of us are supposed to have AS, we seem to be diagnosed with such an array of different ailments.

Assessment #1: Voc Rehab
Complaint: Cannot keep a job
Diagnosis: Asperger's, Bipolar
Treatment: Vocational Rehab, got a job, referral to neuropsychiatrist, Asperger's support group that helped tremendously

Assessment #2: Neuropsychiatrist
Complaint: Extreme moodiness and anxiety
Diagnosis: Asperger's, Bipolar, Anxiety Disorder
Treatment: Lamictal, a wonder drug for bipolar, anxiety treatment, therapy 2x month

Assessment #3
Complaint: severe anxiety, getting lost constantly, difficulty managing life
Diagnosis: Asperger's, moderate with functional IQ of 60, agorophobia
Treatment: "The Brokerage," $14,000 worth of services per year that address life management and transportation

1. The first time you went to see a specialist (Psychologist, Psychiatrist, therapist, whatever) for your problems, what were the problems you went to complain about? If you've never been to a specialist and you went next week, what would you complain of?
I had reading and speech problems so got tested for dyslexia, then the board of psychologists misdiagnosed me with severe depression and my new psychologist made me fill in a form and after she marked it she said I hardly had any traits for a depression diagnosis. She thought I was more likely to have social anxiety.

2. Have your complaints changed? If so, what did they become later on? What are they nowadays?
I have less anxiety about social situations but still fear about starting a job, even before I even know I have one. And I am worried about organizing issues and think I have a form of ADHD, though my psychiatrist chose to ignore those questions.

3. What diagnosis/treatment/advice/whatever did you receive in each occasion?
I guess I answered that; social anxiety and I was finally diagnosed with Asperger's as well as mild cognitive impairment with dyslexia predominant (whatever that means). I had anger/depression issues, which was actually hormonal so I was put on anti-depressants. For my social anxiety I had to put myself in social situations and do it without meds, because my psychologist was against them. I did some CBT as well, but refused to do meditation because I felt it would benefit me very little.

Most therapists and psychiatrists don't know anything about AS. When I mentioned it to my psychiatrist, she said that since she's a general psychiatrist and not a developmental psychiatrist, it's just not something she deals with.
So they diagnose different symptoms as disorders in and of themselves.

I think that perhaps it's problematic when people go in complaining of symptoms that could be other things, rather than the roots of those symptoms. I know personally, a lot of my issues have been the results of problems caused by AS.. those problems may be a large part of what brings me in for help, but they're not the underlying cause.
It's probably also quite important to note reasons why it was never caught. For me, my biggest and most repetitive, pervasive stim, while extremely noticeable and significant to me, is very subtle from the outside. It's this thing I do with my mouth that is really loud to me, because it kinda causes vibrations practically in my ear canal, but when I mentioned it to my mother she said she'd never noticed-- and I did it almost constantly throughout my entire childhood. It's difficult to detect from the outside.

Wow tiger, excellent format, thanks!

I see that so far everyone's complaints seemed quite unrelated to basic AS symptoms such as not understanding the non-verbal, bluntness, prosopagnosia, lack of empathy, obsessive interests and the like.

Counsellor
Complaint: scared of social situations and isolated.
Diagnosis: none
Treatment: weekly general counselling
Advice: try leaving home, try homeopathy, plus some generic advice on socialising

Therapist (CBT)
Complaint: social anxiety
Diagnosis: social anxiety disorder
Treatment: behavioural therapy
Advice: almost none

Therapist (CBT)
Complaint: social anxiety and hypochondria
Diagnosis: there may be something more going on than the above
Treatment: talk and CBT
Advice: some lifestyle, social and anxiety management

Therapist (psychodynamic)
Complaint: social anxiety, hypochondria, sensory issues becoming worse, social isolation
Diagnosis: neurosis/repressed trauma
Treatment: psychoanalysis
Advice: none

Therapist (psychodynamic)
Complaint: as above
Diagnosis: neurosis/repressed trauma
Treatment: psychoanalysis
Advice: commit to over a year of group therapy (rejected it)

Psychiatrist
Complaint: social anxiety, Asperger's, sensory issues, social isolation
Diagnosis: Asperger's and severe generalized anxiety disorder
Treatment: Medication (rejected it)
Advice: none

Clinical psychologist
Complaint: Asperger's, anxiety, sensory issues, social isolation
Diagnosis: Autism spectrum disorder
Treatment: none available
Advice: none

Counsellor
Complaint: social difficulties, executive dysfunction, sensory issues, and anxiety (from the AS)
Diagnosis: attention-seeking/trauma
Treatment: psychodynamic (rejected it)
Advice: set alarms so you remember to eat. Plus some things that weren't helpful.

Assessment: psychiatrist
Complaint: autism or AD(H)D
Complaint in specific: A) grave communication issues B) future dependency
Diagnosis: Borderline pd (almost?)
Advice: get diagnosed asap, get treated for self-injurious borderline behaviour and childhood trauma instantly

Assessment: psychiatrist, clinical psychologist
Complaint: Asperger's or HFA or AD(H)D
Complaint in specific: A) grave communication issues B) future dependency C) previous almost misdiagnosis
Diagnosis: Asperger's (not clear if it's childhood autism)
Disorders ruled out: Schizophrenia, Borderline pd, Schizoid pd, OCD
Advice: start ASD therapy

Assessment: psychologist
Complaint: ADD or ADHD
Complaint in specific: A) inability to focus B) hyperactivity
Diagnosis: ADHD or AD(H)D-NOS

My original compalints involved mostly my meltdowns, and somewha tmy inability to communicate properly with other people. For some reason, the doctor emphasized social difficulties in her summary of my complaints far more than I had.



Not really, as in, my actual statements to therapists, but that is because everyone is so bothered by my meltdowns that they automatically beocme my #1 problem wehther I feel that way or not. If no-one else were to decide what I go for therapy for, I would far more emphasize inability to cope with stress/overload (which then leads to meltdowns, but the emphasis leads to different interventions).



Diagnosis: autism or Asperger's depending on which prof you ask. One doc also diagnosed me with impulse control disorder NOS, but I am not sure whethe rit was the meltdowns making them think so or something else (I wasn't even told in person of this dx, foudn out by accident when reading a treatment plan of mine). Treatment, well, I was in counseling with an autism specialized nurse for a while, which mostly involved education about autism. I now have no clue what my "treatment" is supposed to entail, even though I've been institutionalized for 1 3/4 years (the reason for that is there is no supported living place which wants me at this point). The informal "treatment" I used to get mostly involved being told by nurses 100 times that I couldn't have meltdowns, being punished for them, etc. Now the nurses try to help me find other ways of dealing with the meltdown-provoking situations.

The first time I went to a psychologist (about 6 months ago, at the age of 50), I went to be evaluated for AS. My complaint was that I have trouble making & keeping friends - and I would like to find a way to have more people in my life.


I still have the same issues - although I think I am making progress.


The evaluation resulted in a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome (absolutely no question ) The advice has been good, supportive suggestions of ways to become involved with people. I especially like that my psychologist doesn't want to "fix" things about me that I don't consider to be broken. He just wants to help me find ways to achieve my personal goals - but within the context of AS. (So his suggestions take into account things like sensory issues.)

I just went to one last week, with the specific purpose of help with professional functioning.

I complained of being unable to function successfully in the workplace because I can't manage social conflict. I always end up getting picked on, bullied, my work belittled and marginalized.

I have a lot of other symptoms, but as an adult Asperger I've learned to manage most of them or train myself with workarounds.

Some of the simpler traits that affected me at work were: organizing my work, getting to work on time, understanding what level of work product met the employer's needs, communicating about requirements and having trouble with my level of performance being inconsistent because my level of functioning on any given day is affected by allergies, emotional mood, sensory distractions and other distractions.

*envy attack @ zeichner*

How did you get so lucky?

It sounds like an unattainable dream to me... Not only a dx at the first try, but a counselor that respects your differences caused by AS...

Well, I guess you're not the AS type that gets in trouble for inadvertedly saying the king is nude, so specialists rule out "unconsciously needs to hurt others" in you and don't send you to a classical Psychologist for another 30 years of anger management sessions...

And thank you everyone so far, I'm still reading all.

I'm having wishful delusions. I just scrolled the thread and I imagined that I had seen ephemerella here. I don't want to scroll again and be disappointed that it was a mistake...

ephemerella...is that you?

omg, we've missed you soooo much!! !

Well... I first asked my primary care physician how I should go about seeking an evaluation. She recommended a local psychology clinic. I called the clinic - and it just so happened that they have a resident psychologist who specializes in adults & adolescents with AS. He's a kind, gentle man. He did a good job of putting me at ease from the very first session.


You are probably right. I tend to be quiet & not assertive - especially when talking to authority figures. Perhaps he saw that I was coming to him with questions & not answers (even though I had strong suspicions that AS "fit" me.)

I'm extremely happy with my psychologist & after reading some of the horror stories on this forum, I realize how lucky I am.

I was 20 years old the first time I was assessed for anything.

Assessment: psychiatrist
Complaint: I was sent to the hospital for a week by my GP after seeing cut marks on my arms, despite my protesting that they were not to injure myself but because I simply got caught up in something repetitive.
Complaint in specific: anxiety, panic attacks, depression, repetitive behaviors, unstable moods reported by family members (IE: meltdowns)
Diagnosis: Bipolar II
Advice: Medication and therapy. I complied.
Ruled Out: Personality tests were given at the hospital and the results were "inconclusive."

Assessment: psychiatrist
Complaint: anxiety, panic attacks, unstable moods (meltdowns), repetitive behaviors (stims).
Complaint in specific: Medication not doing anything at all.
Diagnosis: Bipolar II with Rapid Cycling. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (based on past childhood sexual abuse)
Disorders ruled out: none
Advice: Medication and therapy, lithium was started. Partial hospital program. I complied.

Assessment: psychiatrist
Complaint: anxiety, panic attacks, unstable moods, mania, difficulty functioning on my own
Complaint in specific: A) getting lost B) unable to make decisions (low tolerance to pressure) C) low frustration tolerance (meltdowns and sensory issues) D) easily upset when things change (meltdowns) E) repetitive behaviors (stims) F) manic feelings (brought on by the medication)
Diagnosis: Bipolar II with Rapid Cycling, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Panic and Anxiety Disorder with Agoraphobia
Advice: Medication and Therapy, referred for an outside assessment as well. I complied.

Assessment: psychiatrist
Complaint: anxiety, panic attacks, unstable moods (meltdowns), difficulty functioning on my own, feeling different from other people, feeling dissociated at times
Complaint in specific: Same as above, Pdoc focused a lot on my inability to function alone however (IE: without a boyfriend/husband)
Diagnosis: Bipolar II with Rapid Cycling, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Panic and Anxiety Disorder with Agoraphobia, and Borderline Personality Disorder
Advice: Medication and Therapy, specifically DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy). I complied. I graduated from the DBT class after 2.5 years.

Assessment: Neuropsychologist
Complaint: anxiety, panic attacks, difficulty functioning on my own, feeling different from other people, problems with socialization, meltdowns, low frustration tolerance, repetitive actions/thoughts
Complain in specific: Daughter was being assessed for Asperger's and in my research, I found myself. Therapist at the time referred me to a Neuropsychologist for the assessment.
Diagnosis: Asperger's Disorder, Anxiety Disorder NOS
Advice: Medication for the anxiety specifically, therapy for issues people with Asperger's face, knowledge about support groups and books, seek out an Occupational Therapy to be assessed for and diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder as Neuropsychologist is very sure I have it.
Ruled Out: Bipolar I in any form

Assessment: Clinical Psychologist
Diagnosis: Agrees with Neuropsychologist and her assessment.
Ruled Out: Borderline Personality Disorder
OCD now lumped into Asperger's Disorder dx
Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia now lumped into Anxiety Disorder NOS


Huge Gigantic Misdiagnoses: Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder

Number of medications I was on for a "mood disorder" I didn't have. .. I lost count after 20 something.

I wasn't diagnosed with Asperger's and the other dx's "removed" until I was 30 years old. I spent 10 years learning about how to cope with my Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder.

1. Psychiatrist
Complained about depression. Mother suggested AS.
Denied AS, said I had severe social anxiety and depression and other things not really related that I don't want to mention. Went back once for medication change and that didn't work either so never returned. My mother asked for a second evaluation and the lady told her to see her college for her opinion but my mother said that it'd be biased still because the lady would tell her collegue about it beforehand. Oh and she also said that my sister probably didn't have autism because most people with autism now-a-days just have anxiety.

2. Psychologist
Was sent there from psychiatrist for anxiety/depression help. I was never asked of my complaints.
Said AS could be possible, but gave me depression selective mutism social phobia and generalized anxiety upon first short visit and I didn't go back.

3. School
Mother asked for evaluation for AS and anxiety.
The lady was experienced with people with AS though and said I had it along with anxiety and she wrote down the names of the other people and the bad schools so she would tell people not to go to them in the future.