How does an aspie know when they are depressed?

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I am always hearing about comorbidity and ASCs but how does an aspie sort out whether they are just frustrated by something that has happened, or just over-tired because they kept on doing their preferred interest late into the night, or they are genuinely depressed?

If an aspie thinks differently and lives life in a different kind of way, how do the standards or criteria for anger or depression or anxiety apply to aspies?

Can the non-autistic criteria for things fit aspies too?

Many aspies have trusted psychiatrists, psychologists and GPs only to find later that they have been misunderstood, misdiagnosed, dismissed or simply haven't had their needs met.

So how does an aspie know if they are struggling (because much of our life is a struggle in the social arena) and how can you tell if you are seeing the right professional or that you are getting the appropriate treatment, advice or what you need?

I don't believe in seeing professionals and being treated personally. I follow my nature. I'm struggling so to speak whenever things aren't going according to plan. Whether it's that I can't understand what I've been trying to learn all week, when I can't meet others expectations, etc.

Not an expert on criteria to meet diagnoses but as far as I'm concerned they shouldn't be so different whether or not they are. When people feel sh*tty they feel sh*tty, it would be stupid to take two equally unhappy people and say one was depressed and the other had Aspergers.

You could try this depression questionnaire:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/predict-depression/

Or you could just watch for the physical signs:
http://psychology.suite101.com/article. ... depression

I've only just found those links so I haven't had time yet to test myself.

I agree it's difficult for us, because we don't easily recognise our emotions.

I don't know if I've ever been clinically depressed or not. A few times I've felt worse than just unhappy or in a bad mood. But I'm glad I didn't go see the doc and get put onto antidepressants. Whatever sorrow I've had, I've been able to stay on top of it without meds.....mostly I've coped without direct help from anybody.

I don't know....that's a conundrum. Related, to confide: A few years ago I had had a chest cold with fever. I knew I was sick but thought I'd recover soon enough so really pushed myself hard so as not to interrupt my schedule. After ~ 7-8 weeks my cold was not better but instead progressing, yet I almost did not notice. Then, I almost was not able to get out of bed and my chest felt wet/heavy. I walked into the local clinic - - I had a whopping case of pneumonia. The doctor asked if I was trying to kill myself (no); not at all. I was trying to get better. I could have been hospitalized (no!) but was strictly told I MUST go to bed and sleep. I drank lots of water/soup and took the antibiotic and related medicine. Finally, I did get better!

But I can envision what you are saying; I can be painfully sick and almost not really notice. But, my entire being suffers where I have one "sense:" Sick*. If I am sad (right word?) then it's not much different than if I have pneumonia, quantitatively.

Maybe this is one where another person needs to tell me I am sick. Often I can be the last to know. Or, maybe Aspies could ask themselves, rhetorically? That's quite the question, Kaleido. Consulting an appropriate website (self-diagnostic thingy) is an idea too - and quantifiable.

I have one term for *Sick. which is inclusive of sad (and related): hurt/sick Lab Pet. If I use that term in writing then it is so. The pain can be acute but I might not know why.

Well, from my experience, I became snappish/irritable, lost interest in my interests, felt the need to get 14+ hours of sleep a day, everything felt like it "drained" me somehow, urge to end it all, etc. Currently, on anti-depressant (which, depending on future events, i may no longer need), and since getting my ASD dx, I think I've been doing better. I still have my "down days," but they're a tad milder than they used to be and I've been doing what i can to keep from suicidal thoughts (working for the most part).

With clinical depression, there's crying, lack of energy, feelings of hopelessness and discouragement. You feel demoralized. Problem is, sometimes antidepressions (SSRIs) either do not work or bring out the obessing and mania.

Abilify with an SSRI is supposed to be good, though I haven't tried it.

I've been on Zoloft for a week and I am experiencing an improvement. Depression is something that can be very subtle and not readily apparent. It is something I have had for a very long time and did not know it. My therapist believes that my AS is the root cause of my depression. So far the therapy and Zoloft seem to be working.

We can reconise it just as easily as other emotions, which isn't always that much for a lot of us. But I also think that the things likely to trigger depression differ in Aspies and NTs, for example an NT would be more likely to become depressed due to lack of human interaction than an Aspie.

I like to solve my own problems, on my own. I can tell, when I'm depressed. I know all the signs. I don't eat, and lose interest in things that bring me pleasure, and I have trouble, getting out of bed, in the morning. I don't feel like talking to people, either, except for the people on WP.

Those are useful links, thanks for that

My emotions are one feeling it seems, but how do you know which one?

That sounds like me, I am ok and generally a 'happy little soul' or I am not though I don't seem to fit the general criteria for depression. I think I may get anxious though when I cannot understand something. Definitely frustrated.

I am very interested in this question about depression and anxiety because I have had three members of my family get quite seriously depressed at one time or another. One member took tablets for years but that was before modern ones and I don't see that it helped. I think that one got depressed because they worked too hard and then got problems on top of their tiredness and that was how it happened to them.

Another seemed to have a reaction to a job loss and being in his fifties, away from the rest of the family he most cared about. He did much the same as the other one, that is he sat around, didn't take care of himself and nothing interested him at all. He couldn't get out of the depression without medication.

The other family member wasn't so serious, but there were similar things like feeling hopeless but they still carried on and seemed to still enjoy some aspects of their life.

It is important to remember that depression is a medical circumstance. While not all depressions require anti-depressant medications, it is best for a patient to come to that decision after discussing it with a physician.

Patients who think that they might be at risk for depression should talk to their doctors about watching for warning signs, and review them periodically. While occasional incidents may be nothing more than transient, they can also point to something more chronic.

Having an objective observer on hand to talk these issues through with is the best way to make sense of them.

The first time a clinical depression, I couldn't stop sleeping, but I didn't know what I was feeling, until my father went to speak with a psychiatrist, (I'm not sure if it's correctly written), and he suggested that I could have depression, which started from my childhood. I was 14 then. After my depression "improved", my parents told me to tell them whenever I felt like I was depressed again. Now, my question was, how do I do that if I don't know what I'm feeling? Now, my parents sometimes tell me that I seem depressed again, so that's how I know I may be experiencing some depression. Otherwise, I don't know what I'm feeling.

Thank you, that is a very useful post

I don't know how good the UCL test is but apparently I am ok and my chance of getting depression is below average in the future, which is a relief since I have health conditions and suffer extreme fatigue at times which is frustrating because there are always so many interesting things in life to be getting on with. I can't bear it if I have to take an afternoon rest or sleep and over the last few days I felt so tired (presumably because of the heat) that I was worried in case I would get depressed because I was worried about something too and that seemed like a bad combination.

I've learned how to identify the signs for myself. I was taught what to look for pretty early on due to being diagnosed Bipolar.

Depression isn't any one particular emotion. It isn't even really sadness. More like a total exhaustion of the spirit/soul.

For me the first recognizable sign of depression is when every little thing in life seems much harder for me than it is for other people. Everything from getting out of bed in the morning, working, preparing meals for yourself. Life feels like an endless chore, overwhelming, unsatisfying, futile, hopeless, etc.

I don't imagine it would be much different for an aspie than it is for an NT. The experience is pretty unmistakable.