Asperger's responsible for my performance anxiety?

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Kon
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09 Dec 2010, 10:01 pm

I've been trying to get a grip on the cause of my performance anxiety. I was wondering if there's anyone that might offer some input because my psychiatrist seems to be at a standstill. He diagnosed me with GAD but I'm pretty sure I have performance anxiety. Is it possible that my performance anxiety at my job is actually rational? I mean, is it possible, that even though others seems to think that I'm capable of doing my job, deep down inside I know it's beyond my capacity due to my Aspie-type characteristics: poor verbal memory, excutive function problems, social ineptness and sensory sensitivity issues?

It's so hard for me to separate these issues because I do seem to have characteristics of both and I don't want to look like I'm just looking for an escape route to not go back to my work. Plus my wife would go nuts since I've spent 5 years and probably close to $100,000 in education costs But at the same time, I can't keep torturing myself to keep trying something that I just may not be able to handle.



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09 Dec 2010, 11:24 pm

Well people with AS are prone to anxieties. I've had performance anxiety even for such a minor thing.
Could you describe in more detail what your job is?
I can see executive issues making someone anxious but not sensory. Sensory just makes me agitated.


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Kon
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10 Dec 2010, 1:03 am

I worked as a pharmacist. I had trouble with the till (talking, counting and scanning at the same time), talking/listening on the phone (people/collegues would get annoyed because I'd have to ask them to constantly repeat stuff and often had problems transcribing verbal stuff to written stuff), taking prescriptions from people (inputing their personel information/prescriptions, checking insurance issues while others are waiting in the line-up) and just multi-tasking activities, in general.



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10 Dec 2010, 5:14 am

Yes, that would give me anxiety too if I had to go in everyday to that.


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CultOfByron
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19 Jan 2011, 5:34 pm

Yes, I believe that 'performance anxiety' can be a component of Aspergers. My own situation is that I've adopted avoidant behaviours to deal with this; taking a night-time job to minimise contact with others, and cultivating a persona that to a degree allows me to get by. The main point here is that if your difficulties are not work-roundable, then you need to consider your options.

Where would you stand with asking for allowances to be made regarding tasks that are a part of your job? In the UK, there is a Disability Act which says that there should be some allowance made for aspects of the job that are difficult to perform, is there a similar ruling in the US (or wherever it is you are from)?



richardbenson
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19 Jan 2011, 6:33 pm

My anxiety turns into something awful. especially when i'm in the grocherie line, i studder and get colder than normal and have a hard time getting my reciept and change, thankfully this problem hasnt affected my sex drive, im like mick jagger already. :geek:


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