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Asperger's vs OCD

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Sharla
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05 Aug 2006, 1:32 pm

My son was diagnosed with OCD before he was diagnosed with Asperger's. What I understand about Asperger's, OCD goes along with it. Where is the line drawn? My son has so many obsessions. The reason I am posting this is he just got done with another nosebleed. He is very obsessed with nosebleeds. He is amazed with the clot that comes after the nosebleed. He literally starts the nosebleeds just to see the clot. Do any of you have an obsession with something like this?



TheMachine1
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05 Aug 2006, 2:02 pm

How old is your son? You mentioned in another post he had an IQ of 135 but he
is not studying enough (at home school any way). Does he have ADHD? What medications is he on or has tried?



walk-in-the-rain
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05 Aug 2006, 3:52 pm

Generally I think Asperger's obsessions are something that the person is interested in and may derive enjoyment from. Obsessions in OCD are often intrusive and unwanted and cause anxiety which in turn causes the compulsion part of the disorder (like anxiety about contamination results in handwashing in order to alleviate the anxiety). So the person with OCD does not necessarily appreciate the obsessions because they cause anxiety. Also there can be just "pure O" OCD in which the person does not do any compulsions, but often people can not stop the thoughts and feel they must do something (compulsions) or else the anxiety will worsen. I have a diagnosis of OCD, but not a formal diagnosis of AS. There was some debate on here about whether someone with AS can have OCD seperately, but I do think they can because there are different aspects to the conditions. A person with OCD may have hundreds of little things they do including repetitive actions and rigid thinking along with poor insight so it really takes someone with alot of experience to differentiate between the two (AS and OCD).



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05 Aug 2006, 7:29 pm

Actually I like to congrad you for asking this question. I have OCD and Aspergers and these people here has also given me good info.


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donkey
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05 Aug 2006, 7:59 pm

iam a 34 yo male aspie, i used to get nose bleeds when i was single difits kid.
oi dony know how it is related but iwas embarassed not obsesssd with clots.
mebe it is just him?



NeantHumain
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05 Aug 2006, 9:18 pm

I wrote a good explanation about the differences between obsessive-compulsive disorder's obsessions and compulsions and the "restricted and stereotyped patterns of interest" of Asperger's syndrome on another forum:

NeantHumain wrote:
Obsessions are distressing ideas or images that a person cannot get out of their head, so they use compulsions to quell the anxiety or disgust. Ruminating, or pure obsessional OCD, involves a compulsive "thinking through" of a situation over and over, even for hours at a time, until a "solution" is found.

Examples of obsessions are things like the fear of a close relative dying, a fear of harming someone, a fear of being infected after touching something dirty, and the anxiety of doing something imperfectly.

Compulsions include washing one's hands repeatedly until a sense of cleanliness is reached, locking and relocking the doors a certain number of times, having to align everything in a room to reduce tension, saying a sequence of numbers (even in one's mind) to relieve anxiety, and praying.

Perseverations are ideas or mannerisms that a person cannot stop even after the applicable stimulus has disappeared. For example, the elderly schizophrenic woman in Donnie Darko checked her mail every day, even on Sunday, and even though she'd gotten scarcely a letter in years. Psychopaths often pursue a strategy that was once rewarding but has long ceased to be rewarding and has even become negative. Mentally ret*d or brain damaged individuals are also prone to perseveration.

People with Asperger's syndrome have "stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest." The words obsession and peseveration both connote somewhat different things. In normal people, these would just be called hobbies, interests, collections, or pastimes.



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06 Aug 2006, 4:21 pm

I think walk-in-the-rain explained it quite well actually - Aspie obsessions give enjoyment; obsessions and compulsions in OCD cause distress:

Quote:
DSM IV Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Criteria


A. Either obsessions or compulsions:

Obsessions as defined by (1), (2), (3), and (4):

(1) recurrent and persistent thoughts, impulses, or images that are experienced at some time during the disturbance, as intrusive and inappropriate and that cause marked anxiety or distress

(2) the thoughts, impulses, or images are not simply excessive worries about real-life problems

(3) the person attempts to ignore or suppress such thoughts, impulses, or images, or to neutralize them with some other thought or action

(4) the person recognizes that the obsessional thoughts, impulses, or images are a product of his or her own mind (not imposed from without as in thought insertion)

Compulsions as defined by (1) and (2):

(1) repetitive behaviors (e.g., hand washing, ordering, checking) or mental acts (e.g., praying, counting, repeating words silently) that the person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession, or according to rules that must be applied rigidly

(2) the behaviors or mental acts are aimed at preventing or reducing distress or preventing some dreaded event or situation; however, these behaviors or mental acts either are not connected in a realistic way with what they are designed to neutralize or prevent or are clearly excessive

B. At some point during the course of the disorder, the person has recognized that the obsessions or compulsions are excessive or unreasonable. Note: This does not apply to children.

C. The obsessions or compulsions cause marked distress, are time consuming (take more than 1 hour a day), or significantly interfere with the person’s normal routine, occupational (or academic) functioning, or usual social activities or relationships.

D. I another Axis I disorder is present, the content of the obsessions or compulsions is not restricted to it (e.g., preoccupation with food in the presence of an Eating Disorder; hair pulling in the presence of Trichotillomania; concern with appearance in the presence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder; preoccupation with drugs in the presence of a Substance Use Disorder; preoccupation with having a serious illness in the presence of Hypochondriasis; preoccupation with sexual urges or fantasies in the presence of a Paraphilia; or guilty ruminations in the presence of Major Depressive Disorder).

E. The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition.


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