Autism and depression?

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My question may sound very odd/obvious, but this situation has got me really confused.

I recently went to the doctor, who told me I was depressed. She was convinced I was, but she wanted me to undergo some other assessments before she started treatment.
So, she sent me to a specialist. After a while (and having not asked any meaningful questions), he looked at me, and said, "You have Asperger's, right?" (which I confirmed), and he sent me away without any further questions. He then told my doctor that he didn't think I was depressed.

My doctor told me she disagrees with him and she's sending me to another specialist. But I'd like to know - what's the confusion? Is depression different in aspies or do they simply not suffer from depression at all, but rather, 'feel depressed' but not to such an extreme that it is to be regarded as an illness?
I'm just confused. Why did the specialist send me away?

It may be that you appear depressed to a doctor who know's nothing about Asperger's, but that the psychiatrist sees something different.

For example, if you normally do not use a lot of facial expressions, and avoid eye contact, your GP may interpret this as having a low mood and being withdrawn. Did your GP do a depression test with you? Go through questions about things like changes in appetite, poor concentration, losing interest in things that you normally like, thoughts of death?

It sounds to me like the specialist was looking for a diagnosis and when he hit on one (Asperger's) he didn't look any further. That doesn't mean that you are not depressed. Many people with AS are depressed, in part because having AS can be very isolating and can make life so much more difficult.

If your doctor isn't confident enough in her own opinion to dx depression and then tosses out a specialists opinion becasue it does agree with her own... she better have some damn soild reasoning to back up her assessment.

I found this test online - it's pretty inclusive.

http://www.depressedtest.com/

I'd suggest taking it and sharing the results with your doctor. I'd print the questions pages as well as the final result so she knows what was assessed. Many doctors are highly suspect of online content. Depression is common in AS but so are misdisgnoses by doctors inexperienced in AS.

I find that they can mistake a lot of things for depression when they may not be. I am diagnosed with depression but unless a traumatic event happens I rarely have a low mood. I don't have a high mood either. I rarely have suicidal thoughts (only in extreme circumstances such as after losing a child) and I NEVER lose interest in my Hobby (whatever it is at the time).

However I don't like to socialise too much so this is interpreted as isolating myself and can be taken as a sign of depression amongst other things. I also like to keep my curtains drawn in the day (to shut out sunlight as I am light sensitive) so this is also taken as a sign of depression (shutting the world out) as is my tendency to always want to wear my comfy pyjamas in the house (they think I don't want to get dressed because I am depressed whereas it is more of a comfort issue).

I also get patches where I feel very unwell but where my mood is actually fine. I just feel like I have a permanent case of the flu...aching muscles, woozy head, digestive problems, fatigue that is so bad I find it hard to get out of bed some days but which is better on others (it fluctuates). Exercise makes it worse and rest does nothing for it either! I did see a dr about it some years ago when it first started. They did blood tests and they came back normal except for a slightly elevated white cell count indicating a viral infection, so initially they thought it was a virus. After 6 months I was still feeling ill and went back again. They refused to do more blood tests, declared that a virus cannot last that long, looked at my notes and saw I had had episodes of depression in the past and declared that it was that. The flu like illness lasted for nearly 2 years before vanishing for 2 years before coming back recently. So that is also interpreted as depression by my drs and therapists even though mood wise I am not to bad..I feel more ill than anything at the moment. Awful actually but as long as I can manage to sit up and do my sequin art I will survive.

I do get times of sadness where I do feel somewhat depressed but they mostly occur at times of emotional trauma (loss of a loved one etc) and sometimes stem from feelings of loneliness at times but I certainly don't feel sad all the time.

It may be they are misinterpreting your symptoms...Do you feel depressed?

lol.. they are both right.. i just figured this out today.

in aspergers, you only have the ability to sense emotions on a smaller scale.

- a normal person HAS emotions on a scale of 1-10
- a normal person FEELS emotions on a scale of 1-10
- an aspergers person HAS emotions on a scale of 1-10
- an aspergers person FEELS emotions on a scale of 1-2

so there is the problem. yes, you are depressed, even though you don't feel it. how do you know? intellectually ask yourself on a scale of 1-10, how depressed are you? (not how depressed fo you feel, how depressed do you think you are??). so your feelings might only register as a 2, but in reality your depression is at a 9.

now, just because you don't feel the depression doesn't mean it doesn't affect you or isn't noticeable. it is, and thats why the first doctor caught it. the specialist is stupid in sending you away because even if you don't feel depressed it does still affect your body.

here's some very good info which you should use. i have been following it today and my anxiety level has nicely moved down from a 2 to a 1 (but was actually at 9).

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt66453.html

Do people with AS not feel emotions?

I wonder as I feel very intense emotions at times...although I am not always able to process, express, define or find the right words for them. I do feel them though.

interesting point.

we DO feel emotions, absolutely right. and clearly the emotions are wired up wrongly in some people, eg sensitivity to light, noises, etc.

so maybe this under-reading of emotions only applies to SOME emotions. in other cases, the emotions are normal. and in other cases the emotions are too sensitive.

i'm extrapolating based on what i've researched but this would seem to fit, no?

Well, I'm definitely depressed, and I'm also definitely Aspie. No reason the two can't co-exist in some of us, notwithstanding how we handle emotions (e.g. whether or not we have alexithymia).

I've got both.

Isn't distress the same thing as anxiety and depression? When I am anxious or depressed I am distressed...

Angry is what people think I am when I am upset...which often leaves me confused because they are going on about my being angry and I was upset..Errrr

Help is something you avoid when it comes to most other humans as more often than not they make it worse...well those in the psychiatric profession at least.

Depressed? Go for a walk on a sunny day and trigger your light sensitivity and come back feeling worse than you did before you went out.

Depressed? Get dressed and don't sit around in your pyjamas and get really irritated with your clothes rubbing you all day and then feel worse than you did in the first place.

Call a support line and sit there and listen whilst someone constantly goes 'awwww I understand, you should go out for a walk whilst its sunny and get dressed, it will make you feel better. And try not to be so angry..."

ARRRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHH head, desk, bang (not literally as that would hurt).

Best thing to do when stressed? Relax with your favourite hobby and give the support services a miss...

I do actually do some of those such at blogging, dancing as I find it more calming than breathing exercises (Physical activity is great for that when I am feeling well and am not fatigued), Sometimes Yoga can help but not if I'm too wound up, using positive thoughts (know about CBT and have many books on it), listening to music although I tend to listen to the same song over and over or watching a favourite movie, taking time to myself and so on. The only thing I don't do is socialise unless talking online counts lol.

I actually find my stress levels go up when I have too much people involvement in my life because they seem to expect more from me than I can give. Therapists are also not all that helpful as they seem to be all about breathing exercises and going out and socialising lots so that I can get over the social anxiety (exposure). The problem with the latter is all they do is exhaust me and I slump into a massive episode of depression as a result. I am only doing therapy as I need to because I am on disability...I really prefer to handle it myself as I tend to know what calms me, when to push myself and when not to. If I say to them Id rather not go out and socialise for a few days or so as I'd rather stay in and rest they seem to think I am just being depressed and should push myself to go out and mix anyway.

I am absolutely wiped out at the moment...

What they do keep doing is the old positive thinking thing for when I'm in social situations but no one seems to actually want to teach me how to mix. If I knew how to make friends etc I wouldn't have been friendless for the last 18 years, cause I have tried...