How do I know if it's ADHD or Aspergers disorder?

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Or both?

A short summary of my symptoms:

I have constant racing thoughts almost 24/7, jumping from one topic to another
I have permanent anxiety in social situations
-I have memory problems, especially at remembering details. trouble recalling things, trouble verbalizing my thoughts because I feel like I'm on 10 different channels at once
-I have chronic mild depression (dysthymia)
-Easily distracted
-Easily angered, but I always hold it in
-Impatient
-I'm a perfectionist that expects too much out of myself and of others
-I am routine-oriented (compensation for my working memory problems?)
-I always ruminate, lately I've been trying to "catch" myself and stay in the moment but my mind always wonders eventually! (I think this is known as the monkey mind)
-Overanalyze everything (mentally)
-Trouble responding to people in the moment because my mind goes to 10 different channels. Therefore I just give generic responses After this happens I can easily sit and think of 20 different responses that would be appropriate and leave more space
-I have trouble making eye contact because my anxiety spikes every time I try and look at people
-I even have trouble staying focused on things I'm interested in, like a book (no special interest)
-Sometimes I completely zone out. Like I'll be watching a movie and halfway through I'll realize I'm watching the screen but not paying any attention (hope that makes sense!).
-I unconsciously combat this with self-stimming focus habits like nail biting and hair twisting
-When I'm on a medication such as Effexor (an snri antidepressant) my mind stays on one channel and I'm more easily able to verbalize and string together my thoughts, express my emotions, pay attention, put myself in someone elses shoes, etc.

;
I have a theory for my social problems, which is that it's a never-ending cycle:

My racing thoughts lead me to jump from one topic to another. Since my mind is always racing, I don't take in the small details of what I hear people say because I don't focus long enough in order to absorb the details. This disturbs my ability to connect thoughts in a conversation, and cuts off any possible starting points for future conversations which leads to anxiety, depression, and lack of self-esteem.

Anyway I'm just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together

Last edited by eatingcereal on 10 Jan 2011, 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Sounds like me.

Last edited by kruger4 on 10 Jan 2011, 10:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It doesn't sound like Asperger's. Seems like an attention problem with anxiety and depression, perhaps as a result.

Well there are some confilicting reports in the medical community that ADHD and AS are the same disorder,but it's just a theory at the moment.

Yeah, me too. Back in 1975 I was diagnosed with ADHD and put into special education classes from 1975-85. I spent 1986-88 in normal classes after they retested me in 1985. I recieved evaluation for Aspergers on August 6th 2010. My psychologist said he saw no signs of learning disability so my Aspergers was accidently misdiagnosed as ADHD which he said is quite common even today in the new millanium with modern psychology practises.

Everything you descibed sounds like you were refering to me. So who knows.

Aspies all have excellent rote memory, can focus intensively for LONG periods of time on a subject of interest. We all have a "special interest". Since you are deficient in these 3 important traits, you are unlikely to be Asperger's syndrome. You have symptoms of some sort of problem, though, and should look into the manner further.

When I wake up in the morning I spend 1-4 hours pouring over the web looking for information on stopmotion animation. Such as downloading assorted graphics programs, photography pdf books, and samples of stopmotion films and behind the scene stuff from stopmotion movies. Thats one of the many things my doctor said screamed Aspergers to him.

I think the key is special interests. I love repetition but I don't think my rote memory is all that great, despite writing facts or words down over and over. Apparently those with ADHD have trouble focusing on even their interests as well, but I don't have ADHD.

I think special interest can also be swapped with an interest in parts of objects. As a kid I did not have special interests much but had extreme attachment to objects and I still like to move them in front of my eyes. I think this is more a child's criteria and I don't know if everybody eventually evolves from it like me though.

[quote]ScottyN wrote:
Aspies all have excellent rote memory, can focus intensively for LONG periods of time on a subject of interest. We all have a "special interest". Since you are deficient in these 3 important traits, you are unlikely to be Asperger's syndrome. You have symptoms of some sort of problem, though, and should look into the manner further.

I disagree with this and most generalistations abouat aspies, we tend to be at either end of each domain of ability. some focus intensely sometimes and not other times and others are distracted. I don't think we all have a special interest, I think we are less flexible and therefore tend not to have varied interests.

I am just going on my observations of other aspies and reading to say this.

ADHD


Both


ADHD


Both


ADHD


Both


ADHD


Both but more likely AS


AS


Both


Both


ADHD


ADHD because lack of eye contact in AS is for different reasons.


ADHD


ADHD or an absence seizure. They are mild. People get them all the time without noticing.


Sound more like ADHD fidgets


Hard one. Anti-depressants greatly decrease symptoms of AS.



Last one sounds like ADHD and anxiety.

By the way I'm autistic and have combined ADHD. It is possible to have both but you sound pretty ADHD to me.

Sounds like me. ADHD, but also somewhere on the Aut. spectrum.