Aspergers or extreme social anxiety disorder? PLEASE HELP

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I don't know if I have aspergers syndrome or extreme social anxiety (or something else). I'm trying to get a good idea of what it could be so I can talk to my doctor about it. I'm 18 and I have no friends and rarely leave my house (never alone). I've had 'friends' but have never felt comfortable around them and feel as though I had to put on an act (I don't see them anymore and never want to see them again). I find it so stressful being around other people especially my age and a bit older. I find it hard to have a conversation and feel very anxious doing anything I don't feel like I can do. I don't want to have friends or go anywhere that requires social interaction. I have had fits of extreme anger where I swear over and over (mostly by myself so no one hears or sees me). I also have severe emetophobia. I have had many panic attacks (often leading to convulsions) and have been diagnosed with anxiety and depression (years ago). I am sensitive to loud noise and I notice that I do things like pace back and forth, tap my collar bone, constantly crack the bones in my body, and sometimes do abnormal body movements. I can't envision myself as independent, driving vehicles, or being in relationships. I like to be alone but I wish the world was more like how I see it. I just don't feel like I can be a normal functioning person. I don't feel like I can be an adult. Something has always felt off to me. Please let me know what you think and I'm sorry this is so long.
I should add that I also have digestive issues as well as asthma and Eosinophilic Esophagitis

*I've already asked this on a couple other websites but nobody has answered me*

Glad you posted this. Unfortunately, the way you described this explains what you are experiencing, but not why you are experiencing it. I was trapped in misdiagnosis for about 20 years because the language of psychology dominates the way we describe ourselves. I hate to think that you would get trapped in that.
Please, do a favor and look closely at a description of the experience of Autism, not just the outcome. Psychology has a way of determining the nature of things by the list of outcomes, anxiety=anxiety disorder, etc. Anxiety itself tells us nothing about what causes it. If you look into descriptions of the experiences of autistic and anxiety disorder people, it should begin to clarify what you are dealing with. Above all, advocate for your true nature!

Best of luck to you

-B

What was your childhood like? Have you always been anxious? Was there ever a time when you had friends? When you interact with people, are you able to read their facial expressions, understand their figures of speech, or have an overall "feel" for their underlying motivations? Do people often accuse you of saying inappropriate things, but you don't know why? Do you know the appropriate things to say in a conversation, or do you find yourself getting easily lost and not saying much, or saying all the wrong things?

Do you have any obsessive interests that you have to pursue or that make you feel happy and safe? How are you with routines? Do you have to follow them closely or not? Do you feel anxious, lost, confused or panicked when things change suddenly and you don't know what to do? Do you find that lists, diagrams or pictures help you organize your thoughts and remember what you need to do, or can you generally keep track of things okay?

These are some things to consider when exploring the possibility of autism, but the symptoms you mentioned are a red flag in that direction.

Have you talked to your parents about your suspicions...? Maybe ask them to buy you that book " guide to aspergers " I know its not about classic autism but its a start...maybe other members will tell you a better book for you to read but most important is to get your parents involved...because you might not remember some of your symptoms as a child....

By the way...you're still 18...don't rush yourself into becoming an adult...if most people your age around you seem more mature....well...they're just pretending to be...by the way anxiety does cause a lot of physical symptoms at least that was in my case and it was mostly caused by not knowing why things are happening to me....

Hi anais63638, I guess it's a small Internet. I wrote an answer to your question on the autism web forum in case you haven't seen it yet.