I have misdiagnosed Aspergers

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Hi guys! Officially, I have diagnosed Asperger's syndrome but I feel I don't fit to other people with diagnosed ASD. I haven't typical autism symptoms like social phobia, deficits in theory of mind, narrow interests, problems with abstract thinking, stimming. I also have a very low level of emotional empathy, but cognitive empathy works very well. In opinion of my psychologist, I'm extrovert.

In the past, I have a lot of problems with social interactions but I think it may be related to psychotic spectrum disorder rather than Asperger's syndrome. Before psychiatrists prescribed proper drugs I had productive symptoms like delusions, monologue thinking, thoughts I'm being watched, tracked by police, that I'm high value target etc.

Should I do rediagnosis? How is the chance that I have misdiagnosed Aspergers syndrome?

You should go to a qualified, certified psychologist or psychiatrist to try to sort this out.

We can't tell if you've been misdiagnosed, based on a short Internet post.

Saying this, Welcome.

You don't have to have autism to be a participant here.

When were you diagnosed? How old were you? You're theoretically young enough to have been diagnosed as a child, but it took a decade to become more commonplace. Most Aspies our age weren't diagnosed as children.

I feel the same way about myself. Sometimes on WP I just cannot relate to some of the things most Aspies think but I can relate to NTs about the same matters. I can relate to people's anxieties and depression and other emotional things like that but I can't always relate to how most don't understand NTs and all that. Like some Aspies here wonder why NTs would rather hear a lie than an obvious truth, but I understand completely why NTs think like that because I feel the same. If a person is fat I can't bring myself to say "you're fat" and then get annoyed when they take offense to an obvious fact.

I have extremely high levels of emotional empathy and about average cognitive empathy. I don't have deficits in theory of mind either, and I've never had special interests (I've had obsessions but I don't know if they're the same thing), and I don't rock or flap my hands. I have high anxiety but the only way I self-soothe is by talking about my feelings, not by stimming in a darkened room. In fact I find it difficult NOT to express my feelings and inner thoughts to other people.

If I wasn't in the habit of having a nap every afternoon, I could socialise all day and not feel emotionally drained, although working full-time would emotionally drain me. But that might be because I have difficulty organising and systemizing, so having to think extra hard to be on the ball at work can emotionally drain me. Communication and social interaction doesn't emotionally drain me.

But I'm scared to get myself reassessed in case I still "fail" whatever tests and activities I might have to do in the diagnostic process, and then I'll feel angry with myself, because if I'm honest I don't like having an ASD and I'm hanging on to the hope that I was misdiagnosed. But my teenage years are the most evidence I have that I am on the spectrum, which is why I hate my teenage self.

None of those things indicate that you are not autistic. Look at the actual diagnostic criteria for autism and see if you fit that criteria. The criteria do not include social phobia, introversion, or low empathy; that stuff is irrelevant.

If you want to know about Asperger's Syndrome specifically, look at the criteria for AS rather than criteria for ASD. You'll have to look in an old version of the DSM or you can use the ICD-10.


You may have both.


I suggest that you compare yourself to the diagnostic criteria before you try to get re-assessed. You could save yourself some time, effort, and/or money by researching first.