Pathological Demand Avoidance
29 Sep 2022, 5:38 pm
I'm quite happy to live in a cluttered, untidy, even unclean house. Well, sometimes it gets me down but I can still live with it.
My bathroom sink is grimy and desperately needs a clean, but I only notice it when it's not the right time to clean it, like when I'm cleaning my teeth before bed or before work. When I'm washing my hands after using the toilet I don't seem to notice it and I forget about it. Then that's another day gone where the sink hasn't got cleaned.
My ADHD can make it difficult at work too. I find it hard to focus on things for long periods of time so I have to keep taking little 5-minute breaks, which I end up distracted like talking to other co-workers, then when I go back to my task I forgot where I was up to. Then because I had been distracted, I find it hard to get my brain back into work mode so I stand there staring and scratching my head for a while to catch myself up on where I was.
I saw that it is more characterized by anxiety. Some people with Asperger’s don’t seem to have anxiety. I can get a lot of anxiety from working. It can shut down my brain at times. That is one of the reasons I think I could get by with saying I have PDA more so than Asperger’s. My hobbies or interests usually serve a purpose also and are not necessarily eccentric. I’m not downplaying anyones interests. Mine just aren’t really eccentric.
29 Sep 2022, 8:41 pm
I did a quick Google search and found this example. I think I have better understanding of the "profile" you mentioned.
e.g. Often adopting the persona of a figure of authority in role play scenarios to such an extent that they believe that they are that person. This role may often require them to oversee and direct others and as such, remain in control of the play e.g. taking on the role of a teacher when playing with peers. Role play can be used as a strategy to avoid demands made by others such as “I can’t pick that up because I’m a tractor and tractors don’t have hands” or role playing the compliant child in school to reduce demands by flying under the radar. Withdrawing into fantasy can also be a form of self-protection, a place where they can go to when real life becomes too difficult to manage and to cope with.
https://autismawarenesscentre.com/an-introduction-to-pathological-demand-avoidance-pda/
Dear_one
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02 Oct 2022, 2:30 pm
I think Pathological Demand Avoidance is a subtype of Autism and is extremely anxiety driven. Basically Autistics being so anxious, that it greatly amplifies their level of disability even though they're actually perfectly capable people notwithstanding their PDA.
From what I can gather, people with PDA are extremely stubborn to learning new things, dislike doing things by themselves and must have absolute adherence to routine even if the routines are hugely self destructive (like refusing to learn any new skill adults are expected to have). As a result, they find themselves being extremely underdeveloped in their overall capabilities to function as an adult as people with PDA develop into adults with PDA.
Treatment for such a person is tricky. I personally think their distress is irrational and needs to be brute forced through. I think forcing someone with PDA into stressful but necessary situations they would otherwise avoid will allow them to develop coping strategies that doesn't involve running and hiding.
For example, someone with PDA might outright refuse to ever get on a bus by themselves unless their parents are with them, even if this person is a 30 year old adult. This person just finds it too distressing to be on a bus by him/herself but is otherwise intellectually capable of doing it. It's one of those problems where a harsh but kind approach probably needs to be taken.
