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daughter 18...seeing mental health therapist since 16. Mom and I didn't know about AS until that time. She has not been professionally diagnosed but has been on 10mg. prozac since 16. The Psychiatrist who prescribed the Prozac commented about AS once but didn't follow. The MH Therapist is now having her get Psycholical Profiles done and is seeing Schizophrenia similarities. She has never supported the AS tendencies.

Mom and I are at a loss. My daughter is 18 and is at college now. She had a rough couple of weeks a while ago and I think we need to get clear direction for her before its too late. I am learning that the treatments for AS and Schizzo are quite different. I value the MH Therapist but am concerned that i don't know enough to help my daughter. I need help in knowing what to do at this point. Help and suggestions would be appreciated.

Where do I go, who should she see, etc., etc.

Oh my ... Just to confuse you more, I am going to note that I have been hearing what might be considered horror stories about teens and drugs like Prozac. Point being, the drug may be causing symptons that are not "her," but the drug. PLEASE be aware of this as you pursue further treatment and assessment. Not all professionals seem to be well intuned to this, and even though I'm not a believer in drug conspiracies there is evidence that there has been incentive to doctors for prescribing this stuff, which makes all the waters more muddy.

IMHO, as someone who takes an anti-depressent, there aren't good ways for a non-professional to isolate the effects of the drug from the effects of anything else she may have because you cannot simply stop the drugs. I have tried going off mine, following the recommended paths, and the simple fact is that I am pretty darn sure my body has become dependent on them, because trying to go off is a very scary exercise, even though all the reasons I needed them in the first place are theoretically gone. If I knew then what I know today, I don't know if I would have started. It worked for a while, when it was most crucial, I do know that, but now ... sigh. The road not taken cannot be seen.

You need a professional very well versed in the SIDE EFFECTS of Prozac with TEENS before you do anything else, so that you have the best hope of separating the issues. Just my opinion, but given all I've read, that is where I would start. You can go so quickly down a path of new drugs to mask the side effects of old drugs that it quickly becomes rather insane.

As for AS, I believe the normal recommendation is a pediatric nueropyschologist. We were fortunate (in my opinion) to get a tentative diagnosis from school that instinct told us fit, but that is extremely rare. There are now full clinics devoted to spectrum issues and assessments, so that is probably the place to start. Ask your daughter's pediatrician for a referral.

Meanwhile, take the time to understand the world from her perspective. It isn't crazy, for example, to find the flush of an automatic toilet frightening - that is actually a common AS sensory issue. Once you understand how she sees things, you can help her formulate plans for dealing with them. Some AS shop with sunglasses so the store lights won't bother them. Others walk around with earbuds in to deal with noise issues. And so on. Be sure to see her concerns about the world as REAL, and not a psychiatric sympton, because if she is AS, they ARE real.

Then dig down into your parental instincts, and have your daughter dig down into hers. Do not EVER allow a professional to convince you to pursue a treatment that your instinct, your wife's, and your daughter's say doesn't fit. The professionals are a great source for insight and information, but they will never have a complete picture of the one unique child, not like you do. Educate yourself, check what you are told against your instincts.

Thank you for your comments. My daughter is under the care of a new Psychiatrist who is having her back off of the Prozac slowly. All of this is coming up now because of what you referred to as "horror stories related to Prozac". She spent over 4 days in bed @ college with muscle tremors and an inability to talk, walk. The Emergency Rooom Dr. and follow up w/ Neuorolgist (teen/kid specialist) both said it was the Prozac. Come to find out, anti-depressants are not what people like my daughter need. Anti-anxiety meds are more appropriate.

Wife, daughter and I discussed...we're taking control of what's happening. We are going to have Psych. Profile done and then turn recommendations over to a new Psychiatrist she is seeing. While the MHC is very nice and has been helpful, she is not experienced with AS (really not a believer) and is pushing things into the Schizzo category (not objectively). It is so hard to know where to turn. I am concerned that my daughter may be more fragile now than ever (re: panic attack, paranoia, etc.).

Thanks for your kind words.

I hope things go well for all of you. It sounds like a very scary time.

One thing I firmly believe is that with AS, if that is what your daughter has, much of what appears to be anxiety can be managed but dealing with the environment, not the person. Some AS, however, do have anxiety that goes beyond what is triggered by environmental / sensory issues, so then more is needed. I usually recommend looking for and mitigating the triggers first; considering medication later. But it's tough to know how that idealized theory fits when someone has already gotten so far down one road.

I am glad to hear your family has taken control over the situation and moving forward. I wish you the best of luck. Never, never stop trusting your instincts.

I say go with your gut. Get a full neuro and psych workup with someone who you feel has your daughters best interests at heart and who is open to ALL the possibilities. Doesn't sound like the MH individual is that person.

With regards to the anti-depressant/anti-anxiety meds, some apply to both categories. My anti-anxiety med (Cipralex/Lexapro) is a relatively new drug which can be used for both symptoms. It's still relatively new for me, but working well. Growing up, I've tried Prozac and Zoloft and neither were affective.

My son, also AS is on Zoloft for anxiety/depression and has had good results.

Sometimes you can work purely with environment/skills/coping mechanisms, and sometimes you have to start looking at meds to help out with the skills that the person has in order to help them use those skills effectively. Every body is different and it will take some good discussion with you and your daughter and her medical team to figure out which option/combo is the best for her.

I say step one is to get a full physical/neuro profile and go from there.

Thank you both for comments. Yes, we are switching the Psych profile duties to someone who is not referred by the MH Counselor (because of her lack of objectivity). Also, if daughter does have AS, I'm concerned that she is about an hr. away at college. She doesn't have the skill set to deal with everything (good and bad) that the environment throws at her. She has compensated by spending most of her time in the library. She can't be left alone or her anxiety sets in very badly. I think she needs to be at home. However, she is a young adult who desperately is trying to find a life for herself. This (being different) creates friction inside her (naturally). Whaerever this process takes us now, it is critical that daughter understand and try to work with it (rather than fight it). It is hard to think mom and I are of any help.

Both AS and Schizophrenia can mean big trouble for college-aged girls. Just speaking from experience, my aunt developed schizophrenia in her late teens and college probably made things a lot worse from her. I wish she would have gotten treatment early on, but like most schizophrenics, she still denies everything and just thinks her doctor and everyone else are out to get her.

I had PDD-NOS all my life, but it was when I went to college and lived on my own that things really started breaking down. All my routines, all my familiar things were gone, and I completely lost my ability to sleep at night. Lucky for me a few people had developed a liking to me and were watching out for me, and became like substitute parents for me after a while, checking up and helping me with my classes. If the college has a mentor system (not tutoring, but actually mentoring) I would highly recommend your daughter seek help there.

The fact that she is getting help for herself currently is really good news. I'll echo what the other posters have said, that the sooner she is off the prozac the better. I would probably delay diagnosis until she's been off it for a few months as well, as it sticks around in the system and you don't feel like "you" for a long time after quitting.