emotional aspie female?

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Well I recently got diagnosed with PDD-NOS/atypical autism, but now my psychologist say I can't have that 'cause I'm to emotional. So how are you other females here? Are you emotional? 'Cause I'm very emotional and often let my emotions guide me over my logic/thoughts and she say if you are autistic you can't be like that. I kinda think so too but I wanted to hear with you here too.

Depends on my mood.
Sometimes emotions are the only things that matters.
Other times they just seem irrelevant.

If I get scared/upset my emotions take over.

It depends... I'm more prone to emotional meltdowns around that time of the month blegh

IMO I don't appear very emotional. Sometimes I feel like I'm very emotional though.

I think that's a dumb thing for your psychologist to think, though. It's kind of an aspie thing to not always express emotions (maybe even experience emotions) the same way other people do, and that doesn't necessarily mean we all act like robots. It could also mean we appear overly emotional.

Well, it all depends. In general I would say that I am not emotional, because of the asperger's/autism I seem to either lack emotion compared to NT's or I appear to lack emotion as I can't express it correctly, but then of course if I was having a meltdown or close to having a meltdown I am very emotional and people will say I'm too emotional.

Taking out the issue of being a woman - sorry ladies but it is true we are more emotional particularly at certain points in our cycle, looking purely at people with ASD we can seem either too emotional or not emotional enough depending on how our characteristics appear, whether we're having a good day or not, etc. - in my opinion your psychologist is talking rubbish.

I can become very emotional sometimes but sometimes people don't see it and at other times I look kind of overemotional. I'm usually feeling worst when I get silent and stare on one direction, I try to say I can't handle it (whatever subject got me feeling that bad) but because I can talk people misunderstand.

I think aspies can be emotional its more like we have trouble expressing our emotions approprietely when it comes to a lot of emotions. But naturally being emotional, I dont think thats a reason to restract your diagnosis. For me, back when I was depressed, I used to have strong emotional sides with strong logical sides at the same time. They were constantly at war with each other, often times my emotional side would outpower the logical side. Now a days, Ive taught myself to use my logical side to overpower my emotional side things work better for me these days. Yes aspies can be emotional.

Women on the spectrum, especially PDD-NOS can be very emotional, but it is often emotionally atypical. I would call them on that BS. It is one of those gender stereotypes that prevents women from being diagnosed.

Last edited by starygrrl on 17 Feb 2011, 8:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Seconded. Certainly people on the spectre do feel a range of emotions. This range might be restricted, and/or the emotions might be messed up or inadequate to situations but they do exist and do get a lot in the way of normal functioning.

For an example, I would be really happy if people somehow forgot my birthday (which is a situation usually causing a lot of anguish in NTs) while being annoyed and miserable if someone who is usually described as 'hot' tried to hit on me (usually NTs feel flattered by all the attention). These are emotions but they are way beyond normal as I see them.

Emotions might also have greater intensity than normally expected and if you have ever obsessed over a person you would know how it feels. It is not normal and it is not healthy as I see it but here we are.

Back when I suffered from depression I was extremely emotional at times. I could start crying over really unimportant things, like if I couldn't find my keys. I've also always been very emotional in the way that I'm hot tempered.
Even if people with autism usually seem to not be in touch with their emotions, it doesn't mean every person with autism is like that. Not every person with autism fits the profile to a 100%. For example: they are aspies who don't have a special intresse.

Sometimes I know Im being unreasonable, but I cant help it because my emotions are too strong, so I go crazy for a couple of hours until I feel better and my brain works again. Is that emotional?

Ok, thanks for all the answers.
I do struggel with telling how I feel and showing it in a apropriate way. I seem to only be able to show anger (with tears usually) and happiness, but sometimes I get so confuse what I feel that I cry, acts angry and laugh at the same time.

But then in "emergency situations" I tend to act fairly rational and then when everything starts to calm I get my share of emotions from the situation.

Is it ok for you all that I print this page and take it with me to my psychologist? Then I can show her that diagnosed asperger females say? Otherwise she will probably make (well try) so I get diagnosed with some kind of psychosis, like schizoaffective instead of PDD-NOS (I am not friend with either of the diagnoses yet but psychosis doesn't sund or feel like me).

No problem with me. Print away.

Sound very autistic to me, being able to manifest a limited range of emotion and being unable to identify the exact emotion that's got a hold of you. Alexithymia is a prominent feature of autistic disorders, after all.

Interesting thread. I've never really thought that much about my emotions.
I'm a "not sure if I have it or not" but the more threads like these that I answer, the more I think ASD could explain the way I am.

I have difficulty both identifying my emotions beyond "ok", "happy", "frustrated/angry" (anger seems like more intense frustration but they are essentially the same)
I have difficulty expressing my emotions and either appear over emotional (usually tears, when I'm frustrated) or display a lack of emotion.
People tell me I appear very calm, but that does not always match what I'm feeling inside. If asked "how are you?" or "how do you feel?" I'm often unable to answer because I don't know - thinking about it now I wonder if I'm unaware until my emotions get very strong and even then I don't know how to describe them.

I have previously struggled with depression & anxiety (though not so much these days as I am more accepting of me being "as I am") but for me these seem more about thought processes and physical symptoms than emotions.

I don't show emotion or I often show the 'wrong' emotion for the situation but that doesn't mean I'm not an emotional person. Usually I go into meltdown before emotions show and it's only involuntary emotions (if that makes sense)

Ive read that women on the spectrum are very emotional so I'd tell the psych to piss off. My first attempt at requesting diagnosis I was told by a clinical psych that as I had advanced babyhood development I couldn't have aspergers. At that point, I took what she said with a pinch of salt as she didn't know what she was saying.

Having autism of any degree doesn't mean you're not an individual with an individual response to your existence.