It's confirmed: I must get undiagnosed: how?
I find that highly interesting.
Do you know were I can read this up?
Why is that?
Sometimes I am a dim,bulb: as to me that passage sounds like gibberish,,,,,,so what is a potential element of no deficit? There is a 'potential' for something that does not exist to not exist?
To Aghogday: I understand it is interesting and meaningful to you and some others to engage in this kind of esoteric analysis about autism, and I am not discounting the subjectively perceived value of that. but how do you know it is not mainly a ploy to escape facing something u8ncomfortable? It seems to me from observing myself and others that this is how people with certain unique brains may unconsciously manipulate their own functioning in order to avoid feeling emotional pain, so a focused interest in order not to focus on something else. In some ways this could be good, but in other ways destructive and at this point, for some, the autistic culture may even be turning into a kind of cult and keeping many people who are very gifted and have so much to offer humanity from developing minds that are comprehensive, so blocking them from realizing their true potential, and I am talking here about a potential for something to actually exist..
I agree, so do you think there can be kind of a "pure" solution that can be in some way applied to people with overlapping disorders? I will tell you now that I think there can be a very pure and simple solution, though in some ways it would need to be individually tailored, of course. One question is who would tailor it and how, meaning according to what generalized standard that is less complex? I suggest some kind of behavioral approach that may involve analysis but in which analysis does not override.
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I agree, so do you think there can be kind of a "pure" solution that can be in some way applied to people with overlapping disorders? I will tell you now that I think there can be a very pure and simple solution, though in some ways it would need to be individually tailored, of course. One question is who would tailor it and how, meaning according to what generalized standard that is less complex? I suggest some kind of behavioral approach that may involve analysis but in which analysis does not override.
Well , CBT, cognitive Behavioural Therapy is sort-of like that. It is a a mainly behavioural approach but it also focuses on changing thought patters (obviously, cognition) and it's a very general thing that can be used to treat many symptoms of many disorders, anxiety, depression, some Schizophrenia symptoms. It can also be tailored to particular groups (CBT for people with ASD's) and can be tailored even more to the individual, to a certain extent. It's effective with some personality disorders but not others. I guess it would be the psychologist who's tailoring it (maybe with some input from the patient if the patient wants to give input).
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What about, specifically, the fact that I get tired of individual people very quickly and when I'm dating someone, this means I either dump them fairly early or else decide to "change" them into something more acceptable (which never works)?
A lot of my impulsive behavior is done out of anger and resentment, too, but I also do it for the usual reasons of thrill, etc. Could you tie this in with Autism/Newson Syndrome/Asperger's as well?
From what I can see the Newson Syndrome characteristics as described can be captured under the DSMIV for ASD. My understanding is that is a supported syndrome in the UK, particularly by the National Autistic Society, and research cohorts, but it is not diagnosed in the US, as far as I know.
It is a controversial syndrome, at best, in the US.
I'm not sure if you have ever read John Elder Robison's book "Look me in the Eye" but is very reflective of the "Autistic Psychopathy" that Hans Asperger's described.
It is not at all the picture of emotional connectivity that one often sees promoted in some "neurodiversity communities", as Autism. It is a hard cold look at what it can mean to live with difficulty in affective contact, and still have compassion for others. From what I have seen in his new book, the same is true.
One passage stood out for me in the free sample of "Raising Cubby" on Kindle reader from Amazon, where he was talking about his wife being very ill, and his logical concern that her being "broken permanently" might be less advantageous than to her being dead.
The difference between a manipulative socio-path, is they would not be so honest in admitting an unusual difference in thinking like that in a public avenue, to help other people understand this way of thinking.
The passage in the first book that stood out to me was the story of him petting his dog and petting a girl in school to make friends. Good intentions, but lack of social instinct. From the outside people saw that as Anti-social behavior, but at that point in time, there was no definition of Asperger's Syndrome.
A substantial number of people still call him out for "some other" type of disorder in reviews of his book, because that could not possibly be the type of syndrome they understand as Asperger's Syndrome. Chances are it may not be, because it was not assessed with stricter criteria like the Gillberg Criteria, that will capture John Elder Robison every time.
It is a relatively rare condition, and it is obvious that it is a relatively rare condition when one views his videos as opposed to his written communication. It is not at all an invisible condition in his case.
If you haven't read his book maybe it would help. I have only seen one person I am positive has Asperger's syndrome as a public figure, the kind that Hans Asperger's described, and it is John Elder Robison.
Tony Atwood is a good resource as it has been his area of expertise for two decades, and he trained right along with Christopher Gillberg, under the study of Uta Frith, who translated Hans Asperger's work. He also worked hand in hand with Lorna Wing, who both, were in part, responsible for the diagnosis.
I personally think the only thing that kept Temple Grandhin from a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome, in the US, was her language development delay and no criteria for Asperger's syndrome. I think she might have fit under Gillberg Criteria, if she had lived in Sweden, today, as a younger person.
All that said the Gillberg Criteria for Asperger's still appears to be on a continuum with what he himself describes as the "Autisms", commonly bound by a difficulty in what he describes as the "social instinct".
He places psychopathy in that overall continuum, as well, with potential elements of no deficit in motor coordination skills, ADHD, and defiant-oppositional behavior as a child. It is extremely interesting to me that deficits in motor coordination seem to exclude a potential of psychopathy in his view.
That is what is clearly seen when one watches John Elder Robison in a video, that sets him apart from many others, and may in part be why he shows a lack of affect, per neurodevelopmental issues that control motor coordination in the face as well as the rest of the body. There is no neurological evidence to support that part, but it has been suggested as a correlation by some.
I'm not so sure that professionals in the US can adequately describe what Asperger's is, because they do not have a diagnostic manual that adequately describes what Hans Asperger's described..
The Asperger's diagnosis per DSMIV criteria captures Non-verbal learning disorder in the majority of cases, but that is not the pattern of the Asperger's per Gillberg Criteria that John Elder Robison is diagnosed with. I am not saying it is not a form of Autism, but it is not what Hans Asperger's described.
If I remember correctly you suggested you had a verbal language delay in childhood. If so, that does not sound like non-verbal learning disorder to me, but I am not suggesting that both issues cannot co-exist.
I felt pretty lost in online communities until I read John Elder Robison's book and Tony Atwood. Some people were very offended by his routine in his conferences where he illustrated the body language and gait of a person diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome as "spotting the Aspie". People have been "spotting me" all my life. I finally understood why, when I read about his conferences.
There is no requirement of this issue in the DSMIV and there is still no requirement for it in the DSM5. Neither fully describes the Asperger's that Hans Asperger's and Gillberg describes. When the ICD11 goes into affect, all that will be left is the Gillberg Criteria, in assessing a real and distinct syndrome, that still exits throughout the world. And a very challenging one at that.
This may not be pertinent to your specific issues at all, but perhaps it lends one reason why it is so confusing to try to parse these issues out and label them., to get the support and help you need.
Tony Atwood places a great deal of emphasis on emotional regulation, in his therapies, and as far as Gillberg Asperger's, I think he is on the right track in therapy.
Well, here is the issue, then, perhaps: My diagnostic report said my gait was normal or, in its exact words, "no abnormalities in gait or speech were observed." However, motor issues have been a serious issue since early childhood; in fact, many individuals diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome appear to significantly higher functioning in these areas than me, particularly in the areas of fine motor skills and sense of space/direction, although most are worse in rough motor coordination and depth perception.
As for eye contact, it was normal. Affect was described as "blunted," and speech was described as having constricted prosody. Not sure if it came down to "spotting the aspie" if I would actually be spotted as an aspie. I am not one of those who copied others in order to fit in either.
I have a unique way of sensing when my energy clashes with another person's. It's accurate because I can also accurately sense when a third person's energy clashes with that of someone else in the room, and I've independently verified the results several times via hearing gossip or watching the other person dig an even deeper hole for herself. Unfortunately, I have a harder time controlling when my energy classes with someone else's, so I still commit social screw ups and often engage in avoidant behaviors for these reasons. The way I talk (sound alone) sometimes gives off a negative energy that puts off other people, which causes me to either become subtly or openly hostile or withdraw. Controversial or not, Newson Syndrome describes many of these traits that I have in terms of the childhood versions of them in a way that fits uncannily well. Asperger's, on the other hand, just doesn't seem to fit.
From an intellectual standpoint, I meet the technical criteria in the DSM-4 and 5 for Asperger's or ASD, but I do not meet enough of the secondary criteria to not wonder if, perhaps, there's either something else there, or if there's another Autism Spectrum Disorder which does not exist but should.
I may well have something that is best called Asperger's Syndrome. But it's not classic textbook Asperger's. That's for sure. Most of the aspies who strongly deviate from the textbook description are female, also, which I'm not.
From an intellectual standpoint, I meet the technical criteria in the DSM-4 and 5 for Asperger's or ASD, but I do not meet enough of the secondary criteria to not wonder if, perhaps, there's either something else there, or if there's another Autism Spectrum Disorder which does not exist but should.
I may well have something that is best called Asperger's Syndrome. But it's not classic textbook Asperger's. That's for sure. Most of the aspies who strongly deviate from the textbook description are female, also, which I'm not.
The thing is that some of us are a strange mixture out of different things (me too). The brain can't really be devided that easily into different diagnostically areas, like we wish. I don't know if it's a good idea to come up with many new diagnostic categories or if it helps to even solve the problem that some of us aren't textbook like.
I have a bit the same problem, but more with the schizophrenic spectrum, even since childhood. But as a toddler I was so highly autistic, that I stoped douping about that. Some just aren't typical and we have to accept that.
But the overlapp might be so big, that it doesn't make sence trying to devide it.
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The DSMIV Criteria does not fully capture what Hans Asperger's observed. What it does capture more than anything else, per research in the majority of diagnoses, is symptoms of Non-Verbal Learning Disorder. In effect, some of these symptoms of yours are shared by many people currently diagnosed with Asperger's who also meet the symptoms of Non-Verbal Learning Disorder.
What you describe above is emotional contagion. It is an element of empathy commonly experienced in the Animal Kingdom that can be observed looking from the outside in from Behavior. Some humans are better able to hide what they feel than other animals.
For those that intensely feel the pain or emotional contagion of others, finding it aversive, that phenomenon is described as Personal Distress.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_distress
Personal Distress is measured substantially higher among individuals diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome. It is suggested in research that it could be possible that part of the difficulty with demonstration of empathy for others, is in avoidance of the personal distress that can result from the uncomfortable and sometimes painful emotional contagion sensed from others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy#Co ... ve_empathy
Additionally, for individuals that have difficulty describing emotions in themselves and others, described as Alexithymia (assessed at prevalence levels in 85% of the spectrum), the difficulty in identifying and describing one's own emotions in language and those of others, combined with an enhanced sense of emotional contagion, can be very challenging in adapting to any social environment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexithymia
There is a known phenomenon of Empathy Burn-out in first responders, nurses, and others that are exposed to chronic trauma of others, that can lead to problems such as PTSD, Alexithymia, and what some generally refer to as feeling numb, burned out, Combat Fatique, or Exhaustion described by Hans Selye as General Adaptation Syndrome.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Selye#Work_on_stress
I personally do not see anything out of the ordinary that I haven't seen described by other people diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome that you generally describe about your self, other than you describe it well in intricate detail, better than I have seen described by most.
Most people cannot describe what it is that sets them apart from others, in detail like that.
However, that comes with the territory for those that more often see details that others don't see in the larger world that can be more uncomfortable if that type of analysis is turned inward instead of focused outward.
This though can be much more difficult for people assessed with Non-verbal Learning Disorder as they often navigate the world through language, as a "neuroplastic" adaptation to difficulties with visual spatial skills.
My Sister, who is diagnosed with Asperger's, follows this Non-verbal Learning Disorder pattern much more than I, although I have also had to adapt with a neuroplastic adaptation because of unusual vision problems later in life and become a verbal thinker myself.
That is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I have always had poor vision and resulting difficulties with visual spatial skills, which I do not think I would have had as much difficulty with, if my vision was good.
When I was fitted with contact Lens it changed that equation greatly as there is not the same "Binocular Effect" one gets from wearing glasses when they are near sighted.
Lesions in the right hemisphere of the brain are often associated with Non-Verbal Learning Disorder symptoms.
This, in effect, is part of what drives the "neuroplastic" adaptation in some.
Alternately, Temple Grandin shared her brain scan with the public in Discover Magazine, where she has a Brain anomaly resulting in fluid filled sections in the Left Hemisphere of her brain, that in her case has resulted in a "Neuroplastic" adaptation in navigating the world in pictures, instead of words, and also identified as a source of her "savant like" skills.
Einstein had other unusual brain anomalies.
What is often observed as unusual behavior or abilities is an adaptation to congenital or environmental adversity. Sometimes negative and sometimes incredibly positive in effect.
Insurance does not pay for MRI's based on Autism Spectrum conditions alone, so it is hard to say what the origin of behavior might be until one takes a peek inside.
In my case, there is an incidental finding of Cavum Septum Pellucidum Et Vergae, currently loosely associated with some Neurodevelopmental disorders when observed as an "abnormal" variant.
In the International Meeting of Autism Research in May, there is a scheduled presentation on Macroencephaly (abnormal brain growth) already associated in research specific to males with regressive autism, with the additional factors of Cavum Septum Pellucidum and Cavum Vergae in the new research.
This is particularly interesting to me, as my child had 22Q11 deletion syndrome that is also associated with these brain anomalies and Autism. I never pursued a genetic test and personally don't care to know.
I suspect the research may provide some answers for Regressive Autism.
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Well, I have migraines, which I could say is a suspected brain tumor and get my insurance to pay for an MRI.
Would just a simple MRI be able to pick up abnormalities like a right-hemisphere lesion?
Maybe a benign tumor that hasn't grown since early childhood that could be removed.
Would just a simple MRI be able to pick up abnormalities like a right-hemisphere lesion?
Maybe a benign tumor that hasn't grown since early childhood that could be removed.
Yeah, ha ha. Tyrion, you grew up under rather unusual circumstances. That is probably behind most of what you are experiencing in the world right now, plus if you are in law school or whatever on top of this and eating God only knows what, it is enough to give anyone a headache, and not discounting migraines as I suffered from them for twenty horrible years, and my child just had an MRI for cluster headaches, but ultimately realized it all related back to diet and stress.
Sounds to me like you have done a remarkable job of adjusting and enduring so far, even in some ways verging on heroic. I suggest to keep the faith and help will come to you, just like in the fairy tales, but remember, the solution to the problem is not in looking at a certain part of the problem. When people have a real eureka moment they are looking at various parts and somehow, perhaps by a lucky fluke, are able to connect it all to a whole picture, but in order to do it the brain needs to function in an entirely different modality---however I suggest not waiting for a lucky fluke but to take the bull by the horns and try to work things through, as difficult as that may be. One little step at a time.
Also, I find this message and some other messages of yours to peg things and kind of size up situations in an astute, interesting way with even a very dry humor which suggests a high intelligence. What you wrote here about possibly having a benign tumor could be interpreted in two ways---the first on literal face value, but I doubt it is just completely that. Not discounting that you have migraines, but I think you may be subtly implying that such a factual approach may not really hit the spot, so kind of tongue in cheek while at the same time also literal. This could be simply a communication style. People raised in odd circumstances can develop very individualized and unique styles.
For me it sounds a bit passive-aggressive what could also explain why he once thought it could be BPD and more in direction of Newson-Syndrome, because both share some traits with being passive-aggressive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive-ag ... e_behavior
Just a personal thought. I don't want to diagnose here anyone.
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For me it sounds a bit passive-aggressive what could also explain why he once thought it could be BPD and more in direction of Newson-Syndrome, because both share some traits with being passive-aggressive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive-ag ... e_behavior
Just a personal thought. I don't want to diagnose here anyone.
Passive-Aggressive is so me, according to that description. It's not in the DSM, though, and I agree that it shouldn't qualify as it's own disorder since it's a part of so many others, so it might be better to think about it in terms of something else, like Newson, Compensatory NPD, or BPD.
When they say that Compensatory NPD or Newson have "negativist" features, does this refer to passive-aggressive behavior?
Well Newson-Syndrome is also not in the DSM or ICD.
I'm not 100% certain but I think so, because it would fit.
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Tyrion wrote: "Passive-Aggressive is so me, according to that description..."
Yeah, ha ha....I did not yet read the description, but did it say that passive aggressive behavior can be a way of saying hello? I suspect not:-)
There is a broad panorama of human response, its perceived function and the result it can have....the door out of mechanical repetition is to have a good reason for what one is doing. I do suggest keep it simple.
Re NPD, to confront it directly and face it is the beginning of not being able to so effectively use that device anymore, so do not worry, but BPD is something else. Does anyone here know that BPD really is, how it operates, meaning not its external but its internal dynamics? What is its unconsciously perceived function by a person who is acting from that set? Not talking about stuff someone just read in a book or a diagnostic manual. .I do not think most therapists even have much of an idea about this.
Would just a simple MRI be able to pick up abnormalities like a right-hemisphere lesion?
Maybe a benign tumor that hasn't grown since early childhood that could be removed.
In the case of my sister, a simple MRI was able to detect the Brain Lesion in her right hemisphere. It was not until middle age though, so it is hard to say if it was a congenital condition or not. Of course, that is also a sign of many other neurological disorders and/or disease. Interestingly, my sister received the MRI after having symptoms of Optical Migraines.
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To continue from my last message, it seems that no one really knows what BPD is exactly, That figures:-). The diagnostic criteria are just a thumbnail sketch to help a therapist put things into a kind of generalized category so he can work form there, but it is not the same as getting to know the client or the client getting to know himself.
What is surely behind this particular disorder, especially, and basically all kinds of psychological disorders is the relationship with the parents, especially the primary caretaker, who is generally the mother. The main point is that all of this material is kind of suppressed from the consciousness of the client as it is too painful and he is kind of conditioned (duped) by the original relationship into seeing things a certain way, and even if he may understand some aspects of this dynamic intellectually, this is not the same as actually really seeing it..
Therefore, by my understanding, one of the main tasks of a therapist is to establish a new kind of relationship with the client. No matter how he has diagnosed the client, generally speaking, the establishment of such a relationship of bonding and trust is probably the same under most conditions. Moreover an experienced therapist probably does not even have to look at the diagnostic manual in most situations to be able to make a working diagnosis, and his work does not have to do with giving the client this or that diagnosis, though he may tell you what he thinks if you ask, or as a part of the therapy he may mention it, but if a client is preoccupied with finding this or that diagnosis then this can interfere with the bonding process between the therapist and the client, which bonding is essential in order for the therapy to be helpful. Presumably either the client OR the therapist can use getting lost in these criteria as a means to avoid intimacy and to superficial structure a social interaction, though I guess such a conversation re diagnostic criteria could also be used to make a bridge.
I think BPD is really characterized by extreme sensitivity, i.e. having thin skin emotionally. However, it's an "acting out" type of emotional response rather than the more typical "acting in" response which characterizes depression. My theory is that people with BPD experience a sense of emotional catharsis on action more strongly than others and this is what leads to the "acting out" tendency. The root cause might manifest outwardly in radically different ways between different people, male vs. female, introvert vs. extrovert, impulsive vs. risk averse, etc... so the typical list of symptoms probably applies to a typical personality subset which means people with other co-morbid problems or unusual personalities might not fit the symptoms as well.
Anyways, I agree that therapy should focus more on working with individuals than working with labels. Labels might be useful for scientific studies and statistical analysis of problems that tend to cluster around certain traits, but labels are not necessarily is useful when a person uses the label as a substitute identity.
I partially agree, but I also think the "nurture" aspect of ordinary platonic friendships is missing in our harshly individualistic society. Being emotionally close to a non-family non-spouse is considered abnormal in our society, especially when it comes to members of the opposite sex. I think this is pretty f***ed up. The fact of the matter is there are a lot of sh***y parents in the world, so some people will need to find meaningful social and emotional support elsewhere. Trying to peg everything to early upbringing just introduces an additional sense of hopelessness and futility that might just make matters worse.
I think being preoccupied with finding a correct label is a "systemizer" trait. For me obsessions with studying and categorizing my problems is a way of intellectualizing them, which gives me emotional distance. For me an obsession can almost be a type of escape. The more I can keep my mental gears turning the more level I feel. It's the times when I'm too tired to think, theorize, or obsess, that I sometimes start to feel like I'm hanging by an emotional thread. I've also had a tendency that goes way back to my early childhood of becoming obsessed with things that frighten or disturb me. Of course sometimes this obsession isn't good if moving on is required.
Anyways, I don't fully agree that a "clinical" discussion necessarily prevents forming a close and trusting relationship. In some cases it might just be how someone of a certain personality operates. I think fear of openness or dishonesty is a much greater problem. I agree that it might be a problem if you can't move beyond stage of finding the correct identification to doing something more proactive in terms of addressing specific problems.
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Another thing I realized after talking privately with a WP who saw this thread: a lot of what I have can be explained in terms of blame.
I guess I realize that something is wrong due to my autism spectrum disorder/NLD, so I have hostility that must turn somewhere. Sometimes, it is turned inward, which leads to depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation/attempts (twice). Other times, it is turned outward where I direct this hostility/blame at my environment, U.S. society, or selective people (or cars). During these times, I am actually in a pretty happy mood and not depressed at all. But this is when I engage in most of my sociopathic behaviors.
I guess this looks like bipolar disorder but can also resemble NPD and BPD; I don't think it's either bipolar disorder or BPD, and I'm not sure I totally yet understand NPD. People around me, including my own immediate family, claim that I am always looking for something or someone to blame or hate. This is true, except it isn't always. It may actually be a survival mechanism, given that I have unsuccessful suicide in my past.
So how does this fit into the scheme of things? Is this bipolar, or is it more like NPD/BPD? I think it could fit into NPD in terms of being a vacillation in self-esteem. Either I'm f****d up and want to kill myself, or else many other people are f****d up, and I'm simply a superior being who doesn't have to follow the rules made up by sniveling NT idiots, and it's so fun to get away with breaking them and escape with few or no consequences.
My therapist is scoring some of the tests I took, so I should get some answers before the middle of May.