How does AS get misdiagnosed as Bi-Polar Disorder?

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I hear that it's fairly common for those with AS...women especially, to be misdiagnosed as having bi-polar disorder, and as someone with AS, who has known people with bi-polar disorder, I just don't see how this is possible.

I don't know either, but I wish my brother, who has been diagnosed bi-polar, would be more willing to look into AS. I told him about me, and explained a little bit, it but it seems he is another one of these people who have a stereotyped idea of autism and he didn't even want to try a few tests from WP (I sent him a few because I think it is very possible he is on the autism spectrum too).

I can see why. I thought I had it once. But my extreme mood swings were more hormonal and anyway my emotions are pretty intense.
I relate to a lot of people with Bipolar apart from some of their extravertedness.

Do the meds work for your brother? If he had AS they wouldn't.

I definitely have Asperger's, but I'm pretty sure I'm also bipolar (my diagnosis has been for Asperger's, severe OCD, and a mood disorder that hasn't quite been pinpointed). Some of us have co-morbid conditions.

I've heard that an intense interest setting in, especially to the point of losing sleep (and/or not eating, showering, etc.), can be misinterpreted as a hypomanic episode. If someone also experiences depression, that and the supposed hypomanic symptoms can be misinterpreted as bipolar disorder.

I would also wager the perceived lack of emotion until there is a sudden perceived outburst since a lot of people rely heavily on nonverbal communication to gauge how others feel looks like an intense mood swing, when they dont realize that you've been irritated/angry or depressed for perhaps hours or even days, because they cant pick it up.

Thats easy....there is a big push to diagnose anyone who suffers from anything mind related with bipolar disorder...doctors are given incentives by insurance companies to diagnose bipolar above any other disorder. The insurance companies get paid back by the drug companies which manifacture bipolar medicine...expecailly the medicine abilify.
To make things worse people with just everyday life dificulties are being diagnosed bipolar and put on powerful drugs with nasty side effects....they expanded and softened the criteria for bipolar disorder in the DSM IV and shortened and limited the criteria for other disorders, expecially ones that dont have a big pharm imput or those who dont have alot of drugs to treat it...see like ASD's!! This is no accident, but the drug companies really going in greed hyperdrive. They even invented a criteria for childhood onset bipolar which is alot like ADHD and are working on making toddler tantrums and teenage angst a criteria for bipolar disorder.

if you want info, go to ask.com and search "bipolar bamboozle" There is a website with that name that talks all about that.

Shadi....have your brother check out that site, and as far as the bipolar meds not working if you had AS. Not true...these mood stablizers are very powerful and will even out your moods or even make a person with AS...flatline, meaning void of any emotional flunctuations. They dont just work on bipolar people, they have a profound effect on moods even if you are an NT....however the bad part is that they come with bad side effects.
I heard that side effects are not just accidents most of the time, but things added in the medication to cause other illnesses or problems which you will have to buy more medication to redemy...which has even more side effects and the cycle continues. Thats why you see these old folks with 20 different medications when they have only 1 or 2 conditions.

I have a friend who I'm fairly certain is an aspie who is diagnosed as bipolar. What I would call aspie meltdowns/shutdowns they see as depressive episodes. I hear when bipolar people are in a manic state they sometimes talk really fast, and he does that when he's talking about his special interests (he also has trouble with his tone of voice). And some other little things like that. I don't know too much about bipolar disorder, but I didn't really see why he was diagnosed with that. I also don't really understand why some aspies are misdiagnosed with it.

I can imagine this happening. For one thing depression is commonly co-morbid with AS. The symptoms of the manic episodes of the milder BP's (BP2 and cyclothymia) include " an increase in goal directed activity" and describe this as someone concentrating intensely on something for an unusually long time. This could clearly be related to special interests or even just a preference for sameness/perseveration etc. Another symptoms is pressured speech, i.e. talking too much, too fast ( which could be related to problems modulating one's voice tone). Another major symptom of the manic episodes is impulsivity. I can't speak for other people but I have made some decisions in my life that appeared very capricious (although they were actually planned out years in advance and seemed quite logical to me at the time) in relation to my special interests. Therefore if an aspie had episodes of major depression, and when they were not depressed displayed some of the symptoms of mania( in relation to their AS) perhaps they could be misdiagnosed.

One doctor thought I might have had BP but I didn't present with the "elevated or expansive mood" when not depressed nor the sleeplessness (with BP - during manic phases - you're supposed to be able to "feel rested" after only a few hours of sleep or none at all).

They have pills for bi-polar but not for Aspergers.

To a man with a hammer everything looks like a nail.

Bi-polar empowers the doctor, Aspergers takes power away.
So they just go for what makes them feel good.

If they invent a pill for Aspergers that has to be repeatedly prescribed then they would diagnose Aspergers all over the place. Ka-ching!!

well, doctors thought i was bi-polar with strong OCD tendencies... the medication didnt work.

They thought i was bi-polar because i would seem to be fine and then something could set me off (and I would go into a meltdown and be a recluse for a day to a week... then i would be fine again........

and of course my special interests would make me seem like i was in manic mode....

i was diagnosed bipolar II (or cyclothymic) as a teenager. AS was unheard of at the time. i was staying up all night indulging in my interests, and at those times was highly engrossed and enthusiastic (thought to be hypomania, perhaps) and other times had nearly suicidal depression. the highs and lows can make sense in either context. i was self harming and had terrible anxiety and did not want to go to school or deal with anyone. i was on lithium briefly, which did nothing.

i don't think i am bipolar. it was just the best guess we had at the time. had i seen someone five years later, it probably would have been BPD.

i hate to agree with this but i do: