Possibly misdiagnosed or overdiagnosed

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*Note: This is a post that was meant to be shorter than intended, but I got tired of keeping my thoughts bottled-up inside after what happened in the first paragraph. So grab some coffee before reading on. If you find something here that doesn't make sense to you, do not hesitate to point that out. Also, I'm seeking the truth behind this situation, so I highly encourage you to be brutally honest with your thoughts*.

So lately I've been suspecting that I've been given an inaccurate diagnosis. The reason for this is that I went to see a therapist 2 1/2 weeks ago for a single session, in which he honestly told me that certain forms of autism are so complicated to identify professionally that a diagnosis cannot be accurately given in one session.

As it turns out, I concluded today that I was so-called "diagnosed" in only one session back in November of last year by a quite possibly less-experienced therapist and have been believing it was true up until I was given this new bit of information (I'm a slow learner, in case you haven't noticed). It seems like he took advantage of my previously-diagnosed disorders (ADD-inattentive, Panic Disorder (now in remission), Mood Disorder-NOS (I'm convinced it's really Bipolar Disorder II)) to make it easier from him to pass me through the 1-hour session.

I've taken online AQ tests more than a few times between the "diagnosis" and the day I joined WP with the feeble attempt to prove that I'm an NT, but the results always came back positive for AS (of course, with slight differences in scores each time). I'm not quite sure what's going here with my condition in regards to the spectrum. Thoughts are welcomed, but not before knowing:

1) Sociability: I am definitely socially inept. I'm usually quiet and ignoring those around me because not only I can't find the words to say to hold a conversation, but I find it very difficult to see things from their points of view and read their intentions. I'm known to mumble to myself due to my racing and disorganized thoughts "spilling out" when alone and/or drunk in public (which fluctuates with my stress level at that moment). I've been known to be quite weird and rude those rare times when I am sociable and confident, and even being labeled narcissistic and immature at times when I don't get my way (frequently in the form of shutdowns, rarely in the form of meltdowns). I also can't seem to learn from these mistakes.

2) Interests: I do have a few intense interests, but cannot hold on to them for too long because of my limited attention span (but I won't mentally wander off too far before cycling back to start over again). This can work for or against me according to my mood and stress levels at any given situation. I can openly share my interests, but am likely not to with most people because I always expect to get the usual smarmy and child-patronizing remark along the lines of "Woow, that's soo coool!" (which I have gotten many many times in the past). The few people I choose to share with are more likely have a comment or question I can respond to with a temporary hope of turning it into a conversation.

3) Thoughts: I have issues understanding logic, facts, and reality (yes, please burn me at the stake for this), due to my propensity to over-think subject matters to the point of abstraction (which ironically has made me a worthy artist and designer). I have been labeled by others as being a rebel, a wanna-be know-it-all, ignorant, arrogant at times, having a one-track mind, jumping-ahead, self-defeating, and even delusional. The truth is, I just simply see things differently (much of which are through a slowly-increasing world-weary and pessimistic point of view). I do make it a point to push myself hard to analyze and challenge my thoughts so I can learn the truth. I've made some progress in this field but still believe I have a long way to go.

4) Memory: My short-term memory isn't the best, unless a piece of information is repeated to me a few times (yes I also have problems with auditory processing) or it's written (or drawn) down somewhere. My long-term memory used to be great up until about 3 years ago when I started drinking moderately to beat the stress of school. I could remember at least two highlights of every year of my life since I was born. Today it takes me a while to recall one highlight from the past year. I've been trying to limit my alcohol intake, with the hopes of finally quitting altogether. I've also been taking supplements to try to boost my memory.

5) Friendships: I have no friends left. The ones I thought I've had in the past have all taken advantage of (and abused) my naivety and loyalty (before disappearing). I have rarely had any confidence in calling them out on it, simply out of fear that I might lose them. Eventually I had a series of meltdowns (one friend at a time) because they would increasingly find excuses to not hang out with me to do what interests me. I on the other hand didn't seem to have a problem letting myself be manipulated into doing what interests them. I soon realized after it was too late that part of the problem was my inability to stand-up for myself and engage in proper tactical and social skills to level the playing field.

6) ASD: My vocabulary isn't as well-developed as a "stereotypical" Aspies. To add to that, I find much more effectiveness in showing people what I mean instead of struggling to convince them with my poor choice of words and disorganized thoughts (visual-thinking FTW!). Also, given my inability to focus on interests for too long and social ineptness, I may not be a full Aspie but instead be living in the grey zone between AS and HFA (if not fully HFA). I can't confirm or deny this just yet because I still have much more research ahead of me.

7) Sensitivity: I have issues with my fingertips where if I hold a slushy drink in one hand for more than a few seconds I get a tingling sensation and have to instantly let go to find something to wipe them with. I have a problem with sunlight, especially in the morning and evening hours. I get the sensation that I'm being burned with a magnifying glass. I have a skin sensation on the back of my neck (right on the spine of all places) that only acts up when my hair grows more than an inch long (I get this itching sensation, even though the area is clean and there is nothing else there. I have the same problem with shirt tags further down my spine. Sometimes I feel like there are bugs crawling on my arms and/or back. There are rare times I feel this sensation on my face, chest, and top of my head. I have issues with sounds. I've been told I can capture faint sounds in the distance before anyone else. I also get very annoyed by local ambient sounds made by others, even if the sounds are considered by them to be of a normal decibel level.

I think I've said enough for now, so I'll stop here. So what are your thoughts? Does this sound like a true AS or just someone with AS traits? Or could any combination of my other disorders be simply getting worse? Other thoughts?

Edit: I just noticed that I had two separate entries for "Interests". They have been combined.

Last edited by JoeKikas on 19 Jun 2014, 6:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I can't tell. I'd have to observe you in person over a decent amount of time, and especially how you interact with people.

You sound like an interesting person, though.

Good luck in your pursuit of your truth.

I'm not sure either unfortunately. I can relate to some of it, but I am not sure I'm really Aspie either. I know it is really hard to tell if someone is Aspie in adulthood, due to people hiding things from others or even themselves, and some people learn to adapt to a point where they could just appear to have some kind of mental illness instead. Your sensory sensitivity could also be as a result of some kind of trauma etc which may have no basis in childhood development.

Is there any evidence from your childhood? Has the psychologist ever asked for an interview with people that knew you as a child (or parents if you can get them to go), or have they ever seen any home videos of you if you have any, or even read any old school report cards that may show evidence? It's not good practice from what I hear for a psychologist to make a decision like that in the first appointment though.

I know it is really hard - I'm going through diagnosis at the moment myself and feel like I'm lost - I don't even know who I am anymore.

What I can tell from what you've said is that you are going through a lot and you must be at least suffering with some form of mental illness, whether that be depression or anxiety, or something else, I don't know. But if you're so unsure, maybe seek a second opinion? I don't blame you for questioning this psychologist's quick appraisal of you.

Is there anything outside of the short session making you doubt the diagnosis? Other then the short session I did not see anything to make me doubt your diagnosis. I saw some evidence in your post of Executive Functioning difficulties. sensory issues, repetitive special interests and poor social communication.

You need to find a specialist in Autism Spectrum disorders and get a second opinion. Your self doubt needs to be resolved.

My report card grades were decent in up until the very early teen years, but quickly became atrocious as soon as high school started. I was notorious for constantly drawing in class instead of paying attention (and to a much lesser degree I still am if I have to sit through a lecture that doesn't interest me). However, my interests held better in classes that involved hands-on activities (art, design, woodshop, and physical ed.), in which case I was known to talk constantly about the subject matter (I seriously found it difficult to shut my mouth earlier on. It wasn't until later when I got tired of being teased for my thoughts that I finally withdrew). I also found myself impressionable to class clowns around me without ever properly forming a bond with them. There were certain exceptions where I did make true friendships, that eventually became the subject matter in the "Friendships" section on my list above. I guess they just had alot of patience with me at some point. The one time I saw a psychologist with a parent was with my single dad (also with mental issues and Aspie traits) when I was 18. At that point, my home life had become so dysfunctional I was already a two-time run-away, with a third and final one coming up the following year before finally moving out on my own. My dad knew he was at least partially at fault for the way I was raised, but in order to protect his old third-world macho ego he placed blame squarely on me (real mature, right?). He may have gone to see a counselor at some point while I was living with him, but I have not seen any evidence so far. My mom (coming from a much more modern environment) has talked to at least two professionals in the psychology field on her own about my issues, but I can't recall ever going with her. I've had to dig for answers on my own otherwise.



Yes, I had already mentioned my mental illnesses early on in this thread. I believe these have been proven to be true through heavily studying brain SPECT scans of other patients shortly before being officially diagnosed after my own consultations and scans (finalized after four thorough sessions). I almost accurately self-diagnosed myself beforehand and started experimenting with natural supplements. Sure they worked somewhat, but I suspected there were more problems with my brain and decided I need to stop hypothesizing and get real answers. I believe the diagnosis is genuine, so there's no question about that.



TBH, what's making me doubt the diagnosis is a combination of my thoughts on the subject getting out of hand due to over-thinking and my gullible eyes reading webpages about AS being considered a "fake disorder", which seems to be falsely claimed by people who use it as a sudden excuse to be rude, lazy, and catered to by others (I honestly despised these people. They're no better than the able-bodied abusing handicap placards to find better parking spaces). I can see how I've caused myself this problem by not being able to slow my mind down to a better relaxed and focused pace.

You are quite right, this does need a resolution. I have found a few ASD specialists in my area, but I can't afford the cost of a proper consultation and diagnosis (at least for the time being). I guess the best I can do for now is to go back to square one and once again compare my SPECT scans to those of diagnosed patients (who this time are on the ASD).


Thank you all for your insight on this matter! I appreciate it. You have given me something worth thinking about (but hopefully not too much lol).