"autism distinct anxiety"

Post Reply New Topic

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/anxie ... fferences/

My social anxiety seems to be anxiety-related, due to past experiences, fear of being judged or doing something stupid, and rejection (which is my biggest social fear). Also I'm quite shy when around people I don't know very well, and I don't drink alcohol either so sometimes I can find myself feeling restless or fed up. And I feel self-conscious when it comes to wearing appropriate clothing for certain social events such as parties. I worry that I look fat or stupid in what I'm wearing, compared to other women who look nice, and I'm not very good at putting on make-up but the societal pressure on females and make-up can make me feel self-conscious if I don't put any on. Sometimes I wish I was a guy, where I can just put on a smart shirt and pants or even jeans and not feel the same pressure as women do to have to put make-up on. So much more comfortable.

I don't have a need for routine or anything but I do feel anxious about leaving my comfort zone. I'm going to a party next weekend with my boyfriend, where all his family are gathering who he doesn't hardly see. Part of me is looking forward to it, but another part of me is nervous. What if I do something stupid? What if I look awkward, standing in the wrong place or something? What if I can't hear people properly? What if I don't look right in my clothes? What if my face goes red from shyness and embarrassment? All these sorts of thoughts whirl round and round my head, making me want to back away and stay home with all my comforts. But then again, I want to meet his distant relatives and I want them to meet me. I want to be there but don't at the same time.

Bunk. NT people can just as easily have social anxiety spill over into disrupting other areas of their lives. This is nitpicking research, and they've identified nothing distinct.

I can see it..... Like, some of my anxieties as a child were very very much linked to autistic traits. Maybe it's not a whole disorder on its own, but it does tailor the symptoms around autistic ones.

Examples:
-intense fear of blank computer screens (because I was afraid of my computers not working, they were involved in one or more of my special interests)
-intense emotional reactions to bad things happening to animals I was particularly attached to (such as reading about a lost cat in the book Little Women)

I was (I might still be) dx'd with GAD. I don't have social anxiety, not at all. And I argued my dx, as I don't exactly feel any connect to what most people experience with GAD. My issues largely come from sensory overload in public, so I'm hesitant to go to public places, especially new places since I have no idea how loud, bright, whatever, they will be. That sort of thing could cause me some serious upset and I'll need days (maybe longer) to recover once I get home. If it's a really bad outing for me, I might shutdown in public, which can be problematic. Most time the risk isn't worth the possible reward for me, so I choose to stay in my house for the most part and go to the same few places I'm familiar with so I know what I can expect and then I can mentally prepare for leaving when I do have to go places.

I don't really handle changes in my routine all that well either. I do okay-ish if I have time to prepare for said change, but even then I'll be 'off' for the rest of the day. I can usually manage, but I still dislike it and avoid changes whenever possible.

Yeah, autism distinct anxiety sounds more relatable to me than GAD does.

I've had social anxiety most of my life, but my reasons for it seem closer to the neurotypical reasons given in that study. When interacting with people, I don't worry about it interfering with my routine or interests, I'm just terrified of being disliked, rejected or making people angry.

I might not be a good representation though, and I think anything that helps pick autism symptoms apart from other disorders could be useful for accurate diagnoses in the future