Manic episode or focus on specific interest ?

Post Reply New Topic

Sometimes i focus so intensly on a subject that all my general behaviour change. I become overly focussed, if the subject of my sudden interest is at work, i would start to do more hour and would think about it at home. It could bring to the point where i wake up in the night and go back to work. I would talk about that subject all over etc.....

This is typical of Asperger, the "specific interest" thing.

In trying to figure out the depression that affect me i found out that i have some sort of period where my depression is very bad while there is other period where i have great energy. I can explain the depressive mood by my frequent failure to "fit in". Like i said in the intro, specific interests can appear like a manic episod.

But that's only one way to explain it. A bipolar disorder could be at work too. Is it possible to have Asperger and Bipolar ? What could be the proportion between the two thing ? How can we make the difference ? Could it be possible for a pratician to mis-diagnose a Bipolar disorder on a Asperger patient ? The other way around ?

I have these semi manic episodes usually in the summer. I also exhibit symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.

Sure you can have one or the other or both. And sure the practician can misdiagnose, and in a way he has to because there's no such thing as a completely accurate diagnosis. The names of the diseases don't represent anything concrete, just a more or less strict group of symptoms, some more common, some less, that someone some day decided to call that way. Any diagnosis is nonexclusive.

I don't direct this to any one in particular, just to some people who in general go overboard with them. In what does a diagnosis matter? By applying a diagnosis a practician doesn't give you anything, he only approximates a name something that you already had walking in.

You don't have to evaluate yourself in terms of diseases more than anyoen else, a hundred years ago none of that stuff even had names. You're yourself, you have quirks, not every one of them is a disease, you know how you are, the only thing that matters is that you learn to work with it.

Sorry for the rant, just my 2¢ on the subject. I'll stop now before I turn into a scientologist.

According to what I've read and also a professional I talked to and attended his seminar, Bipolar is one of the disorders that occurs most often with Aspergers, percentage-wise. That and ADHD. Though other disorders are also very common. But Bipolar and ADHD seem to be in the lead in co-occurance rates.