Aspergers and Histrionic Personality Disorder?
Jamesy
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Joined: 24 Oct 2008
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,413
Location: Near London United Kingdom
That doesn't sound like a very confident diagnosis. If all he could give you was a "probably" then that tells me that that person was not qualified to diagnose it. You seem to have yourself kind of pegged already. Some people know themselves and are correct (I was right about myself), other people do not fit as distinctly into the ASD mold as some do though, and they could have a number of possibilities other than ASD. That is why you should get a real evaluation done if it is important to you, rather than simply going by a "probably..."
No, I really don't think I am misunderstanding what was said. Perhaps you just didn't explain it in enough detail...or maybe you are just uncomfortable because I am not identifying Aspergers (only a psychologist can do that anyway officially...I am just calling it as I read it). I am a very literal thinker, and I don't read between the lines, so let's go back to some of your exact words.
You said you feel "uncomfortable" when you are not the centre of attention (another time you said you were "bothered" by it). You did not say you feel uncomfortable/bothered when people ignore you. Being acknowledged by others and being the centre of attention are two entirely different things! But, leaving aside the words uncomfortable and bothered, you also said that you are completely obsessed with being the centre of attention. Really, how else can one take this? I take things literally (if you don't mean what you say an a board for autistic people, you're bound to be in for some possible misinterpretations!) You also said you really like when people make a big deal out of something you have done in front of everyone. No matter how long this lasts, this is called being the centre of attention. It is also a quality of histrionic disorder. You even said that this need to be the centre of attention is becoming disabling to you (these are all your words, not mine).
Also going back to the meltdowns or, in your case, "hissy fits"...you said you behave badly when friends don't come around. I will read between the lines this time (or try to)... Could this be because there is no one there to give you the attention you seem to so badly crave? You also just said that if a stranger walked in during one of your fits you would ask for help. This is not an autistic meltdown. I don't really know what you mean by that....what would you need their help for?...but I do know autistic meltdowns are uncontrollable. Uncontrollable by the people around us who want us to "snap out of it", and uncontrollable by our own selves. If I am in a meltdown, I have no desire to ask for help. I don't want help. I just want to meltdown, get it out of my system and move on. I don't want anyone's help, I just want them to leave me alone. I don't want people to touch me or try to comfort me or do anything else to me. I just want them to leave me alone because I don't have any control over them. I know I am not unique in the autistic world when it comes to my meltdowns.
Yes, there is a difference between being sad and being angry, although I don't really know how that relates to what you said. My meltdowns are not a result of being sad or angry, btw. They happen due to sensory overload and a change in routine.
I don't know if feeling rage about a person not acting exactly as you want is a sign of anxiety or not. I have been diagnosed with comorbid anxiety, and I do not feel this. That doesn't mean it might manifest in others with anxiety, though...I've just never heard of it.
Also, sleeping abnormalities is something that can accompany autism, but it is not one of the diagnostic criteria. There are MANY reasons for odd sleeping habits, and I can imagine that most of the people who have them are not autistic.
I really cannot say whether you or on the spectrum or not (I am a big advocate of people getting a professional diagnosis rather than simply guessing, when it is something so important to them). I also don't know you in real life, and what people type on an online discussion board can leave out quite a bit. From what I have read, though, I haven't really seen any sure signs of aspergers, and I tend to be fairly good at picking it out in people because it is so prominent in myself. The more you talk, the more I am inclined to agree with your father, but I am definitely not a psychologist. That being said, everyone is different, and it is not impossible, so if you care so much, you should go find out for sure.
Jamesy
Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2008
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 8,413
Location: Near London United Kingdom
LOL--who said you offended me? I never said that. All I said was I didn't misinterpret the words that you used, you just might have chosen the wrong ones.
And I don't know if someone who is OBSESSED can just grow out of it if they want to....
Anyway, I said nothing to even indicate that I was offended. I think you might be offended that I am disagreeing with you, and if I am offending you I am sorry. Since you asked for opinions, though, I am going to be truthful in mine.
when i say i want to be the centre of attention i dislike it when i am in the corner and no one talks to me. when peopel start talking to me or making a big deal out of something i have done infront of everybody i do really like the feeling but at the same time i don't like the attention to be prolonged.
I am not a good communicator either but a lot of people say i have very good eye contact and ia m good at minpulating people according to my family.
here is some infro about aspergers being misdiagnosed http://samvak.tripod.com/personalitydisorders62.html
On some tests i have taken on the internet i score highest in histrionic.
A lot of what you say throughout the whole thread sounds similar to Bipolar Disorder. Thought I was an Aspie because of my depressive pattern and histrionic because of my manic stages. I can now see the pattern clearly but the extremes and contradictory nature of the different stages of Bipolar were very confusing. Then I would seem to get better for awhile but after starting over 15 times now since I was 18 I'm certain I will kill myself if I can't get some help.
I'm sorry your family is no help. My family was always just hateful too. The depressive stages since 8 I suppose just make me a piece of s**t and the manic make me an as*hole. f**k them for never noticing or helping when I was young and f**k them because they always made me feel I had to hide my problems and deny my needs to fit in with them. Coming down from mania which turned mixed because I drink socially when I'm manic but the mixed stage just led me to lose my job, going to be homeless and have to send my son to his father's. Guess I'm starting over all over again but this time when my son leaves I'm going to the crisis center and getting diagnosed and going to get this under some kind of control.
Don't wait until you are in your 30s or 40s and have a trail of defeat and confusion behind you before you seek a diagnosis for whatever it is. YOU know something is wrong, so please just get some help.
Yes you can, it's just very rare and when you want to be in the middle of attention it sounds like histrionic behavior to me nevertheless if you have really histrionic PD or not.
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