Autistic Stress/Anxiety Disorder - And/or Burnout?

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Do you experience any of these? (tick/check all that apply)

Nervous system gets stuck in hyper mode and/or agitation	10%	[ 11 ]
Periods of intense rumination (repetitive thoughts) and/or anxiety	12%	[ 13 ]
Periods of emotional dysregulation and/or meltdowns	11%	[ 12 ]
Temporary regression to more autistic thoughts and/or behaviours	8%	[ 9 ]
Temporary difficulties expressing yourself verbally	8%	[ 9 ]
Nervous system crashes and/or unusual levels of fatigue	13%	[ 14 ]
Too fatigued to go out and/or do things you normally enjoy	11%	[ 12 ]
Periods of depression which ease up over time and/or cyclothymia	10%	[ 11 ]
Gut issues (may include food allergies, intolerances, frequent constipation or diarrhoea, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease)	13%	[ 14 ]
Other (possibly autism-related) anxiety/stress symptoms (describe in comment)	5%	[ 6 ]
None of the above	0%	[ 0 ]

Total votes : 111

MrsPeel
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03 Nov 2023, 2:30 am

That could probably hold true for clinical anxiety also.

colliegrace
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03 Nov 2023, 2:57 am

BTDT wrote:

I figured out a very simple test for OCD. You are having an anxiety attack. You hear the delivery of a shiny new toy at your door. What happens next?

Nothing stops OCD, not even a shiny new toy.

Yep.

OCD disrupts everything.

I was at one point filling out a questionaire for OCD, that was diagnostic. It took me 6 hours!! Because I was so stressed out about answering the questions honestly, that I obsessed over each and every one far more than I was supposed to. I took so long that I didn't walk my neighbor's dogs and she called me out of concern and I was crying when I answered the phone.

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Also diagnosed with: seasonal depression, anxiety, OCD

PhosphorusDecree
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03 Nov 2023, 8:33 am

colliegrace wrote:

BTDT wrote:

I figured out a very simple test for OCD. You are having an anxiety attack. You hear the delivery of a shiny new toy at your door. What happens next?

Nothing stops OCD, not even a shiny new toy.

One reason I struggle with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is their obsession with forms. Forms to assess you, forms to record your week, and worst of all, forms that you're supposed to use to challenge negative automatic thoughts. Guess what I have a phobia of? Forms.

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MrsPeel
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18 Nov 2023, 6:30 am

I also hate forms with a passion!

But I need to make an update on this thread.

I started it because I was wondering if the nervous system dysregulation and anxiety symptoms were a part of autism and to see if others had similar experiences - and from the responses it looks like many of you do.

However... I saw a psychiatrist last week and was told that on top of my ASD I also have Generalised Anxiety Disorder AND some kind of Adjustment Disorder.

The psychiatrist was not an autism expert so I'm not sure if she was mistaking autistic issues for these other disorders or if I genuinely have these other mental illnesses.

(Overall, I think I'm suffering from Symptom Source Confusion Disorder).

Edna3362
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24 Nov 2023, 8:17 am

There's the autistic related stress, and then there's the human related stress.
At least that's for me.

The autistic related stress is related to being unable to shift focus and certain perceptual distortions; like losing words and comprehending them. Sometimes I don't have these.
The closest and worst I got was this 2 year long apparent shut in -- which is a combination of burnout induced intolerance that sideways into anxiety and intolerance to a lot of things such as uncertainty...

The human related stress is body, emotion and thought related. Related to my pride, related to whatever past transgressions regardless of context. It distorts everything into it's worst of interpretations.
Somehow, I have 'this' since childhood. I have more stress related issues in this regard.

Both can tangle and interact at such ways.
I experience all symptoms to a certain degree -- but it comes and goes irregularly.

Few symptoms only shows up every few years. Some has a particular trigger...
Some have it's own reasons (i.e. changes in diet), others don't.

Others is very specific; like one particular type of situation; which is likely a form of projection or one of those stupid subconscious hijacks -- the less I deal with a particular situation, the unlikely it comes back; or, it never truly lasts unless it gets too complicated (usually conditional) to untangle.

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PhosphorusDecree
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24 Nov 2023, 9:27 am

MrsPeel wrote:

SSCD should definitely be a thing... I have a great deal of trouble distinguishing between a meltdown, a panic attack and an asthma attack, and getting them mixed up is not at all helpful.

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MrsPeel
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26 Nov 2023, 5:21 am

PhosphorusDecree wrote:

MrsPeel wrote:

(Overall, I think I'm suffering from Symptom Source Confusion Disorder).

SSCD should definitely be a thing... I have a great deal of trouble distinguishing between a meltdown, a panic attack and an asthma attack, and getting them mixed up is not at all helpful.

Yeah, I think I might have alexithymia which probably doesn't help with the confusion.
My emotions are: nervous system normal, nervous system hyper, or nervous system crash.

Apparently, NTs in "nervous system hyper" can immediately distinguish whether they are feeling anxious, upset, angry, excited, or overwhelmed. Whereas I have to work it out from the context - and sometimes only realise I feel angry with someone two days after the fact.

MrsPeel
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22 Dec 2023, 7:19 pm

Anyone else want to vote?
I'm still interested in how common these issues might be in our community.

FleaOfTheChill
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23 Dec 2023, 3:34 pm

I can relate to all of the things listed here. I'd like to say more on it, but my brain is largely fried at the moment and I don't trust myself to get too detailed, serious, whatever at the moment. I'm writing here in hopes I'll remember to come back later once I'm doing better and give a more thoughtful response.

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