Can ppl with asd be depressed and [i]not[/i] be sad?

Post Reply New Topic

I went to the doctor and he told me I have clinical depression because I have tinnitus, stomach pain, bad memory loss, constipation & photophobia.

However I don't feel sad/ lethargic or have thoughts of suicide / death & I feel really chirpy. I am sleeping well too.

So I wondered...Can clinical depression present differently in ppl with ASD? Has anyone been depressed and not realised it?

If you really do have Major Depressive Disorder, you have to have had at least two episodes of depression. This is the official description of a depressive episode from the DSM 5. It is possible to have a depressive episode and still not be sad; the criteria state that you either have to have a depressed mood or have a loss of interest or pleasure. If you have lost interest in something that you used to be interested in, even if you are pretty happy, that can count.

It's not depression that presents itself differently with ASD, but your body language. If your doctor thinks you are sad and misreads your body language, that can cause a problem, because the criteria for judging a mood problem includes "by subjective report" from the doctor. Did you tell your doctor you have ASD?

And that list of symptoms sounds nothing like depression.

Yes, he knows I have panic disorder and aspergers - I think it was just the memory loss that made him think I have it. He said, "ah.. you have memory loss - judging from the anxiety you have suffered recently and your past medical history of depression I would say you are clinically depressed - constipation, tinnitus, memory loss and abdominal pain are all signs of depression..

..Fill in the form and tick the boxes that correspond to you..." ( a depression checklist)

So I did - and the only one I ticked negatively was the forgetfulness one

My mum doesn't reckon I'm depressed but I was just curious if it presented differently sometimes for ASDs- I remember last time I was depressed I felt very very sad and I couldn't get out of bed and I kept thinking I was going to die.

I am certainly not feeling like that.

My psycologist have told me that I was depressed when I was just feeling abit down, but not unhappy.
I said that I didn't think I was depressed but she insisted.
But I have a degree of alexithymia so that could explain it.