The Chicken or the Egg

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So hello,
I've been wondering for some time now; are my Aspie traits caused by other things combined, instead of 'being Aspie'?

I have diagnosed social anxiety and assumed depression. The other traits and symptoms are (and tbh always have been); overly thinking/socially awkward, clumsy/slower moving, needing solitude and recharge, difficulties doing small things, hyper-focusing OR sensitive and perceptive mind-set to current environment, deep emotions/feelings but harder to verbalize and whatever else it is that made my psychologist ask me if I ever thought of Asperger's.

The thing is that I do play video games very, very much and smoke weed along with it.... and it has been like that for about 6 years, milder years and years before that as well (24 years old now) with school(s) to go along with it. And wouldn't my two habits logically lead to above traits and symptoms, and secondary problems? You see video games don't build much self-confidence and neither does smoking weed. Nor does it build towards a fine social skill-set in the way of non-verbal signs, since I type a lot or do voice-only. An 'NT' person not getting much training would set forth the same symptoms like me wouldn't he/she?

There's some counterpoints to this coming from myself, being the other Aspie-ish things I do have like sensory sensitivity (well a dark gaming room isn't much of a challenge to your nervous system anyway, wouldn't it try to listen harder, or tune in as you will when it finally [i]is[i] stressed? I just don't know and am unsure of any other things that might put me on the spectrum, but what do you think of the possibility that I'm not on the spectrum and just show these things as a result of my limited behaviors?

~ while editing some other things came to mind;
- loving absurd humor (think, well mainstream would be Monty Python, but Jiskefet is lovely)
- language jokes
- always feel like I'm acting
- never using sarcasm
- honesty
- seeming coldness/indifference in emotionally pressed situations
- easy read of people, sometimes I suspect myself of telepathy lol ...
- hates to walk on grass
- should my mouth be like this or like that (<- THIS is what is currently making me disgustingly anxious and it's keeping busy when outdoors,, ye..)

Is it possible to look like a duck, walk like a duck, swim like a duck, fly like a duck, and quack like a duck, but not be a duck?

Can a whole bunch of duck traits be instilled in an individual from independent causes none of which are being a duck?

That is what you're asking in a nutshell.

That would be one hell of coincidence if that were to happen.

You've basically described the first few years of my life after college (aside from the constant gaming... although I am a gamer).
Try to think about your life before you developed your current lifestyle. When I did that, I very quickly came to find that my behavior were symptoms, not a cause.

What were you like as a child?

Do you think the 'cause' really matters?
It your car has a dented fender does it matter if:
 -you hit a tree
 -a tree fell on it
 -someone else crashed into it?
 -Space Aliens zapped it.
The fender is dented. The decision whether or not to repair and how, are the fundamental questions not really 'who/what is to blame'.
Blame is for politicians.


This is a excellent point.

Maybe I'm just in denial,
still because you asked here's my experience of youth; laughing very much, interested to a lot (yes also 'things' like a radio, my dads DX-7 synthesizer and the Atari computer lol) but making and keeping friends went natural. I liked school, despite of feeling vulnerable and watched by by the other kids (I was taller and had two teeth that really stuck out, plus little spots of damaged skin due to scratching (never quit doing that on several locations over my body, changing in intensity which seems subconscious-stress related.) I liked life and did well at school - it was ordered and one knew what was expected very well in terms of learning material and assignments.
Anyway I think Asperger's is kind of funny and that should be the end-note for now. How it can so magically resonate is beyond me - also in video's it seems to click on a strange level and there's usually that moment of reconnaissance [like a slight feeling of awkwardness or so]). Depression and anxiety just aren't