are you more obsessed when stressed/depressed

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hi, just doing a serve here, are you more obsessed with your special interest when stressed or depressed?

Survey* i forgot how to spell it and then i remembered

I voted yes, absolutely - during one summer when I was 14 and really depressed and scared all the time, my only friends were my "Cars" die cast toys...."Cars" was literally the only thing that kept me happy (and alive) during that time; I'm not exaggerating.

yeah, totally. it's a coping mechanism.

Yes.

No, when I am depressed I don't want to do anything and when I am stressed I am too obsessed with finding a solution to the problem so that the problem goes away and I don't have anything to be stressed over to concentrate.

I am more likely to obsess over my interests when I am calm and happy, however, I had to put fluctuating as sometimes I don't obsess when calm and happy either. Sometimes I don't have any obsessive interests or my level of obsession fluctuates for reasons unbeknown to myself (maybe I have a cold or I didn't sleep well or I am not able to pursue my obsessions so have to put them aside for some reason, the latter of which makes me feel depressed in and of itself). I can only suppress my obsessions for a limited period though. Sometimes I get bored with my interests and want to do something different (shock horror) but my love for them will always come back again (sighs of relief).

And so on.

Today I am spending the day chasing down old movies staring Fred Astaire or Norman Wisdom or Paulette Goddard or James Stewart or Ginger Rogers. Preferably from the 40's but I am also looking for 30's and 50's films/musicals as well. Aside from that I will continue to read my Paleo Diet book and study the Music books I have whilst getting around to some practice on the piano. I can play Ode to Joy and Oranges and Lemons with one hand thus far. It's a start, I have only practiced a few times and I still need to get around to learning to read music properly (ergo why the music theory books). I am a beginner and most of my time thus far has been spent clearing a space to put my Digital Piano Keyboard in and organising my hobby collections so that I could remove some of the clutter from the room I will be playing in (I will not sit in a room that is in complete disarray...I hate mess). I may look into taking lessons rather than just teaching myself at home though. I hope to incorporate my left hand by the end of this week or the start of the next one...that's if I can tear myself away from Fred, Ginger, Norman, Paulette and James for long enough.

Today is hobby day...

When stressed out, yes.
I've never been clinically depressed, but when I have my "depression-like" moments for something like two or three days a month I don't get more obsessed. I lose interest in everything and just want to lay on the sofa and stare at the ceiling.

I voted no.

In reality, it depends on the level of depression.

For mild, daily stress: yes, I need to focus on my interest

For strong depression: no, I can't focus on anything, don't want to do anything at all

I seem to be the most obsessed with my special interests when I'm calm and happy. I don't seem to be as obsessed when I'm stressed and upset except for when I first changed for the better in September/October 2009.

Yep, especially, especially when I'm depressed. I take comfort in knowing that it is one thing in the big bad world which doesn't make me sad or anxious. In fact, if I didn't have any special interests to take refuge in, I'd probably be holed up in my room stimming while my family silently negotiated which institution to send me to.

definitely get more obsessed when depressed, I went through a bad stage of staying up all night researching my special interest when I was depressed, what I look at also becomes more repetitive I will keep watching the same thing over and over and not be able to concentrate on anything else.

when I am stressed sometimes get more obsessessive, not on purpose but it blocks out what I am stressed about, although if the stress/anxiety is about a reason that is immediate then I wont be able to concentrate on my interests.

do you think that's why depression is harder to spot with Asperger's?

I know usually a sign of depression is to lose interest in things you enjoy but if you seem more preoccupied in an interest instead could it mask the depression?

definately, it took a lot of doctors to realize i was depressed.

The types of obsession changes. For me I have practical aspects and just gathering information.
When I'm depressed, I graze at my special interests. I surf the internet, get ideas, save them but don't do anything practical

When I'm happy, I graze less, but I still do but I'm able to do actual stuff.

Example, one of my special interests is making my room as comfortable and calming as possible. When I'm depressed, I graze constantly for ideas.
When I'm calmer, I'm able to implement some of those ideas though I still graze for ideas.

Same here.
When I'm depressed I'm less obsessed because "everything sucks and nothing is worth the effort ".

When I'm stressed I'm less obsessed because "I have too much to do and not enough time to do it in and OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO DIE ", which makes it hard to focus.

I'm also more stimmy when I'm calm and happy.

I tend to be more intensely focused on my interests when I'm calm and relatively happy. However, there are times when feeling depressed that I'll want to 'escape' into my interests.