[OU Student]

(Original post by generalebriety)
Psychiatrists deal with just about anything brain-related (except the physical aspects like scans and so on). I think you're thinking of counsellors?

Probably.

What exactly are psychometric tests? That's what I'll be having. A friend said that should help with the issue of having other disabilities for which the symptoms are similar (such as the hyper sensitivity) to that of AS.

[LipstickKisses]

(Original post by generalebriety)
Have you heard of alcohol?

Haha It doesn't work for me, for some reason I don't get 'drunk' unless I drink enough to supply a small army. I get a buzz for 5 minutes and then that's it.

[kerily]

(Original post by LipstickKisses)
Sometimes I wish I could turn my mind off. Just for a short time. My thoughts are truly fascinating and they race at 300mph, but thinking deeply and trying to work out everything can be very draining. Yet when I 'relax', I get either bored or overly analytical and panic myself. It would be nice to have some peace from it sometimes.

Antidepressants turn this off for me, mostly. Not that I'd recommend this; it means it's quite a bit harder to work.

[DanielMartin]

(Original post by LipstickKisses)
Haha It doesn't work for me, for some reason I don't get 'drunk' unless I drink enough to supply a small army. I get a buzz for 5 minutes and then that's it.

I was tempted to try some... magical drugs this summer - as I too regard alcohol as inherently pointless.

I don't understand the " buzz " people get from it? like, the same with coffee... I can drink 5 cups of coffee and not feel different at all.

To me, it seems that alcohol is the slut enabler of the universe. Or rather, the: slut - hypocrite - dickhead enabler.

[LipstickKisses]

(Original post by kerily)
Antidepressants turn this off for me, mostly. Not that I'd recommend this; it means it's quite a bit harder to work.

Is it better not having it there? I'm curious as at times it's really irritating, but others I love it. Sigh, it's a double edged sword.

[Peregrinum]

(Original post by generalebriety)


(I think is quite a "sigh, grr, for ****'s sake" face.)

I don't look at people's faces a lot in actual real life interactions and it appears I don't do it online either.

(Original post by OU Student)
The letter says that I'm going to be assessed by a psychiatrist? Why? When it's not a mental issue.

What exactly are psychometric tests? That's what I'll be having. A friend said that should help with the issue of having other disabilities for which the symptoms are similar (such as the hyper sensitivity) to that of AS.

Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed by psychiatrists because they're classified as psychiatric disorders and not primarily neurological ones. Which I totally disagree with. After all, ASDs are neurodevelopmental disorders. I just really hate the idea that my neurological difference can be viewed as something akin to a pathologically shy person's self-doubts or whatever. Besides, most psychiatrists and psychologists are completely useless when it comes to conditions other than depression and social anxiety.

Psychometric tests are probably just glorified personality tests, like the MMPI. They're mostly used for personality disorders and they definitely can't differentiate between conditions of similar symptomatology. If anything, making a possible AS patient take a personality test is nothing but an easy way of getting sidetracked in the diagnostic process. Plus, I've taken the MMPI - total waste of time and the interpretation was wrong to the point of being hilarious.

[OU Student]

(Original post by Peregrinum)
Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed by psychiatrists because they're classified as psychiatric disorders and not primarily neurological ones. Which I totally disagree with. After all, ASDs are neurodevelopmental disorders.

This is why I am confused. I was always brought up (brother has Aspergers) to believe that ASD was a developmental disorder - not a mental health issue.

Psychometric tests are probably just glorified personality tests, like the MMPI. They're mostly used for personality disorders and they definitely can't differentiate between conditions of similar symptomatology. If anything, making a possible AS patient take a personality test is nothing but an easy way of getting sidetracked in the diagnostic process. Plus, I've taken the MMPI - total waste of time and the interpretation was wrong to the point of being hilarious.

I wonder how much of this is because I have a history of depression / self harm, etc. Which I did mention to the GP. However, for now, that is not the main issue. For me, it's the sensitivity and social issues.

[generalebriety]

(Original post by OU Student)
This is why I am confused. I was always brought up (brother has Aspergers) to believe that ASD was a developmental disorder - not a mental health issue.

Hey, no one said it was a mental health issue. But it is a sort of psychological issue, so you need a psychiatrist.

[The_master616]

Technically it's a social disorder. I sometimes refer myself to people as 'socially retarded'.

[Peregrinum]

(Original post by generalebriety)
Hey, no one said it was a mental health issue. But it is a sort of psychological issue, so you need a psychiatrist.

(Original post by The_master616)
Technically it's a social disorder. I sometimes refer myself to people as 'socially retarded'.

Shyness can be described as a "social" or psychological disorder, but autism most certainly can't be. See, this is the thing here - all people really know about ASDs is that we have social problems, not unlike people with anxiety, and therefore think it must be a simple psychological issue. Scientifically speaking, however, autism is a brain disorder. The neuroanatomy, neurological functioning and chemistry in autism are different from those of healthy individuals. Autism isn't any less of a neurological disorder than is say Alzheimer's, yet because the focus is almost exclusively on behavioral symptoms the neurology of it is almost completely ignored.

[generalebriety]

(Original post by Peregrinum)
Shyness can be described as a "social" or psychological disorder, but autism most certainly can't be. See, this is the thing here - all people really know about ASDs is that we have social problems, not unlike people with anxiety, and therefore think it must be a simple psychological issue. Scientifically speaking, however, autism is a brain disorder. The neuroanatomy, neurological functioning and chemistry in autism are different from those of healthy individuals. Autism isn't any less of a neurological disorder than is say Alzheimer's, yet because the focus is almost exclusively on behavioral symptoms the neurology of it is almost completely ignored.

Sure, so the causes are physical, but so what? The symptoms are psychological (behavioural, social...) and the only treatments we can reasonably perform are psychological (or chemical?!). All we can do is alleviate symptoms and help people develop coping mechanisms. We're not medically advanced enough to go poking around in people's brains yet, so while it would be lovely to go under the scalpel and get rewired as whatever you wanted, the closest we've got is psychiatrists. (The fact that it is caused by something physical is precisely why Alzheimer's is untreatable right now.)

[Peregrinum]

(Original post by generalebriety)
Sure, so the causes are physical, but so what? The symptoms are psychological (behavioural, social...) and the only treatments we can reasonably perform are psychological (or chemical?!). All we can do is alleviate symptoms and help people develop coping mechanisms. We're not medically advanced enough to go poking around in people's brains yet, so while it would be lovely to go under the scalpel and get rewired as whatever you wanted, the closest we've got is psychiatrists. (The fact that it is caused by something physical is precisely why Alzheimer's is untreatable right now.)

The symptoms aren't solely psychological. The processing difficulties, executive function limitations... those are mainly frontal lobe dysfunctions. No amount of CBT or whatever is going to fix that. Of course there are no viable alternatives to therapy because it seems we're not even trying to come up with them. Look at the research and clinical trials going on on the topic of autism - it's all social this and psychological that. With Alzheimer's they're at least focused on (almost exclusively) medical interventions so there's a chance they might come up with something. But you're not going to just stumble across a cure for short term memory deficiencies (or whatever else) in an art therapy session, you have to go to the source to find an answer and come up with a fix. Yet no one's doing that and at least a part of it is due to the fact that the society, and it seems even those with the disorder, view Asperger's as nothing more than a set of social difficulties with a couple of "extras" thrown in here and there.

[cpdavis]

Decided to complain about my astrophysics lecturer to my personal tutor. Also, counselling went well today How is everyone?

[SilverArch]

I'm fine, but starting to get bogged down in coursework and essays *groan*. But still, my exams are nearly over

[cpdavis]

My a****** of a brother gave me his cold that I when he had it I told him to stay away from me (instead he coughed constantly in my face and bed) feeling f****** s***

[Cirsium]

(Original post by cpdavis)
Decided to complain about my astrophysics lecturer to my personal tutor. Also, counselling went well today How is everyone?

Yey
I have to go back in an hour because they have a specialised drop in on Thursday mornings that is apparently more relevant to me

[generalebriety]

(Original post by Peregrinum)
The symptoms aren't solely psychological. The processing difficulties, executive function limitations... those are mainly frontal lobe dysfunctions. No amount of CBT or whatever is going to fix that. Of course there are no viable alternatives to therapy because it seems we're not even trying to come up with them. Look at the research and clinical trials going on on the topic of autism - it's all social this and psychological that. With Alzheimer's they're at least focused on (almost exclusively) medical interventions so there's a chance they might come up with something. But you're not going to just stumble across a cure for short term memory deficiencies (or whatever else) in an art therapy session, you have to go to the source to find an answer and come up with a fix. Yet no one's doing that and at least a part of it is due to the fact that the society, and it seems even those with the disorder, view Asperger's as nothing more than a set of social difficulties with a couple of "extras" thrown in here and there.

No one said CBT was going to fix it. CBT doesn't really "fix" much. CBT is going to give you a way of coping with the problem - a problem that we don't know how to solve yet. Maybe you're right that we're not trying to solve it. But how exactly do you propose solving short-term memory deficiencies? We really, really aren't medically advanced enough to even start that research. If it's not chemical or psychological, we pretty much don't know what to do. Likewise art therapy and likewise psychiatrist sessions; many autistic people are just desperately unhappy, and if these things give them the release and coping mechanisms they need to become approximately functional members of society, then I'm happy. If this doesn't work for you, then that's really sad, but there isn't much more we can do!

(You should also bear in mind that the problems you're complaining about are not the (social) problems that most aspies complain about most of the time. If your psychiatrist can't help you, and you've been referred to the wrong person, they will send you elsewhere.)

[OU Student]

ow Went out this morning (I had to) and now have a sore head. Can I just hibernate until this awful weather goes?

[BeyondandAbove]

Hi everyone.

I suspect that I have AS, but I'm not entirely sure. Maybe I am just a really weird, socially awkward person? My mum thought I might have AS when I was a child and took me to the paediatrist to get someone to have a look at me, but the doctor said 'no'. I'm not entirely convinced, though, especially not after I read that a diagnosis in girls/women is rarer than in their male counterparts.

I practically took every test I could find online and every single one of them told me I'm likely to be an aspie. I think the biggest shock I got was getting 7 out of 80 for an empathy test.

What if my brain does look 'normal' and there's nothing wrong with it? What is the explanation for the way I am then? I really just want to know what is up and then get on with my life. I will be able to get some closure on this topic as soon as I know more. I already talked to my GP about it and he said he'll refer me to a specialist. Although I probably should have written down what he told me because I am **** at verbal instructions...

[LipstickKisses]

(Original post by BeyondandAbove)
Hi everyone.

I suspect that I have AS, but I'm not entirely sure. Maybe I am just a really weird, socially awkward person? My mum thought I might have AS when I was a child and took me to the paediatrist to get someone to have a look at me, but the doctor said 'no'. I'm not entirely convinced, though, especially not after I read that a diagnosis in girls/women is rarer than in their male counterparts.

I practically took every test I could find online and every single one of them told me I'm likely to be an aspie. I think the biggest shock I got was getting 7 out of 80 for an empathy test.

Hello and welcome!
I always score rubbish on empathy tests too, I got 17 on the EQ one and the one on the BBC website I got 0, fail

What if my brain does look 'normal' and there's nothing wrong with it? What is the explanation for the way I am then? I really just want to know what is up and then get on with my life. I will be able to get some closure on this topic as soon as I know more. I already talked to my GP about it and he said he'll refer me to a specialist. Although I probably should have written down what he told me because I am **** at verbal instructions...

What symptoms do you have? Obviosuly no one here will be able to diagnose you online, but as a girl with AS I may be able to relate. Some people have 'traits' of autism and asperger's without having the actual full condition, if you don't have it you could be like that.