Other Aspergers and ptsd

[Eagle3]

I have PTSD, but my therapist and I are both 95% sure I'm also a high-functioning Aspie and that has molded most of my childhood coping mechanisms. I'm 33 now, and only just starting research for Autism Spectrum (i still like Aspie better). My therapist is trying to help me sort out which of my issues are Aspieness, and which are PTSD. its a struggle for us both, but we KNOW there was something going on with me BEFORE the serious traumas. Going to ask my shrink if I can get a formal assessment for ASD, as the results from every online test I take show me off the charts for Neurodiverse traits (aspie).

 

[Mikester]

Has anyone here had a diagnosis of aspergers as well as PTSD?

Or have PTSD and had a relationship with someone with aspe...

I am diagnosed with both, for me it's a living hell. The combination seams to me makes each one of them act more because of the other and wise versa .

I would really like to hear from people with the same issues / Diagnoses since i feel that now one in the world tolerate me when I'm truly myself.

 

[Crowland]

I am diagnosed with both, for me it's a living hell. The combination seams to me makes each one of them act more beca...

I have a young child who is high functioning Autistic and has recently been diagnosed with PTSD along with other previous diagnosis such as oppositional defiant disorder ADHD etc., I do understand that some of the diagnosis overlap sometimes. However, I have searched and searched for information on line and for books that can help me as a parent to understand how to help emotionally coach or help with de escalation when my child starts triggering. I am as I type in a locked behavioral unit with my child and I'm trying to watch, read, write down, and listen to everything the coaches are saying but I also need something for home. This unit is for crisis and it's very helpful for Autism and other disorders but nothing for children with PTSD or major trauma. I would be so thankful for any input or information on how I can help my child walk through this, I don't want him to feel like he's alone with his feelings.
Thank you

 

[Pup]

Diagnoses: severe ptsd and mild autism etc...

I was not diagnosed with mild autism. My parents don't like labels or their consequences. Essentially I was free to explore the world like a three legged puppy. It wasn't until I had sxperienced trauma over and over at the hands of mean selfish people that I was tested and diagnosed as having mild autism. Mild autism is how I ended up in terrible positions. I learned to find a capable caregiver And support system and decided to intentially ignore most of the world and it's people. I stay home. This keeps me away from most predators. I feel autism can make trauma more difficult to process.

 

[rai]

Hi. I'm trying to find someone local who can diagnose if I DO have Aspergers . I KNOW I have complex ptsd and there are somethings it has in common with aspergers, but there's certain things that aren't c-ptsd traits and drive me nuts. Mostly my inability to get what people mean when they're trying to be "polite" (hints n such) and why some things I say, so Totally come across wrong from how I meant them. just a couple things. I'm so tired of telling my partner that whatever it was that happened doesn't make sense. That I didn't Mean to upset someone. It's all so illogical and then the c-ptsd jumps in and my anxiety acts up. It's frustrating.

 

[joeylittle]

Can you ask your general practitioner for a referral?

 

[8888]

I have PDD-NOS (sometimes called atypical autism). I was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at age 7 and with PTSD at age 16. My trauma occurred around age four and I had some issues that led me to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me with PDD-NOS, but my PTSD was overlooked for years and everything was blamed on my autism.

 

[Ms Priss]

I have suspected I am on the spectrum for quite awhile. As with everything else in my life, I have been in the dark about it. I have brought it up with two doctors who only laughed in my face so will not do that again.

These are the reasons I suspect it:
1) Extreme intelligence but never being able to develop it because of poor emotional balance
2) Being extremely naive and gullible
3) Not being able to tell a lie
4) Take things literally
5) Do not begin to understand the interactions between people
6) Very rigid with set routines
7) Everything is too fast paced and my mind cannot keep up
8) Play a straight up game and cannot play the games people play
9) My communication style really sets people off

There are more and I think some of these overlap with PTSD. But I remain skeptical of the borderline diagnosis because even though there is the thing about relationships and stuff. I have no ability to manipulate and do not use people and then dump them. On the contrary I will let people dump all over me and stay loyal...it is a sick thing really.

I feel like I never get in the game...like it is a race and I get left behind in the dust. It may be why I could never discern dangerous situations or people...most people would have known- I did not.

I remember my mother beating me (which she did often) screaming there is something wrong with you you are not normal. Today I know my mother had extreme mental health issues, but as a child I did not know. One of her issues was when I had done something wrong and she asked me about it...I would always confess and then would come the beating because I was not normal because normal kids would lie about it...it does not make any sense to me to lie...I do not not lie because it is a virtue but because I do not have the ability. And that is the truth. To be honest it puts one at a real disadvantage. I sometimes wish I could play the games, but I cannot.. again not by virtue but because I lack the ability.

Anyway, just putting it out there cause I feel safe doing it here. I do not think I will be laughed at.

Thanks

 

[kouta]

Theres a link between ptsd and Aspergers -for sure....more research needs to be done in this area....6 years ago i experienced a traumatic event and still have ptsd....since then ive been bounced around to countless shrinks - who want to add another condition on top of the ptsd - like bipolar, adhd....i know i dont have these conditions ....i kept telling them they should create a new mental condition and call it "a bit odd" and diagnose me with that instead....getting nowhere with treatment for ptsd - i started looking for a technical terms or descriptions that i could reference that would sum up the type of person i am - personality traits, thought processes and perceptions ive always had, the ones that disappeared and new ones since the ptsd. Im a bit odd/quirky, my view slightly askew - being a misfit is something i like about myself - not many got me, which i also liked until i got ptsd and had to be assessed on a regular basis & treated - then it became a big problem...it was only by a weird chance that i came across an article on women with Aspergers - it was a big a-ha! moment...in my case it was like the traumatic event somehow bought to the surface alot of the Aspergers traits and characteristics that had been dormant up until that point or had been not as intense as they are now, so weren't noticed...i just know theres a link between the two ...im not saying in anyway the symptoms are the same or there are any similarities between the two conditions...what im saying is the traumatic event changed who i am ...its like 2 different people, the "after" person has alot of traits associated with Aspergers and also has PTSD whereas the "before" person had no detectable signs or obvious symptoms of Aspergers. Seeings though Aspergers is something you are born with - Ive always had the condition - but had it not been for a traumatic event, there would not have been any knowledge of its existence. So the link i guess is between traumatic events and Aspergers ....and nothing to do with the condition (PTSD) that develops as a result. i think, in my case anyway, as far a research and studies go, it needs to be consider from the reverse angle. Would love to get my hands on any info that relates.

 

[Multitudes]

I was diagnosed with ASD early this year, though several years of research of various mental health conditions had already led me to believe I have Aspergers - difficulty with socialising, literal understanding, inability to lie, inability to be diplomatic, etc. It was then a case of convincing my GP, psychiatrist and psychologist to perform the relevant tests.
(Annoyingly, It seems that some psychologists in the UK refer to the DSM-V, in which Aspergers is lumped in with ASD, rather than the ICD-10, which still includes it as a diagnosis.)

During the course of all my reading I came across the assertion, by several specialists, that, due to the huge effort required for even simple day to day living and the constant anxiety and depression that causes, PTSD may actually be a very common comorbidity from an early age.
This being the case, then any further trauma, such as isolation, relationship breakups - events that many neurotypicals might cope with relatively well, can hit people with ASD's much harder.. let alone truly traumatic situations such as abuse.

I've never come across information specific to treating a combination of AS and PTSD, though I have recently begun a course of psychotherapy with a very understanding psychologist, who has experience with both conditions, and has been able to help me clarify and deal with my own issues.

Treatment may literally be down to approaching different therapists until we find one who is sympathetic.

 

[Eagle3]

I was finally officially diagnosed with ASD (Asperger's to me!) last year. Its been a huge load off my mind to have that in the records. Now I still have trouble figuring out what's Aspie-ness and what's PTSD, but it sure is getting easier. But the best work I've done with my therapist involved learning to not JUDGE myself when certain traits surface. I can accept myself for who and what I am, and I'm ok with some people being able to accept me, and some who won't or can't. Certain things will get better with practice, and some things may never change, but I live each day with all its emotionally charged events (both good and bad), and revel in the experience. I celebrate my LIFE, with all that entails. And yes, there are certainly days where I'm certain I'll end up offing myself because I can't function in normal society, but I know those impulses are a huge part of my symptomology. If I wait it out, that impulse will pass too.