Something I've love to dive deeper into is how many AFAB or genderqueer individuals have been dx'd with Borderline Personality Disorder rather than Autism due to their past trauma?
Yes, I know they overlap. I've done the research including getting out my "Abnormal Psych" textbook.
But I also have some personal theories and I'm curious to hear from other self dx'd autistics misdiagnosed by mental healthcare. TY
@KitMuse@actuallyautistic yup diagnosed with borderline personality disorder… or was it hystronic personality disorder. When I went to marriage counseling in my 20’s with my 1st husband. Had lots of counseling for 10 years in my 30’s but have not had any in more than 10 years. Would like to find one that specializes in late in your 50’s figured out I am autistic to work on the trauma before I knew.
@KitMuse@actuallyautistic my sister was diagnosed with BPD. But I told her to push for asd diagnosis too as I think it’s more that. My son is autistic and I suspect I’m somewhere in the ND spectrum. Unfortunately she likely won’t get anywhere as the ‘specialists’ in the uk have made up their mind
@KitMuse@actuallyautistic This happens so much! I was never dx’ed with a PD but as a psychologist who does autism evals I encounter a lot of this misdiagnosis
@dramypsyd@actuallyautistic Thank you! Considering that Missouri State's psychology program is heavy on behaviorism, I think the misdiagnosis was just baked into the system. I should have expected it and not had hope that they'd the right thing.
@KitMuse@actuallyautistic A number of AFAB folks I know IRL, including myself, have been formally diagnosed with a variety of things, sometimes in multiple layers or years: CPTSD, Bipolar disorder, GAD, Depression, Panic attacks, ADHD, etc. before figuring out on our own and through community that we are Au. All of us are 50+, relatively low support needs (most of the time), and were absolutely missed when we were younger.
@arisummerland@actuallyautistic Sounds like me to to the T I wish I could have. smiles I'm older 40s, "gifted child", dx of social anxiety, general anxiety, major depression, now persistent depression, cPTSD, panic attacks, and ADHD (along with the borderline personality disorder). It's been through this community that I really feel that Autism is the right answer. If left to my own schedule/devices/plans I do great, but working full-time triggers all the diagnoses.
@KitMuse@actuallyautistic Yep. My “panic attacks” turned out to be overwhelm/shutdown/meltdown. Figuring this out was a life-changing revelation, tbh. Because I could do well in school, and I worked so hard to conform socially, I was absolutely overlooked. I have always felt like an alien, and rightly so.
@arisummerland@KitMuse@actuallyautistic me too!… was always told I was too sensitive, and get a thicker skin. I can remember crying so hard after getting punished by my mother that I was doing that weird hiccup sucking air thing and my mom screamed at me to stop that damn noise so held my hand over my mouth and pinched my nose to try and stop it….it kept going but she could hardly hear it and I don’t remember how it ended.
@littlescraps@arisummerland@actuallyautistic Yep. All my emotions come out my eyes (tears). I'm very self-conscious of it even to this day. I'm sorry you had to go through that.
@KitMuse@arisummerland@actuallyautistic yup me too any strong emotion… good bad … tears… but I do feel better once I let my self cry… but I have such an auto pilot to stuff it… I don’t realize I need to let my self feel.
@littlescraps@KitMuse@actuallyautistic I sometimes went nonverbal when things were that traumatic. I remember trying to talk to my mom with my mouth closed after I got in trouble, or after I had some horrible trauma like falling out of a tree or tripping up a set of stairs at school. She would get so mad!
@arisummerland@KitMuse@actuallyautistic yeah hard to realize now if they knew more could they have handled it better? But back then they didn’t know anything about brains working differently - they just thought if you forced it we would conform. But super helpful to us now cause now we know we are not broken just react in our own way
@crashglasshouses@arisummerland@KitMuse@actuallyautistic sorry you went thru that too… sucks big time , but I made sure to not do that to my kids … so there is that. All we can do is not let it make us hurt other people. It has made me a more compassionate person.
@KitMuse@actuallyautistic On the subject of working full-time: I’ve never been able to. I’ve tried numerous times to take on a “grownup desk job” even though I’ve been a massage therapist for almost 35 years. After the last attempt at having a desk job crashed and burned, I wanted to know what was “wrong” with me. Turns out: nothing! I’m autistic. It was a revelation and a relief. It’s not an excuse, but it gives me better self -understanding.
@KitMuse@actuallyautistic@arisummerland I totally get the working full time bit. I've only ever been actually diagnosed with ADD, but I struggled all through my 5 years working, in spite of the work being something I'm passionate about.
@KitMuse@arisummerland@actuallyautistic yes this group has really made me realize I am not the alien. So many people here have helped me by telling their stories and quirks… that I am constantly saying “oh my, that is a normal thing for a brain like mine? COOOL!
@KitMuse I was officially misdiagnosed as Schizophrenic.
Later I felt i did not relate to schizophrenics, (met a few across years in my newly dx'd adulthood).
I asked for a re-evaluation from county mental health. Found myself through two Dx tests, the first (adult) perplexed my Dx'ing therapist. Second attempt she tested me with kids' test.
I got officially Dx'd Aspergers Syndrome (now Autism). Early 2000's when I got officially re-Dx'd.
@GreenRoc@actuallyautistic Thanks. I admit, considering the testing was through my college's psych program and that was a (BLEEPING) nightmare, I didn't expect much. Mostly just trying to remind myself that I'm not alone.
@GreenRoc@actuallyautistic Thanks! Really appreciate it. Due to financials, plus living in rural Ozarks (MO/AR), I'd have to probably travel at least 4 hours to get tested and with the homestead that's just not feasible. I'll happily stay self-dx'd. Appreciate the support.
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