Autism diagnosis?!?

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Help!

The past years I never had a diagnostic test or even a biography-interview. They have thrown all sorts of diagnoses at me: bipolar, schizophrenia, personality disorder. Depending more on the mood of the psychiatrist than on mine. But I’ve got a new one now: autism!

I am rather shocked because my new psychiatrist just threw it at me in the most tactless way. We were talking about something else and she said: “that’s because of your autism!”. I: “What?! I’m not diagnosed with autism?!?” Psych: “Well, you mentioned it before and you have it”. We only spoke three times, no biography, no testing, never spoke to my parents, nothing. No explanation of why she thinks this.

So.

Some of it fits… I f.e. have a huge attention to detail and patterns, have difficulties with executive functioning, am stubborn, and have trouble understanding some things, for example when things are not logical or just (f.e. someone pretending to be a friend and then gossiping behind your back). And it took me ehm… 29 years to really grasp that some people lie or hurt others on purpose. :slight_smile:

On the other hand… I was VERY insulted. I have trouble feeling love and joy ever since starting the haldol in 2014. Even love for my son. But I never had that before and when I quit haldol it all comes back. We were discussing switching meds because of that. Now the psychiatrist says I could and can never love my son because I’m autistic! And I can’t empathize! And can’t understand what people say! She even started to talk to me like I was some sort of moron and took me even less serious than she already did. It was a catch-22, because when I said certain things weren’t right, she said “that’s because you are autistic”.

I am deeply shocked. Is that autism?!? I think she is mistaking in some huge way.

I can see I might be on the autistic spectrum somewhere. But I have always felt deep empathy. Made deep bonds with others, I feel I bonded with others much deeper than average. I had good friendships. Had loving contact with my family. Felt the most overwhelming love for my child and fought so hard to protect him from his abusive father. Put others before myself often. I have even been observed by both a psychologist and two child psychologists, with and without my child, many times. All said our contact sparked with deep love and happiness, I was a very responsive, adequate mum. Empathy, sensitivity to others and interest in relationships showed in me, they said.

I can live with a diagnosis of autism, but I find it VERY insulting if some stupid psychiatrist assumes without knowing me that I can’t love my child or feel empathy or understand anything… because that’s just not true!

Sorry for the long rant, but I’m just deeply shocked and hurt at the moment…

Anyone with autism to comment on this? Any ideas, comfort, anything? Or just a cyber-hug?

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My father has possible autism from a very, very traumatic birth. My grandmothers water broke and she went to the hospital for delivery, they sent her back home and my dads head shape changed because of it. After his traumatic birth, he had to wear a skull cap to realign his head to normal dimensions. He suffered right from the beginning, and he is a very determined individual. Beware my dad, he has all my guns!

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And I had some nice collector guns I tell you. Very good rifle and pistols, and he never paid me for them-he’s just sitting on them but he won’t take ownership of them. Which frustrates me cause if they’re stole and a crime is committed it falls on me because I’m still the registered owner.

Can you imagine how that feels? Having to reliquish your weapons and live in fear without them only to see them possibly confiscated by the military or something?

Stressful, I really want to get them in his name and my step mom uses my pistol for home defense. I bought it in 2009 or 2010 and it’s nearly doubled in price. That’s why I’m so mad, these were my life investments for protection and sport, and now they’re pretty much classified as (missing).

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By the way you articulated your story, I am quite confused. It seems as if you should be her psychiatrist, based on the comments she said to you, and your own assessments. I would not think too deep about the matter, possibly do a little research on the matter, and definitely look for a second opinion.

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sorry I totally got off track, listen autism or not they can’t just find that out without a scientific process you know? She can’t look at you and just decide what and who you are and you need to scold this doctor a little bit and tell them they should be ashamed of themselves.