Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello everyone, my name is Nikki and I am 22 years old. I have recently (in the last year and a half) delved into the world of therapy and mental health. I have seen a therapist in the past and am seeing another one currently. I feel as though I am on the spectrum and have only just brought this up with my therapist. I go in and see her later today to discuss it. Previously, I have been told I have severe social anxiety as well as clinical depression. Later on, I was told that I have bipolar disorder as well. I myself have felt that I identify more strongly with borderline personality disorder, but have yet to bring that up as well. And just recently, I found several places online saying that autism in women is commonly mistaken for BPD. My older sister is on the spectrum as well but has also been diagnosed as bipolar. I feel like in her case as well, there was some amount of misdiagnosis. There seem to be many possibilities and it's leaving me feeling very confused. I would like to explore myself within this community to help figure this out. I look forward to talking with you all.
For some years I've been put off asking my GP for an autism diagnosis as the criteria I've been seeing have been on how it presents in men. Recently I found this report of an Australian study into autistic women and ticked 99% of the boxes. It could be helpful for you to take a look at. Girls and women are differently socialised to boys and men so male-focussed research doesn't necessarily serve us well.Having spent decades being misdiagnosed and having tens of therapy courses that never helped me, I understand the frustration and distress that comes from not having an accurate diagnosis and thus tailored support. Here's the item on the Australian study:taniaannmarshall.wordpress.com/.../
Hi Nikki,
You might want to have a look at our adult diagnosis page, which you can find here - http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/adults.aspx
This has information on the benefits of getting a diagnosis, how the process works, and what to expect at each stage.
Most diagnostic assessments are done with a referral from a GP, so you might want to make an appointment with your GP to discuss it, (although some will accept bookings privately without a referral).
If you would like to talk things over with someone from NAS directly, our helpline is on 0808 800 4104, from 10am to 4pm Mon-Thurs and 9am-3pm Fridays.
Best wishes,
Ross - mod
I have done a few online tests. For BPD, Autism, and Aspergers. They all fit fairly well for me. I'm not really sure if there are any really good ones that can pinpoint it for me. My therapist told me today that I would need to go see someone who specializes in ASD and be professionally tested.
Welcome. Have you done some of the online tests? They are said to be pretty accurate, and while ASD and BPD share some common symptoms, there are some traits of ASD that are not shared by those with just BPD.