Psychologists often don't 'get' autism, my own experience exemplifies this

I have finished a course of CBT for my phobias and OCD. The CBT was quite useful in places, particularly the information on how to fill in thought charts and anxiety ratings, which have given me something to focus on, and they do help me in working around my anxieties.

However, at the end of the day I still have phobias and OCD. My psychologist has failed to 'cure' them. I am not defeatist, and am always hopeful that with continued support from my support worker, my anxieties will ease with time.  However, my psychologist was so wrong when she told me my phobia of dogs is a 'simple' one because I had no trauma or frightening experiences as a child. It is true that I did not experience any trauma or extreme upheaval, but my Asperger's syndrome complicates matters and therefore my phobia can hardly be called 'simple' - it is, in fact, very complex.

The psychologist just did not seem to understand autism that well.

 

Parents
  • There is a problem in trying to cure OCD in people like me. The reason I have OCD cannot be seperated from my Asperger's. My OCD is like a mental tic, it is undoubtably neurological in origin. So many people feel guilty when their OCD seems so ineradicable. I have often felt guilty myself. But if you see it a brain issue, then we are hardly to blame for finding it hard to resist checking or washing. These problems can be eased with the right support, and what we really need are more psychologists who have had proper training in autism, who are experts in autism AND OCD!

Reply
  • There is a problem in trying to cure OCD in people like me. The reason I have OCD cannot be seperated from my Asperger's. My OCD is like a mental tic, it is undoubtably neurological in origin. So many people feel guilty when their OCD seems so ineradicable. I have often felt guilty myself. But if you see it a brain issue, then we are hardly to blame for finding it hard to resist checking or washing. These problems can be eased with the right support, and what we really need are more psychologists who have had proper training in autism, who are experts in autism AND OCD!

Children
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