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Overlap between autism and personality disorders

NAS67092

I have recently completed some online personality tests. They showed things like I have avoidant and obsessive personality disorders but when I read the description of those, I saw that those were the exact same things I have always struggled with because those are my autistic traits. I wonder if that's a false positive. Is it possible that I don't have these personality disorders but I got these results due to autism or do I have these personality disorders because I am autistic and ASD has affected my personality? I think this would be important to clarify for autistic people since treating personality disorders is not necessarily the same as "treating" autistic traits. Is it possible to change these at all? 

  • in reply to Kit McDaydream

    I think it's all about trying to fit in. We have to make a real effort to look engaged, interested and make eye contact, when deep down we are saying I'm just not that bothered.

    A great example of social masking was on the Channel 4 program "Are you Autistic" when 4 girls (all with Autism) were speed dating. They are managed to ask questions (because they thought of a list of things to say and rehearse in advance). They all managed to flirt and look interested. The boys didn't have a clue.

    None of the girls were being extrovert, just acting normally. But afterwards they were all exhausted and wanted to retreat to a quiet dark room ! - I know the feeling:).

    So clearly, they had all "learned" how to be sociable and "mask" their true selves.

  • in reply to Kit McDaydream

    I thought that too. Like someone decides to act a role and then suddenly somehow turns into that social butterfly everybody loves. I wish I could try this but how I’m supposed to act if I don’t know the role? What to say and how to react? Where to find the script how to mask in different settings and with different people so it looks naturally if I’m rubbish at improvising?

    And as for holding back comments and some behaviours - I think lots of non-autistic people are lacking in this area. 

    And manners and politeness is just conditioning and masking. Toddlers are natural (by the way, I like watching toddlers)

  • in reply to JohnS

    Is that all they mean by 'social masking'? I thought it referred to having a completely different persona/alter to cope with having to go out in public like becoming a different person in certain different (usually social) situations!

  • Yes it's a grey area.

    I too looked at PDA even though I was diagnosed with Aspergers last year, but the obsession with people and happy in role play, ruled PDA out for me.

    I'm sure the distinction would show up in the ADOS test, especially the section where you have to make up a story. I guess the Autistic people will struggle while people with PDA will breeze through it?

    It would probably show up on the AQ and EQ tests - maybe?

    My Psychiatrist explained Autism by comparing us to a Computer. He said as we get older we upgrade our Intellectual and Social software. People with Autism may still have had the Intellectual upgrades but will be lacking in the Social ones.

    When you think about it, it's a bit like a small child on a bus shouting out "Look at that Ugly woman". As we get older we learn not to say offensive comments and certainly not out loud. The Autistic person is still prone to these inappropriate outbursts often putting their foot in things. But they do eventually "learn" to be more diplomatic and this is what we all know as Social Masking. But it takes a lot of effort because you really have to concentrate on what you are thinking and saying, so as not to say or do something out of place :)

  • Autism is a developmental delay and the behaviour usually present from a VERY young age. It's often accompanied by learning disability and sometimes mild motor issues (poor balance and/or hand-eye co-ordination) Personality disorders don't tend to start before teens or early adulthood and often a result of environmental causes ie abuse or neglect.

    There is a subtype of Autism now getting recognized more often called Pathological Demand Avoidance. which would also give symptoms of avoidant behaviour. I believe the NAS has a page on it somewhere.

  • my psychiatrist once answered this (sort of)... some people can have ASD and a personality disorder, sone are misdiagnosed one way or the other, the key difference is that autism affects people from birth and whilst some traits may develop/ change - essentially the issues faced have been life long, whereas personality disorders develop during life usually in response to a major event or trauma, particularly in the case of BPD/ EUPD. So the likelihood is that the similarities between ASD and personality disorders are the reason for your results rather than you having developed a personality disorder. Of course it’s possible you have both but more likely false positives being created by the ASD traits similarities to those of a PD.