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Autism or narcissism mother

ILOVEDOGS

Hello, does anyone struggle to understand their mother's behaviour and wonder if she is autistic, or narcissistic? I have ptsd from my mother's screaming and yelling fits in childhood. The thing is, recently I went to a therapist who suggested she is narcissistic, covert type. However I have aspergers and I really wonder how a mother with Aspergers might appear if she had ptsd herself and no autisn diagnosis due to masking her whole life and being born in the 1940s. How could you tell the difference between the notoriously difficult to spot covert narcissist mother, and a mother with Aspergers and ptsd and possible depression? Mood swings, difficulties with empathy, meltdowns, yelling, blame shifting, really hurtful lnsensitive comments, raging if criticised or perceived to be being criticised, different masks or persons, etc etc how would one ever know? I'm looking for anyone with experience in their own lives with this please, I'm interested to hear about your narcissistic OR autistic mom. Thanks a lot. 

Parents

  • I think there are psychological issues that have yet to be discovered and labeled, and, in my experience, autism symptoms and narcissism symptoms CAN overlap because of childhood trauma and complex PTSD. My mother is definitely narcissistic in SOME situations but is also dealing with neurodivergent, possibly autistic, traits as well. If she had been brought up in a loving home that accepted her as she was, with no emotional and physical abuse, I believe she would have been able to develop true self-esteem and self-acceptance as opposed to a rigid, emotionally stunted, self-hating personality and, yes, sometimes the downright evil tactics she uses to keep the illusion of control and that she is always right, etc. It is complex. She was born in the 1930s.

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  • I think there are psychological issues that have yet to be discovered and labeled, and, in my experience, autism symptoms and narcissism symptoms CAN overlap because of childhood trauma and complex PTSD. My mother is definitely narcissistic in SOME situations but is also dealing with neurodivergent, possibly autistic, traits as well. If she had been brought up in a loving home that accepted her as she was, with no emotional and physical abuse, I believe she would have been able to develop true self-esteem and self-acceptance as opposed to a rigid, emotionally stunted, self-hating personality and, yes, sometimes the downright evil tactics she uses to keep the illusion of control and that she is always right, etc. It is complex. She was born in the 1930s.

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