Published on 12, July, 2020
My family had no previous awareness of ASD until our Daughter was referred to CAMHS, due to severe anxiety and school refusal. She has been assessed and is now diagnosed with Asperger's amongst other things.
The thing is I am diagnosed with BPD, GAD and Depression, yet the more my daughter and I learn about Asperger's in females, the more convinced we are that I actually have Asperger's and not BPD. Is this possible?
I doubt MH team would take me seriously in any case. But I can't help thinking about what my daughter said to me after her Psych and psychologist explained the traits of Asperger's to us in a meeting one day. We were walking out from the meeting and she said......"Mum I think you qualify as having ASD more than I do". I didn't tell her that I was already thinking the same thing.
My daughter reminds me so much of me from an early age, the crippling anxiety, learning to mimick and mask, amongst all other ASD traits.
I have finally recognisd most of my overload triggers just through learning more about ASD. I actually don't feel like such a stranger in a world of people who i could never fit in with. For once in my whole 38 years of life I feel as though can relate to other people, those who have ASD
As everyone has rightly said, it’s a real possibility. It’s common to be mis-diagnosed before ASD is noticed. You might be interested in the following article researching this very issue:
https://www.autismresearchtrust.org/News/borderline-personality-disorder-or-autism
This is an interesting topic for myself because I have an ASD diagnosis, but within the last couple of days I have been accidentally informed that a psychiatrist has also diagnosed me with BPD. I met this psychiatrist once whilst in hospital and barely spoke to him, he never mentioned this diagnosis to me, and I don’t feel it is accurate at all (whilst I display some traits of BPD, I don’t display nearly enough to be diagnosed and they can be explained via my ASD and depression (which is exactly what a different psychiatrist diagnosed)). I even did 6 online tests for BPD, all of which said I didn’t have it!
I’m currently trying to find out who diagnosed me, when, and if I can have the diagnosis removed from my records because it simply doesn’t fit and will affect my ability to get the treatment I need. My argument is that diagnosing mental health problems is more of an art than a science as so many symptoms overlap conditions, and if you see different psychiatrists you get different diagnoses, so therefore there is no reason that a diagnosis shouldn’t be questionable and therefore able to be revoked and changed to a more fitting diagnosis (which in your case may be ASD).
As you mention, mental health services are often difficult to convey this all to, and in my experience they do not have a good understanding of ASD, but I would still make your feelings about your diagnosis clear to them (I would recommend in writing, so it is clear and can’t be misconstrued later) and ask what can be done about it e.g. could you discuss this with a psychiatrist? Could your records be changed? etc.
I also often find myself a bit tongue-tied in appointments due to anxiety, even if I was entirely clear on what I wished to discuss beforehand!
I have found that the most useful thing for myself is to write my points down also and then if I get stuck explain that I’m feeling anxious and pass my written notes over instead. I then find it easier to discuss points raised from what I have written.
What you describe in your last paragraph sounds like ASD symptoms to me, and if you could explain this to the GP (in writing or otherwise), it may help to make you feel more comfortable and also back up your request for an assessment. I would also highlight the importance of having the correct diagnosis in terms of treatment with the GP.
Finally, you could ask when booking your appointment if there is a GP who has some understanding of ASD or familiarity in referring for it.
Mind I'm the same with any type of social interaction which is another reasons I avoid social situations as much as possible.
I also find social chit chat a real struggle unless I have had a glass of wine or two beforehand. And even then, unless the other person is talking about something I can relate too, i really struggle to keep engaged and have to remind myself that it is ignorant not to pretend to be interested in what the other person is saying! Social situations are hard work and very exhausting. Does anyone else find this?
Hi, I'm going to my GP to ask for a referral for assessment because frustratingly I have given up on my local CMHT.
I would appreciate any advice of how to approach the subject of referral for assessments to my GP?
The problem is I usuall become so overwhelmed by anxiety in appointments that I just go completely blank, have trouble communicating my symptoms verbally, then can think of nothing else than how the professional who is sitting in front of me with glaring eyes, are making me feel more uncomfortable and I just want to get out of the room asap!
It's sooo frustrating isn't it! I have mentioned it to my MH team three times and I'm just being fobbed off. I'm going to my GP next week to ask for a referral, fingers crossed? Any advice would be appreciated.
Hello
It is possible and I think quite common in females.
I was initially misdiagnosed with BPD on the basis of self-harm, and was later diagnosed with ASD but have recently had the BPD reversed by a psychiatrist who recognised that self-harm can be a way to cope with ASD and he could not see any other evidence of BPD.
It can have an impact on which services you can access so might be worth getting it checked out if you do ever need mental health help. Before I was blocked from mental health support because of the BPD diagnosis, but now I can access support when I need it.
I was mis-diagnosed with BPD first so it's certainly possible. I discussed this with the MH team 4 times who said I couldn't possibly have ASD. They explicitly told me they only gave me the referral questionnaire to prove to me my suspicions were wrong
Hi there,
I have a very good friend from group therapy days. She's now in her 40s and has never had paid employment. Highly-intelligent, she got into Cambridge and was heading for a double-first. Then she simply broke down... and has been in therapy ever since. She's always struggled with social situations and doesn't get on well around people. Anxiety is high on her list of conditions. She was initially diagnosed with BPD because of self-harming behaviour and an eating disorder - and this then became not just her diagnosis, but her life (if you know what I mean). She is now actually fully convinced that her true condition is ASC. She scores highly on the AQ. And talking about it to me over some time has given her a lot of insights.
But.... she can't get anywhere with trying to get a diagnosis. As far as they're all concerned, she has her diagnosis and that's it. It's terrible and tragic.
Sorry. I wish I could offer some other form of advice about challenging a diagnosis and medical opinion. There are some 'crossover' similarities with the conditions, and it would need someone with autism expertise to be able to make a proper determination.
You need to push hard and be insistent with these people, but it's never easy.
I wish you well.
Tom
It is certainly possible that you have been mis-diagnosed. Knowledge of autism can be very patchy among mental health staff, right up to clinical psychologist level, and it's not unusual that late-diagnosed autistic people have had their autistic traits previously mistaken for other psychological conditions. My own autistic traits, over three decades, were attributed mainly to depression, and it was suggested that I might also be bipolar or have GAD. There can also be a problem that, once you've received a diagnosis, other professionals find it very hard to see past it, and will attribute almost anything to whatever condition is written in your notes. Another problem is that autism can present differently in women than in men, and professionals have been slow to recognise this, so autism could have been incorrectly ruled out at your previous diagnosis.
As to BPD in particular, I have an autistic friend that a psychologist had previously suspected had BPD, and know another who had BPD suggested by the same psychologist; having got to know him very well, we're pretty sure he is also autistic, and he's waiting for his assessment (the other friend, that is, not the psychologist!) What little I know about BPD suggests that there are behaviours which could look superficially similar when observed only in clinical interviews (we had a similar discussion here recently about narcissistic disorders.)
Of course, I must stress that all of this is hypothetical; I'm neither a psychologist nor do I know you well enough to say anything more definite. However, the fact that your daughter recognises it in you, and that you empathise so much with her traits, leads me to think that you should definitely look into it further!