Hi

recombinantsocks said:

If you could communicate better and persuade the doctor that you have the conditon then you don't have the condion. And vice versa.

No, I don't agree with this. Just because someone can communicate well enough to persuade their doctor they have autism it does not mean they don't have autism. I don't understand your logic here. Not all cases of autism are the same - some autistic people can communicate better than other people on the spectrum. To assume a person is totally incapable of communicating how they feel to their doctor just because they're autistic is kind of tarring us all with the same brush and limiting someone without taking into account their individuality

Mental health problems are hard to diagnose because there aren't any laboratory tests and the doctor has to rely on the main "witness" i.e. the subject of the examination. If you have a communication disorder then it is easy to fail to communicate this to the doctor. This is a classic "Catch 22". If you could communicate better and persuade the doctor that you have the conditon then you don't have the condion. And vice versa.

If you have communication problems then your answers to a doctors questions may also be incomplete, obscure and hard to decode.

The classic autistic sufferer also may present with a cloud of conseqential issues of being withdrawn, depressed, anxious etc. It is just hard for a doctor to see through all of this foggy obscuring distraction and spot the underlying condition.

thnx for all the comments. 

why is it hard for doctors to diagonse it ? 

In a way I am wishing that I don't know - I hate labels and I don't want to be labelled as autstic altjoigh deep down I hage a feeling I am 

bpd and autstic are very simolar in signs I know that I think the CMHT are just trying to give me more labels they are saying I can't have a care or dictator and i can't do the latheraay for bpd until autsium has been rulled out I think all they are trying to do is just stop me from doing the bpd group support so it saves them money and time and will just keep giving me labels that's all they are doing ATM not exactly offering me any specific support reason I was reffered to CMHT again was cause of terrible thoughts and severe weight loss but so far thrre support haa not helped at all if anything it has made me feel worse :((

It is possible that an Aspergers diagnosis could be very good news for you! Undiagnosed Aspergers sufferers typically present to a doctor with lots of mental issues, typically - depression, bi-polar disorder and the resulting stresses and strains of living without an understanding of how to manage in a world that doesn't know what to do with us.

If you have got Aspergers and you can learn how to manage it then you may find that some of your other problems actually reduce or disappear.

I haven't heard of borderline personality disorder as being related to Aspergers but autistic people exhibit all sorts of issues so it wouldn't be massively surprising.

I can definitely relate to being shy and finding it hard to socialise and I suspect I may have BPD too although I am going to see a doctor first.

I don't understand why they have to rule out Asperger's, considering BPD is fairly common in people with ASD? It may be a lot of extra work for your doctor and the NHS but at the end of the day, that is their job. They should be supporting you, not trying to eliminate potentially useful diagnoses just to make their lives easier.

I've found this forum is a good place for support so please don't hesitate to make a thread about anything on your mind if you feel you need to do so. This is a place for support and you won't be judged :)

Thank u very much for ur quick response 

I am very shy person with people who I dont know and find it very hard to socalise and build good relationships with people I like to keep myself to myself I have been disgonsed with bpd and yes I do mean that and cause the clinical Doctor is worried that I might have they said in letter important to be ruled out cause of other learning difficulties really didn't need the possiblty of aserpgues got enough to deal with :( 

Hi Sez, welcome to the forum.

Could you tell us a little more about what's going on for you? Do you mean Asperger's has to be ruled out by the SABP (you mean the Surrey and borders NHS trust, right) and if so, why?