First timer.

I am a 34 year old male with Asperger's syndrome. I've been "officially" diagnosed since I was 19 years old. The "professionals" now think I may have borderline personality disorder. Other than my parents, I have very little to no social interaction. General "life" frightens me. I don't seem to fit in. Anyone else feel the same??

Parents
  • many apologies for wading into your convo, but as i am a past master at ptsd having suffered its effects, thought i would address your needs as i saw so many similarities. i accept there may be a point of confirmation bias but.... 

    "I like being around people with Aspergers, but I've always feel that there is something that is making me different"----> persistent sense of self doubt

     "I get very paranoid, my mood changes in a flash..."---->highened sense of self/fear of self

     "I hear voices (I mean actual voices...)"--->a combination of the autistic mind and it's ability to store/reply what it doesn't understand; this also PTSD as repeat plays figure greatly; note: the hightened state of anxiety creates cortisol/adrenaline which facilitates memory replays; note: the inability to find resolution also contributes to the replay/voice reply issue

     "I don't seem to be able to trust males"--->possible PTSD based on past breach of trust event possibly from authority figure; also: to view oneself as untrustworthy, unworthy, not worth trusting, different, sense of doubt, low self-esteem, getting things wrong, control issue/trust issue

     "I feel I know what people are thinking of me and not in a good way"--->PTSD also paranoia driven by the need to protect oneself; highened sense of protection/self-protection mechanisms 'always looking out for the danger' because in the past wasn't able to/was taken advantage of because trusting; trust breach

     "I feel I am not a nice person and I don't deserve to be happy and not being able to control my bpd (if that's what it is) gives me reason to believe I shouldn't be happy."----> self-punishment loop; lack of self-worth, lack of self-esteem; either caused by past traumatic emotional event breach of trust, undermining, failure, personal failure, negative feedback; PTSD is very likely and also unresolved issues of grief surrounding that event and also unreasonable guilt attachment

     

    Note on guilt: guilt is not an emotion, it is a state of mind. unlike remorse, which occurs in the moment (sorry, i broke this, i'm so sorry), guilt is different in that it is imposed upon the person by outside sources eg. criticsm by others which is unwarranted, illogical, irrational and unnecessary. remorse is genuine. guilt is disingenuous and invariably unfair judgement of the person by another. guilt is punishment for a crime not committed, be that moral, ethical or personal; personal being such as just being oneself.

     

    "I feel like I am trapped inside my body/brain and can't get out"--->PTSD; the manifestation of a repeating cycle of trauma, even the event is no longer remembered, will give rise to a feeling of being trapped

                     

    Note: physical manifestations of PTSD are: rapid and random mood swings; breathlessnes or the sense of breathlessness even though the lungs are clear; insomnia; cycling sleep patterns reaching the "letting go" point usually at about 4am in the morning; sleep then occurs in 4hour patterns or 'medieval sleep' 3/3 4/4 4/5. the light spectrum is more favourable for those with insomnia in the pm hours as the light spectrum lengthens. other physical manifestations or physiological symptoms of PTSD are: shaking, heavy body/legs, lack of energy even though having eaten; the need to eat to relieve anxiety; weight gain particularly around the middle; general malaise; 'phantom flu'; brain fog or episodes of anger and outburst accompanied by self-talking, pacing, loss of 'in the moment' presence.

     

    i still battle daily with ptsd and its long term effects, physical as well as mental, (i think 'O' has made some excellent comments thus far and hits the nail on the head several times, i think they have the say on this) 

    i have made significant progress, but it has been extremely hard and distressing to 'face the mind killer' as i call it. i do not use medication, though have in the past but to no effect for either chronic anxiety or anxiety and panic disorders which i have suffered for significant number of years. my opinion is that papering over the cracks does nothing to address the crack, but to solve the crack one must identify that it is caused by subsidence in the building structure itself and address that, rather than take merely a cosmetic view. 

    i use myself as a guinea pig (and /trust/ my autistic mind will be able to work out and find the solution given the right information) and work daily towards achieving a deeper understanding of the causes of my ptsd. thus far i am doing well, as in really well, though it is early days yet imo. 

    please take all of the comments above as open opinion. everyone is different and i do not think a one size fits all approach ever works, but hope only to give you some extra 'data'. 

Reply
  • many apologies for wading into your convo, but as i am a past master at ptsd having suffered its effects, thought i would address your needs as i saw so many similarities. i accept there may be a point of confirmation bias but.... 

    "I like being around people with Aspergers, but I've always feel that there is something that is making me different"----> persistent sense of self doubt

     "I get very paranoid, my mood changes in a flash..."---->highened sense of self/fear of self

     "I hear voices (I mean actual voices...)"--->a combination of the autistic mind and it's ability to store/reply what it doesn't understand; this also PTSD as repeat plays figure greatly; note: the hightened state of anxiety creates cortisol/adrenaline which facilitates memory replays; note: the inability to find resolution also contributes to the replay/voice reply issue

     "I don't seem to be able to trust males"--->possible PTSD based on past breach of trust event possibly from authority figure; also: to view oneself as untrustworthy, unworthy, not worth trusting, different, sense of doubt, low self-esteem, getting things wrong, control issue/trust issue

     "I feel I know what people are thinking of me and not in a good way"--->PTSD also paranoia driven by the need to protect oneself; highened sense of protection/self-protection mechanisms 'always looking out for the danger' because in the past wasn't able to/was taken advantage of because trusting; trust breach

     "I feel I am not a nice person and I don't deserve to be happy and not being able to control my bpd (if that's what it is) gives me reason to believe I shouldn't be happy."----> self-punishment loop; lack of self-worth, lack of self-esteem; either caused by past traumatic emotional event breach of trust, undermining, failure, personal failure, negative feedback; PTSD is very likely and also unresolved issues of grief surrounding that event and also unreasonable guilt attachment

     

    Note on guilt: guilt is not an emotion, it is a state of mind. unlike remorse, which occurs in the moment (sorry, i broke this, i'm so sorry), guilt is different in that it is imposed upon the person by outside sources eg. criticsm by others which is unwarranted, illogical, irrational and unnecessary. remorse is genuine. guilt is disingenuous and invariably unfair judgement of the person by another. guilt is punishment for a crime not committed, be that moral, ethical or personal; personal being such as just being oneself.

     

    "I feel like I am trapped inside my body/brain and can't get out"--->PTSD; the manifestation of a repeating cycle of trauma, even the event is no longer remembered, will give rise to a feeling of being trapped

                     

    Note: physical manifestations of PTSD are: rapid and random mood swings; breathlessnes or the sense of breathlessness even though the lungs are clear; insomnia; cycling sleep patterns reaching the "letting go" point usually at about 4am in the morning; sleep then occurs in 4hour patterns or 'medieval sleep' 3/3 4/4 4/5. the light spectrum is more favourable for those with insomnia in the pm hours as the light spectrum lengthens. other physical manifestations or physiological symptoms of PTSD are: shaking, heavy body/legs, lack of energy even though having eaten; the need to eat to relieve anxiety; weight gain particularly around the middle; general malaise; 'phantom flu'; brain fog or episodes of anger and outburst accompanied by self-talking, pacing, loss of 'in the moment' presence.

     

    i still battle daily with ptsd and its long term effects, physical as well as mental, (i think 'O' has made some excellent comments thus far and hits the nail on the head several times, i think they have the say on this) 

    i have made significant progress, but it has been extremely hard and distressing to 'face the mind killer' as i call it. i do not use medication, though have in the past but to no effect for either chronic anxiety or anxiety and panic disorders which i have suffered for significant number of years. my opinion is that papering over the cracks does nothing to address the crack, but to solve the crack one must identify that it is caused by subsidence in the building structure itself and address that, rather than take merely a cosmetic view. 

    i use myself as a guinea pig (and /trust/ my autistic mind will be able to work out and find the solution given the right information) and work daily towards achieving a deeper understanding of the causes of my ptsd. thus far i am doing well, as in really well, though it is early days yet imo. 

    please take all of the comments above as open opinion. everyone is different and i do not think a one size fits all approach ever works, but hope only to give you some extra 'data'. 

Children
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