Being dual diagnosis

[mustachekitteh]

I’ve known that I’ve had adhd ever since I was like 3-4 years old.Didn’t really start to see a psychiatrist about my adhd till 3 years ago.So then the last time I saw my doctor almost 3 months ago.He tells me that not only do I have adhd but I’m autistic.I honestly didn’t know how to feel about that extra part.I mean it explains a lot of things that doesn’t come with adhd that I do.Plus my mom was in the room as well.So for her it explained A LOT of why I did somethings as a kid.Since some of the things adhd didn’t cover some of the extra symptoms I would do.This will sound bad but at first I was thinking,”does this mean everyone is really going to think I’m stupid?”With adhd I feel stupid as it is majority of the time since I have a lot of issues understanding what they mean or focusing on each word they say.Which I know with adhd comes a lot of other disorder type things.Since adhd is like a package of extra stuff.Still now I don’t know which causes what.Though I just assume it’s my adhd side since I know it’s the most sever type and comes with everything.Though still now I’m unsure.

 

Has anyone else been dual diagnosed like this or with some other kind of disorder along with your adhd/add?

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[shutterbug55]

Hello mustachekitteh,

Short answer: yes. I was diagnosed as being autistic a couple years ago in addition to having ADD. What do you want to know?

 

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[mustachekitteh]

@shutterbug55 How can you tell which disorder is causing certain symptoms your having on a certain day?

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[shutterbug55]

First you are going to have to become an expert on your own condition. You have two spectrum dissorders that share a lot of symptoms and have symptoms that are unique to each disorder.

I like “The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome” By Tony Attwood. I think it is in it’s second edition. It is dry reading, but it is probably the most comprehensive book on the subject I have read. It speaks to clinitians about the physiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of Asperger’s.

Read “A New Understanding of ADHD in Children and Adults: Executive Function Imparements” by Thomas E Brown. Another dry book, but packed full of information. Any of the books here on this site are great resources as well.

I called out these two books, because they explain the disorders to professionals. This will be a huge help, when you yourself talk to professionals about your conditions. You will speak the same language.

As far as symptoms on a certain day? I will wager that those symptoms are happening, not as a function of time, but as a function of circumstance. Meaning, you are faced with certain situations your brain is not programmed to handle, and POP! you get a symptom. Which is kind of like your computer locking up and needing a re-boot.

Read the books. Read more than I listed. Talk to people about it. Helpfull people. Get a solid diagnosis. Get treatment. Come back here often and ask more of these great questions!

 

 

 

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[Rick Green – Founder of TotallyADD]

The overlap with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other disorders as well, is so tricky. But I have to admit, there are a lot of aspects of ASD that fit me. The very fact that I got my degree in Science, that I can be a big awkward around strangers, and my wife has to remind me to make eye contact with people when I’m talking… I sometimes wonder if the anxiety that comes from the ASD aspects of myself, if that is indeed what they are, prevented me from getting into substance abuse or risky behaviors as a teen. Drunk people scared the crap out of me. Still do, actually.  I remember a Psychiatrist who worked in ER, and I asked him who were the scariest patients, and he said it was drunk people. “They are totally unpredictable.”

Boy, did I wander off topic or what? Ha!

 

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