ASD and Hyperthymic Temperament

[FayetheAspie]

It seems like a lot of people with asd have dysthymic leanings. I was wondering if hyperthymic traits could have a correlation to either asd and /or adhd as well.

 

[thejuice]

So hyper is happy/ dys is depressive. Your theory sounds plausible.

I could be both. Im often told Im too much, or too nice. Also I can be abnormally irritable and so can my brother.

 

[thejuice]

Occasionally I'm a little envious of those with a happy go lucky, care free demeanor, breezing through life or so it seems.

 

[FayetheAspie]

I think my baseline mood is elevated. I can get down right giddy about small things that most people seem to ignore (like a new rock ,bug, ect that I saw).

 

[thejuice]

If you can be happy about the small things In life you are very rich indeed!

 

[FayetheAspie]

Sometimes it keeps others from liking you because they seem to think you are crazy or something which makes you momentarily sad but you just ignore the disappointment and find something else to get excited about. Go outside and there is almost always several interesting things to see. Examine tree bark up close. You never know what small creature might be hidden on it. Yesterday I saw a gray tree frog that blended right in.

 

[Judge]

Stands to reason. Good observation.

I occasionally question whether or not I truly have the "chronic clinical (major) depression" I was formally diagnosed with long ago. Chronic ? -Yes, but major....maybe not so much.

Dysthymia and Autism: The Complex Relationship Between Persistent Depressive Disorder and ASD

 

[thejuice]

Sometimes it keeps others from liking you because they seem to think you are crazy or something which makes you momentarily sad but you just ignore the disappointment and find something else to get excited about. Go outside and there is almost always several interesting things to see. Examine tree bark up close. You never know what small creature might be hidden on it. Yesterday I saw a gray tree frog that blended right in.

Ive noticed people dont tend to stop and admire things. Their loss, youre the enlightened one.

 

[FayetheAspie]

I also think I am naturally an extrovert though not much like neurotypical extroverts. I do NOT go to parties and such. However, I have other ways of showing more extroverted leaning behaviors. For example, if I discover something scientific, I NEED to tell whoever I know that will listen even if I just met them. And telling them often means telling them every detail of what I did and what I discovered or think I discovered in a rapid speech manner often having to repeat myself due to them not understanding because I was talking too fast and often pacing back and forth excitedly with a huge grin or even taking off skipping and sometimes giggling before and/ or after getting to tell them. I can also get this way about my art projects, a favorite series, or even a new lizard or something in the yard that I had never seen before or rarely see. When excited like this it is also common for me to rhyme my sentences where practical. I alternate between silent hyperfocus mode such as when observing ants for an hour or something like that and the above. Exploring the yard or performing experiments are even more exciting on the rare occasion when someone else does it with you.

 

[thejuice]

Sounds far more interesting than a party to me!

 

[jsilver256]

Guessing you aren't alexithymic?

 

[FayetheAspie]

Guessing you aren't alexithymic?

No I don't think I would be. The part about mistaking certain emotions and certain physical symptoms like hunger for each other is relatable but not much else.

 

[Crossbreed]

So hyper is happy/ dys is depressive. Your theory sounds plausible.

Hyper- means "intensified, above, beyond." (Hypo- is its antonym.)
Dys- means "ill, unhealthy." (Eu- or ev- is its antonym.)