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Aspergers, Social Anxiety, or somethign else?

The Phantom

Well-Known Member
Hey everyone,

I'd just like to take the chance to wish everyone a happy new year. Even though it's already February, this is the first thread I've posted this year, so I thought why not, the year is young haha.

I know that at least a few of you are familiar with my posts, but to those who aren't, I'll just give a bit of introductory information about me just so you might know how to give advice, if you plan on answering. There's always one of my older help posts from last year, if you've got a lot of time on your hands and have decided that a wall of text written by a teenager sounds a rather riveting read today :rolleyes:
Anyways, before you answer, yous should know that I am not formally diagnosed. I started his account in hopes that people could possibly point out whether they feel that I sounds familiar to them or not. Most of the answers I've gotten previously have said I sound like I do in fact have Aspergers, and my therapist has listed it as a possible explanation for some of the issues I've been facing as of late (say the past 3 years, so that would mean the duration of middle school. Ages 11-14 for anyone who isn't clear on that :) ) Despite this, my parents deny that that claim. My mother has admitted I match up some of the symptoms, though waters down the severity, and my dad outright dismisses the notion (claiming because I have a witty sense of humor, and because he says I articulate my thoughts so well, ignoring my one word answers to any subject I don't know about). And because these symptoms have only really appeared when I was around 12, and that sometimes I can adapt quite well to social situations (though sometimes they can be painfully awkward) I find myself doubting wheter or not I really have Aspergers. Sometimes I wonder if it's something else.
Now that that's done :eek: moving on to the real questions.

One of the problems I face is going outside, because I worry I might run into someone I know. With good friends I am completely comfortable with, and sometimes girls are better than boys, though if they are 'popular' or older I get a lot shyer. But I dread running into anyone from school in public. This is much to the annoyance of my parents, who are irritated by my lack of spontaneity and my need to be 'prepared' and notified in advance for outings. Even taking a walk or going to the market. This I believe is responsible for some of my ineptitude socially, and why I spend most of my free time in the house.
This is especially hard on my physical health. I'm quite alright, I take dance classes twice a week and such, but my running stamina is abysmal, and I have some slight excess fat in a few areas (though nothing seriously detrimental). I really want ot be able to go to the gym and get in shape, but hate being around those people, ESPECIALLY because there are a few olders boys who go to my school who live in my building, and I can imagine it would be BEYOND painful to have to work out while they're around. Honestly, it can be any boys my age in general, though anyone I'm familiar with embarrasses me. What confuses me about whether this is Aspergers or not is WHY I feel this way, cause I know it's a key part to defining what category this belongs to. Just so you know, I also have (undiagnosed, but with a family history) OCD, so I'm wondering if it is anxiety related. The only problem is it's not that I fear something terrible will happen. I just don't know how to act. I don't know whether to look them in the eye, so smile, or say hi, or if I should just ignore them (which unless I am proper, defined friends with them, usually do). If our friendship is not confirmed I don't know how to act around them, and this has been quite detrimental to my self-esteem. Because when I see people I recognize look at me, and I don't know if it's because they want to talk to me, or because they think I'm weird, or what. I feel self conscious about the way I hold my books in school even, because sometimes i feel like when someone looks at me they're thinking 'What a weirdo' or something along those lines. It's all very frustrating and has made me very stressed lately.
So if anyone has some insight, could you please let me know what could be the cause of this behavior?


Thank you all!
 
these symptoms have only really appeared when I was around 12
If that's true then I don't think it can be asperger's. Asperger's is something you're born with, not something that suddenly appears at age 12. But I'm not a doctor or anything.

If you want to know you need to see a doctor, none of us are doctors.
 
If that's true then I don't think it can be asperger's. Asperger's is something you're born with, not something that suddenly appears at age 12. But I'm not a doctor or anything.

If you want to know you need to see a doctor, none of us are doctors.

I guess I should clarify. I had a couple of symptoms from where I was younger, especially sensory, and an occasional social or emotional one. My parents claim it's OCD but I feel that those symptoms were unrelated, though I could be wrong. But my problems (sensory has gotten a bit better, but still there. The real issue is the social ones) seem to have escalated one I started to grow older. I imagine this is due to the increased social pressures and enforcements of social norms once you grow older. My therapist has said as well that it very well may be the case. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong though.
Either way, you make a very good point, and thank you for your answer!
 
I think parents can be a bit biased because they're so used to your behavior. I definitely wouldn't dismiss the possibility.
 
I think parents can be a bit biased because they're so used to your behavior. I definitely wouldn't dismiss the possibility.

Good point, I've definitely considered that since my mother gets upset whenever I mention having any issues. She says that it stresses her out and such, and I feel like while my father is used to it, my mom wants to believe everything is alright. I still think Aspergers is a possibility. Thanks!
 
If I'm in an unfamiliar area by myself, I stay away from others. I'll gravitate towards a cop or soldier if I see one, but being somewhere unfamiliar by myself is EXCEEDINGLY rare for me.
 

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