Autism Symptoms Exaggerating When Anxious

[Jenisautistic]

When you're anxious do your symptoms exaggerate? this happens to me a lot. It's almost like my brain is subconsciously trying to test the waters to see if I'll be excepted. For who I am. And then when I feel more comfortable my symptoms them stop being exaggerated. But I still have autism, which I am diagnosed by my psychiatrist at level two and my therapist as high functioning autism or Aspergers if it was still in the dsm. In my score of the ados 2 the autism rating scale was a 77/ highly elevated.

The problem is this happened on my Ados 2 and evaluator thought I was exaggerating are faking now I don't know what to do. it means that I can't get into programs for people like me who are autistic. Then The evaluator Wrote my psychiatric symptoms were more than my autistic symptoms
it says although there are many symptoms that point to autism spectrum disorder diagnoses it is highly likely that these behaviors are explainable by her most recent psychiatric symptoms Jennifer appears to have suffered for my psychotic break over the past year but a subjective out of either a serious mood disorder or possibly development of schizophrenia. As such much of Jennifers prior behavior and symptoms were likely pre-mortal symptoms related to psychosis.

Now I know is I really wasn't exactly exadurateing or faking but I was in a way because I was anxious although I was not faking and I don't think I was doing it intentionally. What happened was I asked about the test before I took it and I got too much research on it as well as being anxious. My autism ended up exadurateing on the test. When I asked about it I didnt know that people would tell me everything about it and really they didn't but they did tell me a little bit to moderately about it and I screwed myself up from my curiosity you know the phrase curiosity killed the cat well that's me.

I don't know what to do? I really did not get that much information on the test Before however it was enough to screw it up I think. when my therapist said they were going to test me with the ados2 I should've left it alone and never looked it up and waited till I was less anxious and better psychiatrically.

I know longer really hear voices anymore so I do not believe I am schizophrenic and Im most certainly not bipolar and even if I were it would be comorbid. I really screwed up on the evaluation, so my evaluator will never know.

 

[AsheSkyler]

I think the term is "catastrophizing" and it is quite the Aspie thing to do if I understood you correctly.

My main issue is getting more and more tongue-tied. My communication skills drop lower and lower the more distressed I get. Sometimes, I even sound drunk because my words are slurring so bad.

Were those voices possibly echolalia? If you actually, physically heard it, then I'd wager a touch of schizophrenia (some people have both it and autism) since they also have interesting sensory issues. If it was actually something like a very loud memory that stayed in your head, I say echolalia. During the worst of my teen years when I was being criticised by stupid people the most, my "silent echolalia" got pretty bad. I was careful not to talk about it since the one time I tried mentioning it to somebody they started questioning if I needed to visit a psychiatric hospital.

 

[shakeitup94]

Yep I do this too. I think I try be somewhat 'normal' in day to day life. I tell myself this isn't ok and that isn't and you need to... Ect. So when I'm nervous I can't focus on what I should be doing and just slip into what is me just being me which is largely aspergers traits ect. That's what I think my explanation is.

 

[On the Inside]

Anxiety also exaggerates my symptoms. But I don't think that should have a negative effect on a diagnosis.

When I'm anxious, then I'll have difficulty focusing, I'll talk too much, stutter, and may not make a lot of sense. Or I'll want to get away and if I can't I'll shut down. I feel at that point that it's better for me to do nothing than make a situation worse.

When I'm not anxious, I'm pretty reserved, quiet, usually off in my own thoughts, but able to focus on the task at hand. I'm just not going to be chatting when I'm doing this.

I have been taking anti-anxiety medication for several months and it has helped me be less of a mess when I have to communicate with others or do something that I'm worried will turn out poorly.

 

[Progster]

Yes, I find that I can't express myself very clearly when I'm anxious, or organize my thoughts. I get in a real flap - literally!

 

[Judge]

Hmmm. Exaggeration contained to periods of anxiety... that strikes me as something likely to relate to ASD and little else. Yet I can't help but wonder what your psychiatrist isn't saying here. That has to be frustrating for you.

If you had a tendency to exaggerate all sorts of things across a much broader scale with other symptoms not directly related to autism I'd wonder about Histrionic Personality Disorder as well. But then can HPD even be comorbid to ASD in the first place? I don't know.

Sorry to get sidetracked here...I'm just reminded of the very few people I've run into where I suspected they had HPD who also at one time thought they might be bipolar or on the spectrum of autism but weren't.

Of course no, I'm not any kind of medical professional either...just another Aspie who can relate to how being anxious can cause some degree of exaggeration depending on the circumstances.

Histrionic Personality Disorder Symptoms | Psych Central

 

[On the Inside]

Histrionic Personality Disorder Symptoms | Psych Central

I think someone that I've had a long involvement with might have this. I have gotten stuck in her web a few times.

Of course, I'm no professional either, but it doesn't seem like what Jen is referring to.

 

[Judge]

I think someone that I've had a long involvement with might have this. I have gotten stuck in her web a few times.

Of course, I'm no professional either, but it doesn't seem like what Jen is referring to.

I know what you mean! Agreed. I don't see it applying in her case either.

But what lingers in my mind is whether this disorder actually can be comorbid with ASD, or confined only to NTs ? Maybe someone here might know...

 

[On the Inside]

When you're anxious do your symptoms exaggerate? this happens to me a lot. It's almost like my brain is subconsciously trying to test the waters to see if I'll be excepted. For who I am. And then when I feel more comfortable my symptoms them stop being exaggerated. But I still have autism, which I am diagnosed by my psychiatrist at level two and my therapist as high functioning autism or Aspergers if it was still in the dsm. In my score of the ados 2 the autism rating scale was a 77/ highly elevated.

It's unfortunate that this is getting in the way of getting the help you need.

That seems to be a problem with those of us diagnosed at a later age; co-morbid conditions masking ASD. I know that I spent a lot of time dealing with anxiety and an ADD diagnosis before even suspecting Aspergers.

 

[Kari Suttle]

When you're anxious do your symptoms exaggerate? this happens to me a lot.

Yeah, same here. I think anyone who knows anything about autism or aspergers would notice me for what i am suspected to be. I get nervous and can't articulate myself right or interact with people well. I can't even string together sentences properly, and i'm just glad my supervisors seem to be good enough that they get what i'm trying to explain to them when a problem comes up and i get too anxious and overwhelmed to explain it clearly. I'll literally string together words, words not a sentence, that tentatively resemble what i want to say, or a word thats a synonym for the word i want to use cause i'm too overwhelmed to think of the word i want to use.

 

[Jenisautistic]

Hmmm. Exaggeration contained to periods of anxiety... that strikes me as something likely to relate to ASD and little else. Yet I can't help but wonder what your psychiatrist isn't saying here. That has to be frustrating for you.

If you had a tendency to exaggerate all sorts of things across a much broader scale with other symptoms not directly related to autism I'd wonder about Histrionic Personality Disorder as well. But then can HPD even be comorbid to ASD in the first place? I don't know.

Sorry to get sidetracked here...I'm just reminded of the very few people I've run into where I suspected they had HPD who also at one time thought they might be bipolar or on the spectrum of autism but weren't.

Of course no, I'm not any kind of medical professional either...just another Aspie who can relate to how being anxious can cause some degree of exaggeration depending on the circumstances.

Histrionic Personality Disorder Symptoms | Psych Central

My evaluator thinks I might have bipolar or schizophrenia but my therapist thinks I have along with ASD anxiety not as a disorder though just as anxiety. I'm not sure what disorder you talking about but I will look at your link.