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Misdiagnosed and Over Treated

Lunafay

Lunafay

New Member
I was diagnosed with ASD about 6 months ago and it's the first diagnosis that has made sense to me. I was previously diagnosed with Major Depression, OCD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Agoraphobia. I was put on 12 different medications and under went 67 ECT treatments and couldn't function anymore. I moved away and stopped all treatments and saw a new doctor who diagnosed me with Asperger's and I have been medication and treatment free for 2 years. I've been holding a job and buying a home soon. I guess my point is...Is it common to be misdiagnosed when you actually have Asperger's?
 
Yeah. It’s especially common for women on the spectrum. ASD has its fair share of comorbid conditions too. I have been diagnosed with depression (which later turned out to be bipolar disorder) and anxiety disorder way before my autism diagnosis, but my autism diagnosis doesn’t invalidate those diagnoses.
 
Yes, I got diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, but I actually have the comorbidity of complex ptsd and ASD. Abusive people in my life also encouraged me to think I had bipolar disorder but that was just the accumulative trauma and stress of being narcissistically abused and neglected for 37 years.
It is so liberating to realise what your correct diagnosis are !!! (in my experience, anyway) .
 
Warm welkome to the forms :)

I agree with all previously above replies they dident find my ASD until i was 30
 
Definitely. I didn't have to do anything or take tests and diagnosed with chronic depression, GAD, PTSD, social anxiety, etc. Actually, that brings up the question why do we have to be tested for autism, even if we meet all the criteria, but not for any of these other things?
 
Thank you everyone for your replies. It's good to know I'm not alone. I know I was suffering from Major Depression but I really think it was due to always feeling different. I always felt like I was from another planet and I thought a pill or crazy treatment would finally fix me but I was wrong. Knowing I have ASD has finally made me realize that I am different and it's okay. I wouldn't have the gifts I have if I didn't have ASD. I just wish I had been diagnosed sooner. I paid a big price trying so hard to be "normal". I do worry for others that might have ASD and get in too deep into the mental health system. I think it's really important to get a second and even a third opinion before putting your self through so many mind altering treatments.
 
I havent nor will i ever go on ANY meds fore either one of my diagnosis. The way i see at it is. Whats alredy broken is broken and whats left is i learnt how to live with it as best i can :rolleyes: . Ive been talking to the so called pro`s since i was 4 wanting to get some answers in who and what and how i am as i am and for me it dident give diddly to be honest. I will admit that when i FINALLY got my ASD diagnose or shall we say years after i FINALLY read thru my Laitest evaluation & actually manged to UNDERSTAND it all and also learnt all about my diagnosis things finally were explained to me why i am as i am and why i have all this " problems ", Ive been a outcast and being regarded & treated as an idiot etc... Since i was born so believe me i understand :(. As im shore the majority of us in here. youre NOT alone. (HUG )

ACCEPT who you are and DONT blame youre self NOONE of us have asked to be born with our diagnosis.
 
Yikes, 12 meds and 67 electroshock treatments? I'm surprised that your brain isn't completely fried and you strapped into a chair in some institution drooling on yourself. I read of an autie blogger who got just 3 or 4 shock treatments and she couldn't communicate for like a year. Couldn't talk, couldn't write, couldn't form any sort of a coherent thought. You're lucky. I only take 6 psych meds, and they're for actual diagnosed comorbids such as ADHD, OCD, and paranoid schizophrenia. Never had the shock fortunately. What you describe sounds awfully close to malpractice, I wish you could sue those idiots who decided that the best "treatment" for your "mental illness" was to go ahead and completely fry your brain. It's like the guy who woke up to find his brother had accidentally shot himself, so he grabbed his shotgun and finished him off. We're humans, not dogs.
 
oregano said:
Yikes, 12 meds and 67 electroshock treatments? I'm surprised that your brain isn't completely fried and you strapped into a chair in some institution drooling on yourself. I read of an autie blogger who got just 3 or 4 shock treatments and she couldn't communicate for like a year. Couldn't talk, couldn't write, couldn't form any sort of a coherent thought. You're lucky. I only take 6 psych meds, and they're for actual diagnosed comorbids such as ADHD, OCD, and paranoid schizophrenia. Never had the shock fortunately. What you describe sounds awfully close to malpractice, I wish you could sue those idiots who decided that the best "treatment" for your "mental illness" was to go ahead and completely fry your brain. It's like the guy who woke up to find his brother had accidentally shot himself, so he grabbed his shotgun and finished him off. We're humans, not dogs.
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I'm surprised myself that I don't have more damage from ECT. I have talked to people who had less than me with more damage. I do still have trouble with my memory and speech. I think I always will. I of course have thought about suing for malpractice but to be honest I really don't like dealing with people and the whole idea of lawyers and court stresses me out so much that I just don't think it's worth it for me. I'm just glad I finally have an answer to why I am the way I am and I'm content with that.
 
I've read that electricity can damage short term memory. I've read of people who have been electrocuted and they tend to have bad damage to short term memory. As for speech, that's controlled by a small area of the brain that is close to where the ECT electrodes are placed. The congresswoman in Arizona who was shot in the head had that area of her brain almost completely destroyed by the bullets and now she can only say a few words at a time, no sentences. If you ever file for SSI you will unfortunately have to get a lawyer and go to court, but that's different from the ambulance chaser malpractice lawyers.
 
oregano said:
I've read that electricity can damage short term memory. I've read of people who have been electrocuted and they tend to have bad damage to short term memory. As for speech, that's controlled by a small area of the brain that is close to where the ECT electrodes are placed. The congresswoman in Arizona who was shot in the head had that area of her brain almost completely destroyed by the bullets and now she can only say a few words at a time, no sentences. If you ever file for SSI you will unfortunately have to get a lawyer and go to court, but that's different from the ambulance chaser malpractice lawyers.
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I tried to get on SSI and was denied twice. I'm glad I was turned down though, it forced me to get back into society and work again. If I didn't work I would still be a mess. I was upset at the time because I didn't know how I was going to survive but it was harsh blessing I guess.
 
You're lucky, I can't work at all and yes I've tried, several times. Those of us who do work usually end up getting fired after a short time on the job. I was even fired from an unpaid political internship when I was in HS! With SSI, you have to get a lawyer and keep applying and appealing until they finally approve you. I personally had one of the docs who did evaluation work for the local Social Security office as a personal psych doc, and he thought I was hopeless to the point of never being able to live independently, so he told the judge that my parents needed the SSI check to defray the cost of caring for me. I moved out at 18 and surprised everybody by staying sort-of afloat for a while. I even got a community college degree, with a lot of struggle. But I never was able to work.
 
Yeah i fought hard against all ods for MANY years nearly worked my self to an early grave and finally i had no choice then to step down and acept the offerd Disability ( seek pension as its called here ) when my body /incl brain compleatly shut down :( I was 30 :(.i had to stop or il end up in hospital soon after. Sadly theres not mush space for us with this diagnosis on the job market :(
 
Sarah S said:
Yeah i fought hard against all ods for MANY years nearly worked my self to an early grave and finally i had no choice then to step down and acept the offerd Disability ( seek pension as its called here ) when my body /incl brain compleatly shut down :( I was 30 :(.i had to stop or il end up in hospital soon after. Sadly theres not mush space for us with this diagnosis on the job market :(
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That is true. I'm sorry that happened to you. I'm glad I can still work right now but it is difficult, I think it always will be.
 
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