Good morning, all,
And happy Friday, too! I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself. I am a 54-year-old woman, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a little over two years ago. I came very close to having a dual diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. I found this a little shocking at first, but upon reflection find it to be a good explanation of behavior and personality traits I possess. The diagnostic tool used by my psychiatrist was the Adult Asperger's Assessment. The only thing that kept my doctor from issuing this diagnosis was that my "empathy" score was too high to qualify me. As some of you are aware, the psychological community is taking a second look at this, especially as regards female Aspies. They say the problem isn't a lack of empathy, but too much. It tends to make us shut down because it can be so painful.
So I am pretty much convinced I am indeed an Aspie. And yes...I stim! (Ha!) I've taken several online tests, and although I can't rule out confirmation bias, I find that my scores are consistent with one another. I'm not off-the-charts Asperger's but seem to be in the middle range. I look forward to reading other posts on this forum, because I suspect your stories are at least as interesting as mine is and probably much more so! I also am curious about others who weren't diagnosed until middle age or beyond.
Well, off I go. Have a nice weekend everyone.
Mamajulia
And happy Friday, too! I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself. I am a 54-year-old woman, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a little over two years ago. I came very close to having a dual diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome. I found this a little shocking at first, but upon reflection find it to be a good explanation of behavior and personality traits I possess. The diagnostic tool used by my psychiatrist was the Adult Asperger's Assessment. The only thing that kept my doctor from issuing this diagnosis was that my "empathy" score was too high to qualify me. As some of you are aware, the psychological community is taking a second look at this, especially as regards female Aspies. They say the problem isn't a lack of empathy, but too much. It tends to make us shut down because it can be so painful.
So I am pretty much convinced I am indeed an Aspie. And yes...I stim! (Ha!) I've taken several online tests, and although I can't rule out confirmation bias, I find that my scores are consistent with one another. I'm not off-the-charts Asperger's but seem to be in the middle range. I look forward to reading other posts on this forum, because I suspect your stories are at least as interesting as mine is and probably much more so! I also am curious about others who weren't diagnosed until middle age or beyond.
Well, off I go. Have a nice weekend everyone.
Mamajulia
