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Back when I studied abnormal psychology, this used to be known as "schizoid personality disorder" (not related to schizophrenia). Have these all fallen out of favor now that everyone's diagnosed with autism?
Idk
Quote:
Schizoid personality disorder is less common than other personality disorders, but it's much more common than schizophrenia. The cause is not known. Some symptoms of schizoid personality disorder are similar to autism spectrum disorders, other personality disorders — especially avoidant personality disorder — and early symptoms of schizophrenia.
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Originally Posted by otterhere
Back when I studied abnormal psychology, this used to be known as "schizoid personality disorder" (not related to schizophrenia). Have these all fallen out of favor now that everyone's diagnosed with autism?
It's still being carried in the latest Diagnostic and Services Manual - DSM 5 - so it looks like it's still a diagnosis.
It does sound a lot like what this girl's symptoms are.
It's still being carried in the latest Diagnostic and Services Manual - DSM 5 - so it looks like it's still a diagnosis.
It does sound a lot like what this girl's symptoms are.
Idk.
Could also be a dissociative disorder cause by severe autism/NVLD. Her brain can't function properly so she been forced to live in a pretend world.
My nephew with autism behaves in a similar manner. He knows society expects him to have friends. His brain can't figure out how to make it happen. As a result, he compensates by pretends to have the life he know is socially acceptable, but is out of his reach. It's sadder than an autism child who doesn't know or care. He knows and cares, but doesn't have the bandwidth to accomplish it.
Her school needs to test her for learning disabilities. It's a shame because her pediatric neurologist failed her. He/she should have began with learning disability testing to find the cause of her anxiety instead of writing it off as general anxiety.
OP there is hope that she will improve with intervention! Get going!
But, autism is so easy to check it off the list of possibilities! Schizoid personality disorder is harder to diagnose. Schizophrenia and bipolar are the hardest to diagnose.
My bipolar sister-in-law seemed to have autism or a non-verbal learning disorder. If she was in school today, I'm sure she wold have been diagnosed as on the autism spectrum. Like most bipolar people, it wasn't until her mid-to-late twenties, doctors diagnosed her.
For a parent, I would rather think my child was on the autism spectrum rather than a schizoid personality disorder, schizophrenia or a bipolar disorder. Autism is more socially acceptable and seems more treatable.
As recently as the 1970s, autism was considered exceedingly rare. Now it's the diagnosis de jour and seems to encompass almost any behavior that isn't the norm, including shyness and introversion. I think it's precisely because "it's what people would rather it be" that it's being ridiculously and inaccurately over-diagnosed today. A whole industry has grown up around it. If I were the parent, I'd rather it be CORRECTLY diagnosed, whatever it is. But I'm sure most practitioners today just default to it because it's easy and, as you say, accepted. Rant over!
As recently as the 1970s, autism was considered exceedingly rare. Now it's the diagnosis de jour and seems to encompass almost any behavior that isn't the norm, including shyness and introversion. I think it's precisely because "it's what people would rather it be" that it's being ridiculously and inaccurately over-diagnosed today. A whole industry has grown up around it. If I were the parent, I'd rather it be CORRECTLY diagnosed, whatever it is. But I'm sure most practitioners today just default to it because it's easy and, as you say, accepted. Rant over!
Good rant!
My nephew has Aspergers. It's obvious he's on the autism spectrum. However, I have two male cousins (born in the 1960's) who are probably on the autism spectrum too. Before the 1980/90's, it was just accepted that some kids were odd and eccentric. Both cousins found careers which suited odd personalities. Both cousins had trouble with long term marriages/relationships. No big deal as it's more common than not for our society.
We don't tolerate differences now - everyone gets label.
I really think it's because we have too many people with MA in psychology who need employment. Then again, social media reinforces our culture norms. It's harder to win approval social media if you are odd and eccentric. No one wants to be different and everyone wants a lot of likes on twitter, Facebook, instagram, etc.
she was never able to make friends before the meds either. at least with the meds she isn’t in a constant state of self-destruction. i think no one wants to be friends with here because she shows indifference towards other kids, constantly switching where she sits at lunch, talking about things no one cares about. she can’t even normally converse with her family. everything is just a random statement having nothing to do with anything. actually, this Christmas we were at family’s and there were 3 girls all close in age and she is sitting there all by herself while the rest of them interacted with each other. i walked over to her and said “why don’t you go with the other girls” the response was her yelling “i am with them!!” then the next day she told me about what fun she had last night seeing the girls, when she was by herself most of the night. one girl even went up to her and asked her if she wanted to go downstairs with them and she said “in a bit”it is truly heartbreaking.
My daughter had similar struggles with friendships. I was difficult for me as she resented any reference I made even when trying to help. She was furious that I mentioned the issue to her physician and denied that there was a problem. I realized that she viewed my comments as a judgment that something was wrong with her and she built up defense mechanisms.
When she was in college and experiencing anxiety, I found a psychologist who worked with her age group and understood her. My daughter trusted this psychologist and felt comfortable confiding in her. She did not accept insurance so I paid out-of-pocket but well worth the dollars spent. This psychologist also tested her for ADHD and my daughter had slow processing skills that impacted her test scores since she was unable to complete the tests in time. This provided her with extra time for completing tests.
Your daughter may have more going on but I encourage you, if possible, to find a provider she can bond with.
This psychologist was recommended to me by another psychologist who knew of her work with adolescents and young adults. Focus on the right provider rather than the diagnosis.
I have a teenager who isn't officially diagnosed with anything other than ADHD and anxiety. Physically, she looks like a normal teenager. When you first meet her you might even think she is a pretty typical person. This makes it so hard to figure out what is really going on with her. I understand that some of the below is typical for teenagers but it is hard to parse out what is normal and what is problematic. She has a first cousin her age and the cousin has said that she is "weird" to her grandmother in confidence. She was a very quiet baby. Would flap arms when excited and stare at you. Was an early reader and as she grew up I thought she was absolutely brilliant. We would even call her "the professor" because she knew so many things and would recite them from the non fiction books she would read. Then, around 4th grade it all changed. The grades became very inconsistent, she started freaking out over everything. She was even kicked off the cheer team because she had frequent meltdowns. Her hygiene was non-existent and she started picking her facial skin. we first brought her to a therapist and all she did was lie to the therapist so that went nowhere. Then we brought her to a pediatric neurologist who said she had ADHD and anxiety/depression. These are her attributes as a teenager:
She is a serial liar. Very argumentative and gets nasty when called out.
Extremely socially awkward - can not have a conversation with people. Brings up random things that have nothing to do with anything. Delusional and in her own world. lives vicariously through others, says things that happen differently than what actually happened. Makes up events that didn't happen and speaks about it like it is truth. For instance, "I have plans to hang out with a friend tonight" when no friends exist.
Can not follow instructions. does not follow through on tasks asked of her. disinterested, lacks empathy and sympathy, no situational*awareness, no passions or drives. everything she used to like as a young child she has absolutely no interest in. She is apathetic, shows no interest in people or affection towards them. Acts like she doesn't love or like anyone (even our dog). has to be constantly reminded of things. Has absolutely no initiative. No attempt to help out. cannot stay on task. For instance, she has basic tasks which she does do every day such as feed the dog and let her out but she has to be reminded to let the dog out and then let the dog back in. She is almost 15. inconsistent grades, will get 90s and then get zeros and 40s this is the primary reason why I do not think she will ever be able to hold down a job
poor memory. Can not recall events from her day or at least articulate them in a meaningful way.
no accountability, no ability to self reflect or admit when she wrong. it is always someone
elses fault
sensory issues (texture and food) cant wear jewelry
On the positives, she does put effort into her looks, clothing, and make up (it took years to get to this point. She keeps her room generally clean, She cares about her schoolwork. She checks the grade portal frequently and generally she wants to achieve, but always falls short because she doesn't put full effort into anything. she’s a rule follower she doesn’t get in trouble. She’s a very good kid otherwise. When she is off her meds you can tell immediately.
It’s tough to say. It can be very difficult to find a clinician who is trained in evaluating girls (or women) for autism, and the fact of the matter is, a lot of autism characters can overlap with other diagnoses.
After walking around with the wrong diagnosis for 20 years, I was diagnosed at 40 years old. It wasn’t anyone’s fault; up until less than a decade ago, the diagnostic criteria did not account for the fact that autism often presents differently in boys than in girls, so it is very common to be misdiagnosed or not diagnosed or just fly under the radar. My daughter was initially diagnosed with ADHD was 9 because she is high masking and is also super outgoing and extroverted.
Tl;dr. Maybe, maybe not. You need a referral for a psychiatrist, psychologist, or a developmental pediatrician who has experience with adolescent autism evaluations.
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