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Different psychiatrists have different criteria for Asperger's?

MatSev

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Several months ago I went to a neuropsychiatrists because I suspected I had AS. Within 30 seconds of talking to me she informed me that I "definitely did not have Asperger's" because according to her individuals with AS cannot make facial expressions, they talk in a completely monotone voice, and they are unable to plan their own futures. This confused me because I had never heard of such a narrow criteria for AS in all my research, and I had watched YouTube videos of AS individuals who could smile, had a normal voice and certainly had plans for themselves.
I recently approached another psychiatrist who informed me that I did indeed have Asperger's, albeit a not extremely severe case. Does this simply mean that the first neuropsychiatrist had her own individual and extremely rigid criteria? Or was she simply a fool? Has anyone else dealt with a similar response?

Mat
 

hedrick

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I have three friends who have been diagnosed with AS. None talks in a monotone. All show expressions. (One is in fact an actor, whose commercials sometimes appear on TV.) And as far as I know, they all plan for the future. In normal interactions, none of them would strike you as unusual. The one I know best is now a young adult. At 14 I had him in Sunday School. His symptoms were quite noticeable, and required a certain amount of special attention. But even then (I believe he's somewhat better now), 95% of the time he seemed like a normal bright kid who got along well with others.
 
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TalusJumper

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I completely agree with you. Refer to my previous post here 'Asperger's / PDD-NOS Diagnosis' (sorry the forum wont let me link it). Obviously, you must have some indication our you wouldn't have seeked a neuropsychiatrists opinion. It seems a bit unprofessional to dismiss your concerns in 30 seconds.

While I think it is easier to diagnose children, I think adults are much more difficult to diagnose due to their ability to adapt.
 
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MatSev

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Yes, she did seem a bit unprofessional. The first neuropsychiatrist I visited really opened my eyes to that industry. I made it clear to her right away that I was not depressed or psychotic and had no intention of taking medication, and she responded "Then what do you want from me?"
Is it so strange that someone would want answers to a lifetime of social confusion, childhood behavioral abnormalities and misconduct (while at the same time being extremely academically successful)? Is it all about popping pills these days? Who knows.
 
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Sabertooth

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I have run into a minority of two psychiatrists who claimed that my eye contact was too good (and it sometimes is), so I must be schizotypal, instead, even though I flat-lined a MMPI. That test has built-in lie detection, so it is nearly impossible to fake a "good" score. These two refused to believe that AS was as prevalent as being diagnosed, so it just had to be something else. One went so far as to say that only children had AS. That it would automatically be re-diagnosed as schizophrenia, if it presented in adults...!? :doh:
 
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jackmt

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My brother is a psychologist and dismissed Asperger's because "it's all in the eyes." Of course, if he accepted that I had AS, he wouldn't have been able to handle the guilt for the years of abuse he heaped on me. And he's a nut case himself. Pity his clients. Ignorance and stereotypes are the stock and trade of such.

One who had never met me outside his office argued with me about how I couldn't have Asperger's because the first criterion was 'severe' social difficulties. He kept repeating "severe!" and wouldn't tell me what that entailed. He was convinced that because after 35 years of therapy I could converse with a therapist that I didn't have social difficulties. He was an idiot. His boss, a specialist in Asperger's, saw it almost immediately. So did several others who were well versed in the disorder.

And, yes, there are different sets of criteria for a Dx of Asperger's. The Australian one looks like it was written to describe me. Others include a broader range of symptoms. I don't know the names (being an Aspie, I'm About ideas and not personalities) but they are easy enough to google.


"Anyone who consults a psychiatrist should have his head examined." (Samuel Goldwyn of MGM)
 
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Sabertooth

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Anyone who consults a psychiatrist should have his head examined.
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