hi
i am shell mum of six two with autism one with traits one with lbd i also have aspergers syndrome if i can help i any way please let me know
i also have a supportg roup for parents and carers of children with asd or related disorder
http://groups.msn.com/autismaspergersinthefamily
Welcome to the board, I am the mother of a 16 year old son with ADHD and a 12 year old son Asperger's , learning disabilities. I go to a support group in my area and love it. Hi and welcome to the board!thankyou i am very pleased to meet youIt is her psychiatrist who dx'd her as attachment disorder.
Attachment is also associated with parental loss, however.
I do not think bipolar, so much but she has dysmorphia and some OCD type stuff going on. I do not see hypomania ever, but bouts of depression.
ask her to g see a phychaitrist or physocol;ogist
they can do assessments and dx eventually
but it will also depend on her level of self harm which dx she gets
then in my opinion she needs to get a second opinion
i was diagnosed just two years ago i am now 38 i have been in the running for all sorts of dx all my life from one l;abel to another in the end i did not care what i had
ask her to get a second opinion
love shell
Welcome to the board!!Welcome! I am Shelley:)
Glad you found us:) I have a girl with HFA but will probably change to aspergers..we have lots of girls on here:)
Post often!
Just a general question, but what do you think the most common mistake NT parents do with their kids on the spectrum?
hi common mistake
assume there is a normal child i there if they could just reach them
many parents choose to ignore symptoms and behaviours as i did
Do you feel that sensory integration dysfunction was your most discomforting symptom?
no
i di use to suffer whern i was small but way back then i was put down to being crazy and not all there.
so i acted how people thought i should act it was not untill i married that i was at peace with my asperegrs my main problem is self harm
I have a close friend who has a complicated history ... loss of a parent in early childhood, etc. and recently discovered she is a cutter. her dx is attachment diosorder but I have wondered if she is ASD from other signs.it could be bi-polar
Bipolar affective disorder is sometimes called manic depression or bipolar illness. In this condition you have periods where your mood ('affect') is in one extreme or another.
One extreme is called depression where you feel 'low' and have other symptoms.
The other extreme is called mania (or hypomania if symptoms are less severe) where you feel 'high' or elated along with other symptoms.
The length of time you spend in each extreme can vary. It is usually for several weeks at a time or longer. Bipolar affective disorder is very different from the mood swings that moody people have which last minutes or hours.
You can have any number of episodes of highs and lows throughout your life. In between episodes of highs or lows there may be gaps of weeks, months or years when your mood is normal. However, some people swing from highs to lows quite quickly without a period of normal mood in between. This is called 'rapid cycling'. (If you have the rapid cycling form of the illness you have at least four mood swings per year.)
Who gets bipolar affective disorder?
About 1 in 100 people develop this condition at some stage in life. It can occur at any age, but most commonly first develops between the ages of 18 and 24. It occurs in the same number of men as women. The rapid cycling form of the illness occurs in about 1 in 6 cases.
(Note: mania or hypomania occur in only a small number of people who develop depression. It is much more common to just have depression without episodes of mania or hypomania.)
What causes bipolar affective disorder?
The cause is not known. Your genetic makeup seems to play a part as your chance of developing this condition is higher than average if other members of your family are affected. Stressful situations may trigger an episode of mania or depression in people prone to this condition. However, stress is not the underlying cause.
What are the symptoms of mania and hypomania?
Mania causes an abnormally 'high' or irritable mood which lasts at least one week - but usually lasts much longer than this. It can develop quite quickly - over a few days or so. When you are 'high' you will usually have at least 3 or 4 of the following:
Grand ideas about yourself and your own self importance.
Increased energy. You also tend to move quickly and need less sleep than usual.
Be more talkative than usual. You tend to talk quickly.
'Flight of ideas'. You tend to quickly change from one idea to another. You may feel as if your thoughts are racing.
Easily distracted. Your attention is easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant things.
Full of new ideas and plans. Often the plans are grandiose and unrealistic.
Irritation or agitation, particularly with people who do not seem to understand your 'great' ideas and plans.
Wanting to do lots of pleasurable things (but these can often lead to painful consequences). For example, you may:
spend a lot of money (which you often cannot afford).
be less inhibited about your sexual behaviour.
make rash decisions, often on the spur of the moment. These can be about jobs, relationships, money, health, etc, and are often disastrous.
take part in risky 'exciting' adventures.
drink a lot of alcohol, or take illegal drugs.
Severe mania may also cause 'psychotic' symptoms where you lose touch with reality. For example, you may hear voices which are not real (hallucinations), or have false beliefs (delusions). These tend to be delusions of importance (such as believing that you are a famous celebrity).
Usually, you do not realise that you have a problem when you are high. But, as the the illness develops, to others your behaviour can be bizarre. Family and friends tend to be the ones who realise that there is a problem. But, if someone tries to point out that you are behaving oddly, you tend to become irritated as you can feel really good.
If mania is not treated, the bizarre and uninhibited behaviour may cause great damage to your relationships, job, career, and finances. When you recover from an episode of mania you often regret many of the things that you did when you were high.
Hypomania is the term used when you are high, but the symptoms are less severe or extreme as in true mania. You may function quite well if you have hypomania. For example, you may just appear to be full of energy, the 'life and soul' of the party, work too much, but find it difficult to 'switch off' and relax. However, you are still at risk of making rash and dangerous decisions. Family and friends will recognise that you are not your normal self.
What are the symptoms of depression?
The word depressed is a common everyday word. People might say "I'm depressed" when in fact they mean "I'm fed up because I've had a row, or failed an exam, or lost my job" etc. These ups and downs of life are common and normal.
With true depression, you have low mood and other symptoms each day for at least two weeks. Symptoms also become severe enough to interfere with day-to-day functions. The following is a list of common symptoms of depression. You may not have them all, but you usually develop several if you have depression.
Low mood for most of the day, nearly every day. Things always seem 'black'.
Loss of enjoyment and interest in life, even for activities that you normally enjoy.
Abnormal sadness, often with weepiness.
Feeling guilty, worthless, or useless.
Poor motivation. Even simple tasks seem difficult.
Poor concentration. It may be difficult to read, work, etc.
Sleeping problems.
Sometimes difficulty in getting off to sleep.
Sometimes waking early and unable to get back to sleep.
Sleeping too much sometimes occurs.
Lacking in energy, always tired.
Difficulty with affection, including going off sex.
Poor appetite and weight loss. Sometimes the reverse happens with comfort eating and weight gain.
Being irritable, agitated, or restless. Symptoms often seem worse first thing each day.
Physical symptoms such as headaches, palpitations, chest pains, and 'aches and pains'.
Recurrent thoughts of death. This is not usually a fear of death, more a preoccupation with death and dying. Some people get suicidal ideas - "life's not worth living".
Some people do not realise when they develop depression. They may know that they are not right and are not functioning well, but don't know why. Some people think that they have a physical illness, for example, if they lose weight.
What is the usual pattern and outcome of the condition?
Bipolar affective disorder is a lifelong condition. There is no usual pattern. Every case is different. Some general points include the following.
Without treatment:
The average length for an episode of mania is four months. But for some people it can last much longer.
The average length for an episode of depression is 6-9 months. but again, it can be longer.
You cannot predict how often episodes of mania and depression will occur. After recovering from an episode of mania, a further episode of mania or depression occurs within 1 year in about half of cases, and within 5 years in about 7 in 10 cases.
Some people only ever have one episode of mania for a few weeks or months. Bipolar affective disorder is sometimes called manic depression or bipolar illness. In this condition you have periods where your mood ('affect') is in one extreme or another.
One extreme is called depression where you feel 'low' and have other symptoms.
The other extreme is called mania (or hypomania if symptoms are less severe) where you feel 'high' or elated along with other symptoms.
The length of time you spend in each extreme can vary. It is usually for several weeks at a time or longer. Bipolar affective disorder is very different from the mood swings that moody people have which last minutes or hours.
You can have any number of episodes of highs and lows throughout your life. In between episodes of highs or lows there may be gaps of weeks, months or years when your mood is normal. However, some people swing from highs to lows quite quickly without a period of normal mood in between. This is called 'rapid cycling'. (If you have the rapid cycling form of the illness you have at least four mood swings per year.)
Who gets bipolar affective disorder?
About 1 in 100 people develop this condition at some stage in life. It can occur at any age, but most commonly first develops between the ages of 18 and 24. It occurs in the same number of men as women. The rapid cycling form of the illness occurs in about 1 in 6 cases.
(Note: mania or hypomania occur in only a small number of people who develop depression. It is much more common to just have depression without episodes of mania or hypomania.)
What causes bipolar affective disorder?
The cause is not known. Your genetic makeup seems to play a part as your chance of developing this condition is higher than average if other members of your family are affected. Stressful situations may trigger an episode of mania or depression in people prone to this condition. However, stress is not the underlying cause.
What are the symptoms of mania and hypomania?
Mania causes an abnormally 'high' or irritable mood which lasts at least one week - but usually lasts much longer than this. It can develop quite quickly - over a few days or so. When you are 'high' you will usually have at least 3 or 4 of the following:
Grand ideas about yourself and your own self importance.
Increased energy. You also tend to move quickly and need less sleep than usual.
Be more talkative than usual. You tend to talk quickly.
'Flight of ideas'. You tend to quickly change from one idea to another. You may feel as if your thoughts are racing.
Easily distracted. Your attention is easily drawn to unimportant orirrelevant things.
Full of new ideas and plans. Often the plans are grandiose and unrealistic.
Irritation or agitation, particularly with people who do not seem to understand your 'great' ideas and plans.
Wanting to do lots of pleasurable things (but these can often lead to painful consequences). For example, you may:
spend a lot of money (which you often cannot afford).
be less inhibited about your sexual behaviour.
make rash decisions, often on the spur of the moment. These can be about jobs, relationships, money, health, etc, and are often disastrous.
take part in risky 'exciting' adventures.
drink a lot of alcohol, or take illegal drugs.
Severe mania may also cause 'psychotic' symptoms where you lose touch with reality. For example, you may hear voices which are not real (hallucinations), or have false beliefs (delusions). These tend to be delusions of importance (such as believing that you are a famous celebrity).
Usually, you do not realise that you have a problem when you are high. But, as the the illness develops, to others your behaviour can be bizarre. Family and friends tend to be the ones who realise that there is a problem. But, if someone tries to point out that you are behaving oddly, you tend to become irritated as you can feel really good.
If mania is not treated, the bizarre and uninhibited behaviour may cause great damage to your relationships, job, career, and finances. When you recover from an episode of mania you often regret many of the things that you did when you were high.
Hypomania is the term used when you are high, but the symptoms are less severe or extreme as in true mania. You may function quite well if you have hypomania. For example, you may just appear to be full of energy, the 'life and soul' of the party, work too much, but find it difficult to 'switch off' and relax. However, you are still at risk of making rash and dangerous decisions. Family and friends will recognise that you are not your normal self.
What are the symptoms of depression?
The word depressed is a common everyday word. People might say "I'm depressed" when in fact they mean "I'm fed up because I've had a row, or failed an exam, or lost my job" etc. These ups and downs of life are common and normal.
With true depression, you have low mood and other symptoms each day for at least two weeks. Symptoms also become severe enough to interfere with day-to-day functions. The following is a list of common symptoms of depression. You may not have them all, but you usually develop several if you have depression.
Low mood for most of the day, nearly every day. Things always seem 'black'.
Loss of enjoyment and interest in life, even for activities that you normally enjoy.
Abnormal sadness, often with weepiness.
Feeling guilty, worthless, or useless.
Poor motivation. Even simple tasks seem difficult.
Poor concentration. It may be difficult to read, work, etc.
Sleeping problems. Sometimes difficulty in getting off to sleep. Sometimes waking early and unable to get back to sleep.
Sleeping too much sometimes occurs.
Lacking in energy, always tired.
Difficulty with affection, including going off sex.
Poor appetite and weight loss. Sometimes the reverse happens with comfort eating and weight gain.
Being irritable, agitated, or restless.
Symptoms often seem worse first thing each day.
Physical symptoms such as headaches, palpitations, chest pains, and 'aches and pains'.
Recurrent thoughts of death. This is not usually a fear of death, more a preoccupation with death and dying. Some people get suicidal ideas - "life's not worth living".
Some people do not realise when they develop depression. They may know that they are not right and are not functioning well, but don't know why. Some people think that they have a physical illness, for example, if they lose weight.
What is the usual pattern and outcome of the condition?
Bipolar affective disorder is a lifelong condition. There is no usual pattern. Every case is different. Some general points include the following.
Without treatment:
The average length for an episode of mania is four months. But for some people it can last much longer.
The average length for an episode of depression is 6-9 months. but again, it can be longer.
You cannot predict how often episodes of mania and depression will occur.
After recovering from an episode of mania, a further episode of mania or depression occurs within 1 year in about half of cases, and within 5 years in about 7 in 10 cases.
Some people only ever have one episode of mania for a few weeks or months.
The rapid cycling form of the illness occurs in about 1 in 6 cases.
Some people have 'mixed states' where symptoms of both mania and depression occur at the same time. For example, a low mood, but with racing thoughts.
So, some people have more frequent and severe episodes than others. Because of the nature of the condition, your chance of holding down a job is less than average. Relationships can be strained. Also, you have an increased risk of suicide if depression becomes severe, and an increased risk of death from risky adventures during an episode of mania. The outlook is worse if you take street drugs or drink a lot of alcohol.
The rapid cycling form of the illness occurs in about 1 in 6 cases.
Some people have 'mixed states' where symptoms of both mania and depression occur at the same time. For example, a low mood, but with racing thoughts.
So, some people have more frequent and severe episodes than others. Because of the nature of the condition, your chance of holding down a job is less than average. Relationships can be strained. Also, you have an increased risk of suicide if depression becomes severe, and an increased risk of death from risky adventures during an episode of mania. The outlook is worse if you take street drugs or drink a lot of alcohol.