[MoonSunn]

Hey!

I'm 22 and realizing I'm severely mentally ill, I can't begin to grasp what it is. I've been to a couple therapists and psychiatrists and so far I'm starting to understand I have childhood schizophrenia, life-long opiate addiction, poly-drug addiction too and now I think I have autism, too. I was poorly parented and lack a great deal of maturity.

I know a lot of people (hundreds, thousands, really), but the older I get, the harder it is for me to communicate with them. Something between the lines of http://thelittleblackduck.com.au/lbd...munication.png + my thoughts are often of schizophrenic content

They often tease me in groups and my reaction can be anything from catatonia, hallucinations or involuntary head nodding, twitching, saying 'no', clapping hands.

Some started pointing out I am retarded for not meeting my social expectations - it happened so that I am at a position where I was supposed to master the social communication, but I'm struggling with understanding what people want from me, what they are saying, how to 'code' back what I need to say, non-literal language etc.

I remember before I was such a screw up, we took IQ tests at school and I just solved all patterns correctly which placed me at the top 1% or something like that, so I don't think I'm retarded. I used to compete in math, chess, music, logic etc. and was very good at it. I speak several languages fluently, however cannot use language the way others do.

Any thoughts on this, am I autistic? How exactly is autism 'treated' - talk therapy?

To be honest best thing to do is go to your doctor or psychiatrist to get tested. We are not qualified, if you have reason to think you may be on the spectrum or suffering from some psychosis then an expert is the place to go. My opinion really would do nothing to further your care. Good luck.

[avlady]

yes, see a doc for diagnosis and talk to a t

[MoonSunn]

I have seen a couple professionals so far.. Because of my drug use, nobody wants to attribute a certain behavior to a mental illness. Everybody is overworked, when I told my psychiatrist I'm struggling with communication he simply said my use was making me dumb. Similarly, he said, if I want antipsychotics all I need to do is ask. The system doesn't work too well.

I will probably visit a couple more, but till then, is there a way I could tell if I have autism myself?

Thanks.

Probably then you need to sort certain things in your well-being in order to ascertain whether some aspects are autism as there are attributes to psychosis such as disorder in communication and thought processes that have similar variables to autism.

Anti psychotics will most likely help if youre psychotic. They are being offered so if its an issue why not go for it?

Rehab will help with your drug addiction. It will also be easier to diagnose mental illness without this as a factor.

There is no pill or anything for autism. You can get practical help with managing things which in the mean time you can source online and put into practice even without a diagnosis.

If they are saying that these things need to be addressed first, I would consider jumping through their hoops if its what you really want and need.

Id just like to say Im not questioning whether you are or are not autistic, Im just saying there are things that need to be addressed before a proper diagnosis based on your neurological functioning that could be narrowed down without these other factors that may have bearing on your diagnosis.

[The_little_didgee]

Originally Posted by MoonSunn

I have seen a couple professionals so far.. Because of my drug use, nobody wants to attribute a certain behavior to a mental illness. Everybody is overworked, when I told my psychiatrist I'm struggling with communication he simply said my use was making me dumb. Similarly, he said, if I want antipsychotics all I need to do is ask. The system doesn't work too well.

I will probably visit a couple more, but till then, is there a way I could tell if I have autism myself?

You will not get a diagnosis until you stop using drugs. Most psychiatrists won't diagnose a psychiatric disorder when someone is actively using drugs, since they can can cause psychiatric symptoms.

Taking an antipsychotic is pointless while using drugs.

Have you tried to address your drug use? Not many clinicians will take you seriously until you do.

The signs of autism spectrum disorder usually show up in childhood. The don't just appear in adolescence. There is a lot more to it than social behaviors.

Your hallucinations are due to another condition.

It's entirely possible that your symptoms are simply the result of being very strung out on drugs at the moment. Also, getting schizophrenic as a child would be an extremely rare thing to happen. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's an extremely rare condition to develop before the teen years. First things first, you should get off of the drugs on your own or with help from a professional. You might be surprised at how much that helps a lot of your symptoms.

[-jimi-]

Autism is not a mental illness. And yes, it shows early in life. Sometimes it is missed depending on how forgiving the surroundings are for unusual behavior. I was never seen as odd as a child even if I have AS/ADD.

There is no treatment that makes autism go away. You can get training where you work with your weak points, some have a hard time with things like abstraction and spacial awareness, different problems for different auties. And language training for those who need it. On a higher level you can get help practicing social and practical skills. Many people think with autism you only have issues with social skills, but oftentimes there are issues with self care spanning from mild to severe. Myself I completely suck at organizing and picking up after myself....

Autism does not happen because of how you were raised.

[EllieGreene]

I agree you should go to rehab about the drug use or possibly a dual diagnosis type hospital that can work with both issues. They will help you get off drugs first and be there to help with what happens after that. Since you use to do so well in many areas and especially language you may have aspergers' syndrome. Social skills not be second nature of you like it is for others but they can be learned! There is much, much hope for you but you must get off street drugs. That will be your new beginning...even though you have had a tough time in your family home. Good Luck!!

[sweetmadness]

I might have mild autism. I was thought to have schizophrenia and had 35 on the autism test which stated very likely mild autism i.e. Aspergers. I now have bipolar but I am still apathetic as I always have been for no real reason I am very different. I was highly intelligent before my crisis at fifteen. I scored 96th percentile on a Stanford test and looked through all my old records recently my dad saved. I was very smart but not as much anymore. I took my GED with minimal studying right after I was released from Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore Maryland. I passed with above average scores. While I'm highly verbal and good in languages science and history I have never been good in math.

I don't really know what my illness should be.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[EllieGreene]

You've been around here (psych central) a long time! How old are you now? Are you still in school (college)?

[angelicgoldfish05]

Originally Posted by MoonSunn

Hey!

I'm 22 and realizing I'm severely mentally ill, I can't begin to grasp what it is. I've been to a couple therapists and psychiatrists and so far I'm starting to understand I have childhood schizophrenia, life-long opiate addiction, poly-drug addiction too and now I think I have autism, too. I was poorly parented and lack a great deal of maturity.

I know a lot of people (hundreds, thousands, really), but the older I get, the harder it is for me to communicate with them. Something between the lines of http://thelittleblackduck.com.au/lbd...munication.png + my thoughts are often of schizophrenic content

They often tease me in groups and my reaction can be anything from catatonia, hallucinations or involuntary head nodding, twitching, saying 'no', clapping hands.

Some started pointing out I am retarded for not meeting my social expectations - it happened so that I am at a position where I was supposed to master the social communication, but I'm struggling with understanding what people want from me, what they are saying, how to 'code' back what I need to say, non-literal language etc.

I remember before I was such a screw up, we took IQ tests at school and I just solved all patterns correctly which placed me at the top 1% or something like that, so I don't think I'm retarded. I used to compete in math, chess, music, logic etc. and was very good at it. I speak several languages fluently, however cannot use language the way others do.

Any thoughts on this, am I autistic? How exactly is autism 'treated' - talk therapy?

What kind of thoughts do you have when you say schizophrenic content? Great postcard link I can totally relate to most of it. I'm terribly socially awkward and it takes do much effort sometimes to appear normal in certain situations. If the other person does not lead the conversation, I have no idea what to say. It's easier to figure out how to respond but even that's difficult at times. I think my thought process can be really different from others and although I've never been diagnosed schizophrenic (I don't meet a lot of the criteria) I wonder if my thoughts are either related to schizophrenic like content, or if not it has to be because of PTSD. I don't think I have autism or anything cause that shows up when you are a kid and I didn't have any problems as a kid. Probably social anxiety. Anyways I have no idea about what it is for you but I wish you well.

[roboanxia]

Originally Posted by sweetmadness

I might have mild autism. I was thought to have schizophrenia and had 35 on the autism test which stated very likely mild autism i.e. Aspergers. I now have bipolar but I am still apathetic as I always have been for no real reason I am very different. I was highly intelligent before my crisis at fifteen. I scored 96th percentile on a Stanford test and looked through all my old records recently my dad saved. I was very smart but not as much anymore. I took my GED with minimal studying right after I was released from Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore Maryland. I passed with above average scores. While I'm highly verbal and good in languages science and history I have never been good in math.

I don't really know what my illness should be.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Schizotypy and autism share some (perhaps superficial) commonalities: ideas of reference, paranoia, odd behavior, odd speech. However differences surface if you look deeper. One study abstract says autistic paranoia tends to be more based on cynicism than feelings of victimization when compared to schizo paranoia, for example.