Philosophy Now Forum

my shrink sent me for more testing

according to the testing i also have aspergers in addition to the borderline personality disorder i have had for years

maybe i should start a collection

Kayla: maybe i should start a collection



Aren't we all a collection ? Some are more colourful than others...

I always thought you were a pretty smart cookie, somewhat precocious, but definitely up there in mental aptitude.

Supposedly females with Aspergers score highly in these attributes.

apparently there are no drugs for aspergers

but there are drugs for some aspects of it

my shrink wants to try some of them - he suggested starting with a low dose of abilify and see how that works

i looked up the side effects

so i am like thanks but no thanks

I've always found it hard to believe that you're actually a High School Student, so you're doing fine. Of course you have your moments, but don't we all.

Lets face it, all doctors have a conflict of interest when it comes to what ails a patient, and I bet most have stock in Eli Lilly, Pfizer, etc. Today with the internet, all doctors are good for is a best guess diagnosis, and I suggest a second opinion, then one can easily use their typing skills to verify the potential of the diagnosis and find natural methods of addressing the problem. I've found the CDC, Mayo Clinic, Drugs.com WebMD, as well as some .edu's to be helpful. Of course if one can't find solution on the net, from reliable sources, that works, then unfortunately you have to help pay for the doctors Lamborghini, as well as increase his stock dividends.

Kayla - I wish you all the best in coming to terms with this. It can't be easy working out whether or not to accept a doctor's advice. You are clever enough to do the research - knowledge is power !

I expect there will be a Support Group somewhere where you might read of others' experiences, and take from that what seems right for you. The trouble is, sometimes we are not the best judge - our self-perception is diminished under certain circumstances.

If you can self-observe accurately, you will know when your life is being affected to the point where you need extra help.
Sometimes, this means medication - and all meds have side-effects which must be listed. This is not to say you will get them all - but like you say - you need to weigh up the pros and cons. Sometimes, trial and error is the only way...

Hopefully, the positives will outweigh any negatives.

Best -

MB

Doctors often prescribe medicine way to often. If you have mental problems, try to find the cause or a solution without medication. I suggest you talk with a psychologist instead of a psychiatrist, but only if you think there actually is a problem.

so far the best psychotherapy i had was the court ordered anger management stuff

basically i have now been in a couple of situations where i would have pounded the crap out of someone for reasons other than defense of self or others before - but now i have been able to restrain myself

the group therapy was presided over by a social worker not even a real shrink

and some of her advise was not exactly orthodox psychotherapy - spending 5 mins reading ones favourite scripture - or for hard core atheists the latest issue of the skeptical inquirer or something - in the morning - it has to be the morning

sounds weird but hey it works

Kayla

http://aspielife.blogspot.com.au/2007/08/adultswomen-with-aspergers-good-and-bad.html


A place to visit?

I think you're taking the right approach in not accepting the meds Kayla, as there seems to be a predisposition in the States to ascribe difficult behaviour in children to mental-illness and prescribe drugs as a solution. In your case it sounds more that you are a bright and precocious child trapped in a very narrow-minded milieu, add to that parents who allow you to speak your mind and a fairly aggressive father its not surprising you are having a few ups and downs. Given that you appear to be able to control yourself and that you appear to show empathy for others I doubt the shrinks diagnosis. Are you clumsy? Do you find it difficult to read the non-verbal cues others give out?(Although a good NLP course can teach this, if not just read the founders books for techniques and exercises to improve this communication faculty.)

Just remember that with 'defense,' you ALWAYS enjoy the moral high ground, and the opposite can be said of 'offense.' Take up Karate to help manage your anger issues. The beauty of this approach is that you use a punching bag any time you need to vent a little steam, then, if as a female, you ever really have to defend yourself, you'll be capable of surprising the crap out of your, would be, attacker. Just never be a bully, as philosophically, you always loose, no matter how you view it.

I was going to suggest this but I was torn between the "focussed rage" and the "trained thug" argument but on reflection, and as someone who does karate and whose children do karate, I think SoB's point is worth considering. Find a channel for your aggression and, as SoB says never be a bully, and you might find it quite rewarding.

Just don't learn how to punch properly and beat the shit out of someone. Please.

i think the diagnosis is ok but i dont think the problem is severe enough to risk side effects like permanent retardive dyskinesia



i used to be as a toddler - i was more unintentionally destructive than a labrador retriever puppy

so starting at 3 i had to do both gymnastics and ballet and my father spent long hours with me playing games like operation that worked on fine motor skills

and i always have to have at least one physical extracurricular activity and exercise daily if i stop the clumsiness starts coming back very quickly

i still have some trouble with motor skills doing things i have not tried to do before



i do sometimes but i am getting better

i am fortunate - i learned quite a bit of that from my twin brother whose ability to spot non verbal cues sometimes seems almost telepathic

he can tell our parents moods just by hearing their footsteps


but i did not have any particular difficulty making friends and that does not quite fit the diagnosis but most of my friends are either noticeably younger or older than myself so maybe there is something there i dont know

i ve done karate for a while then did kendo and now giving krav maga a try - just got my p1 (equivalent of yellow belt

never had the urge to just beat the shit out of someone just cause - even when i used violence inappropriately it was never on anyone entirely undeserving of it