Could you help me decide? Asperger Syndrome, Depression and/or Bipolar?

If you feel the diagnosis is wrong you are entitled to a second opinion. Speak to your psychiatrist about this. Re aspergers syndrome you could try going to the website below and doing the AQ Test as this gives an indicator as to whether you do have aspergers and it is often used in the assessment for autistic spectrum disorders. When I was assessed this is the first test they did. I had already done it before though to present to my own psychiatrist to show him that I thought I might have aspergers - it helped get me an assessment. http://glennrowe.net/BaronCohen/AutismSpectrumQuotient/AutismSpectrumQuotient.aspx People with bipolar when manic do have racing thoughts. They also feel like they don't need to sleep, have a lot of energy, feel very elated, can be delusional and may do things like jump on a plane on impulse and go off to some foreign place, or spend a lot of money on things they don't need and may not even remember spending the money or know what they've bought. Hope that helps.

hello there. sounds like you been having a bit or a hard time. im bipolar and it took a year for me to be diagnosed. both bipolar and aspergers syndrome can be hard to diagnose because they are completly behavioural and your psych can only go by what you tell them. people are always misdiagonsed and it can ussualy take alot of time with your pysch for them to fully understand whats going on in your mind. none of us here can really tell you either way exactly what it is. hang tight and keep seeing your new psych, they will be able to keep talking to you and hopefully get the correct diagnoses and prescribe the meds that will suit you and help you best. and theres nothing wrong with asking lots of questions about things and wanting to know more about things :) good luck

You do have several traits of Asperger's. It's worth getting evaluated for, at least. You're right about depression going along with AS - a lot of us are clinically depressed or at least less-than-happy. Your racing thoughts, if they aren't caused by your meds, could be ADHD, which also tends to occur with AS.

No point relying on amateurs on here to sort this out for you. My other half is a psychiatric nurse and I do not know enough about it. If you are unhappy with your diagnosis you can demand a second opinion

Whenever you're done asking the question, I'll be sure to give you a plausible answer. Regarding the headline, only a licensed professional can make the official diagnosis.

You can have both, but I just wanted to say that...sometimes it's a blessing to be considered needy of help. Less responsibility for things that will get you in big trouble if you mess up. Seems as though you have a good, supportive family who takes care of you and don't let you get out and make tons of expensive mistakes. Not every probably bipolar and/or Asperger's patient have that. Sometimes doctors feel pressured to listen to...and appease...patients when they come forward with info on things they've read, wanting diagnosed. Let us hope your doctor is not that kind. That your doctor will observe utmost care. Even if you get your diagnosis changed, you will have to change many things...coz a person with Asperger's has a high IQ and doesn't need to be on SSDI or SSI unless no one will hire them...and they are capable of many, many things...even if they have too many quirks for some people to appreciate. :( You may consider getting tested for food allergies and sensitivities and adjusting your diet and exercise regimen. See if there is an improvement. Those things you were diagnosed with as a child...could contribute to the bipolar behaviors! if you never learned how to behave with different responses. So yes, that is possible you do not really have bipolar disorder. It sounds as though you do not want to be on SSDI or SSI anymore and are really looking for independence that someone older normally wants. That is a sign you may actually not have it too, coz bipolar people are notoriously immature.... I got to the end of this and feel proud of you, and don't even know you. Good luck, don't obsess. (Look into the allergist theory!) Haven't met an Aspie who DOES NOT have a ton of allergies and sensitivities....

I imagine the doctor at the hospital took about two minutes to come up with that. That is not the way to diagnose! Your symptoms sound most like the anxious type of depression and Asperger's. Not everyone with depression is the same. Anxious depression is not the type people generally think of when they think of depression, but it should not be confused with bipolar. The symptoms they think indicate mania are experienced by many people with anxious depression, Asperger's, and also bipolar, but they are not on their own enough to make a diagnosis. Everything else that you say fits with either Asperger's or anxious depression. Asperger's will make it hard to deal with most psychiatrists. Many people with Asperger's are depressed a lot. People with Asperger's tend to have abnormal serotonin systems. Psychiatric illness can be difficult to treat in people with Asperger's. Asperger's is fairly common. It is hard to tell how many have it. You are not an alien and not crazy.

You could be both. I am bipolar and have a learning disablity. I love the mania, it's the only time I can work on five things at once - til I go overboard and collapse. It doesn't matter the label if you want to collect Social Security you can with either diagnosis. Or you can go to work and make a living for yourself, either way. The important thing is to get treatment and care about life again. Why tell anybody you're bipolar. I sure don't. Only professionals.

I think you should seek more than a few doctors before actually taking the medicine or ordering them. You need to be sure of your disorders before actually taking them. Another thing to look out for is a lot of these are commonly diagnosed and you should get more opinions from different doctors that have a lot of experience in their jobs.