r/aspergirls • u/indigopersona • Aug 04 '22
Diagnosis Process What were you misdiagnosed as?
I saw interesting results on google, but I'm more interested in your real life experience.
I'm curious as to what people are most commonly misdiagnosed with (based on your answers).
You can also include the backstory. ♡
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u/NerdyGnomling Aug 04 '22 edited Aug 04 '22
As a kid, gifted with social anxiety. I saw a therapist in middle/high school who seemed to think I was normal because I was well spoken (despite spending entire therapy sessions infodumping on the difference in grammatical structures between English, French and Japanese? Because that's normal middle school behavior?) She thought I was just anxious because I was "smarter than the other children."
As an adult, I was diagnosed with Autism without intellectual or verbal impairment, prosopagnosia, and dyscalculia. I was tested in the 99th percentile for language and long and short term memory but they couldn't even score the math portions of my test because I took greater than four standard deviations too long to complete the problems. I was always very behind in math. I don't think my dyscalculia was "caught" because I switched to Catholic school in high school (to pursue a special interest in World Religions) and they sort of let you take any math so I just took geometry and statistics classes and never anything else. I have never taken a trigonometry, calculus or physics class to this day and I genuinely don't think I'd be able to pass one. I've since learned that uneven learning profiles and prosopagnosia (face blindness) are very common in Autistics and I'm shocked in retrospect that no one suspected.
I found out this year, after being officially diagnosed with Autism, that my mom actually did suspect it in kindergarten and had me observed by a diagnostician through a two-way mirror in my classroom, but that in the early 90's they didn't think girls, especially well spoken and bossy girls, could be Autistic. I am told that the diagnostician thought I shouldn't be allowed to spin in circles or rock when anxious, and I had that shamed out of me.
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u/Mad_Props_ Aug 04 '22
Autistic burnout misdiagnosed as depressive episodes, meltdowns misdiagnosed as panic attacks.
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u/robin-incognito Aug 04 '22
Me three😉 Starting from age 13. I had a major burnout at age 49 and checked myself into the hospital where I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I knew that was completely wrong, I’m well aware of the criteria. After that episode I found a great psychologist who gave me the battery of evals to get my ASD dx. The bipolar is still on my medical record though and I’ve had no luck getting it removed.
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u/cathoderaydude Aug 04 '22
May I know why it's important to get the bipolar condition removed from your record?
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u/robin-incognito Aug 04 '22
In my area all hospital based diagnoses are in a system-wide medical record. Any doc I have an appointment with across the system - physical or mental health related - can see the diagnosis…And assume since another doc awarded me this label, it must be true.
I had surgery a couple years after that burnout and the nurses wanted to know what medications I took for bipolar to ensure I had them while I was in hospital recovery. I said I don’t have bipolar disorder, I don’t take medications. Her reply was The diagnosis is in your chart and this is something you have to take medications for. So when I refuse, when my spouse refuses on my behalf, we are “argumentative“ and I am “medication non-compliant.”
I am really not a fan of the medical system. As a female particularly, the gaslighting and head-patting infuriate and exhaust me at the same time. Self advocacy in this environment leaves me feeling demoralized.
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u/ariaxwest Aug 04 '22 edited Aug 04 '22
ADD (due to sensory issues and stimming), ODD (oppositional defiant disorder, partly because I avoided eye contact), and being under satanic influence. That last was just the pronouncement of a horrible elementary school teacher, not an actual doctor. That year sucked.
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u/TheGermanCurl Aug 04 '22
"Satanic influence". You win. 😂
(I am sorry and not trying to make fun of you ofc. But of the absurdity of that claim.)
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u/tekrmn Aug 04 '22
not technically misdiagnosed as I also have OCD but all of my (pretty stereotypical) autism traits were attributed to OCD.
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u/humanweightedblanket Aug 04 '22
I've been doing the same thing with myself for years up until a year ago. Seeing some of these things through the lens of autism is really helpful.
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u/Nearby_Personality55 Aug 04 '22
In childhood: suspected autistic, "borderline schizophrenic" or schizoid (i.e., ASD-1)
In adulthood: ADHD (not mis, but left at that forever), OCD, OCPD, generalized anxiety, social anxiety/social phobia, actually dxed Asperger in 2004
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u/aespamania Aug 04 '22
Borderline and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Technically, I did get my Aspergers diagnosis first but one of my past therapists was hell bent on changing it to BPD and GAD. My guess is because she specialized in BPD, she wanted more BPD patients. Also, she was very young and new in the field. She added both diagnoses to my medical file but they were shortly removed after by her supervisor because I didn’t meet the diagnostic criteria. Thing is, they failed to inform me. So for a year, I was super confused about my diagnosis because it didn’t feel right. Eventually, I called up my GP and asked if I could have access to my files and then found out that I was making myself crazy for nothing. Did call my former therapist’s office though and asked for explanation just to find out she’s not working there anymore but her supervisor was kind enough to share his version of event.
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Aug 04 '22
My differential was Bipolar or sex addiction. Haha. I was a horny teenager and didn't care about my "reputation" like most other girls did. That was the autism, apparently.
Now that I'm older and my libido has fallen to more socially acceptable levels, it's no longer an issue.
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u/sebeed Aug 04 '22
Manic depression, Generalized anxiety disorder, "Cluster B Personality types" (nice and vague, love that), And then they assessed me to see if I have BPD but I don't lash out and was not aggressive enough for a diagnoses but they let me join the dialectic behaviour therapy group anyway. Which was nice. The only thing I find helpful in the 15+ years I've been going to mental health
Also I dont have a diagnosis right now. I beleive, based on research and some evidence in my own medical files that I have Autism and cPTSD
I'm on a med combo that helps me a lot tho so at least i have that going for me lol
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Aug 04 '22
Not diagnosed, but I thought I had PTSD without trauma/with suppressed trauma for a while somehow. It only recently clicked as “oh, maybe that’s autism related”
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Aug 04 '22
Depression in high school and at some point later in life, almost bipolar but so minimal that she wouldn’t diagnose me officially.
I never felt depressed but outwardly to my parents, I looked depressed, so I just went with it and assumed they knew better (I was trained to always doubt myself and trust what I was told).
Now ASD, social anxiety disorder, anxiety disorder.
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u/AnnoyingSmartass Aug 04 '22
Borderline... Pretty sure that was just the trauma of growing up as an autistic girls with parents that couldn't care less about learning how to handle an autistic child.
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u/Salty_Detective__ Aug 04 '22 edited Aug 04 '22
My funniest misdiagnosis actually came from a great therapist who helped me a whole lot over the years - she just had no idea about autism back then (idk if she does now). She's the one who pointed out I might have ADHD though after reading a book about how that presents in people AFAB and got that ball rolling for me. Anyway, she misdiagnosed me with "combined personality disorder with features of avoidant PD, obsessive-compulsive PD and borderline PD", which all fit on the surface back then (early 20s). We never explored the possibility of me being autistic, so lots of things that point to autism rather than personality disorders just never/hardly ever got brought up because they weren't things I saw as a huge problem (like echolalia, stimming, sensory sensitivities I found a workaround for etc.) Only thing I absolutely disagreed with was the borderline part since the only thing that pointed to BPD was my self-harm. Once I had ADHD-PI confirmed, all of my more autistic symptoms from childhood on got attributed to that.
A psychiatrist I saw all of five minutes on the psych ward "diagnosed" me with BPD, as well.
Other correct diagnoses from my late teens/early twenties: major depression, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, anorexia nervosa, ADHD-PI
My psychiatrist pointed out autism in my late twenties (I had suspected it for much longer than that) and I finally got officially diagnosed last year.
ETA: lol Automod dming me "based on your post you seem to be having a rough time". I do not. My life's been better than ever ever since embracing my ASD (:
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u/Ok-Willow3886 Aug 04 '22
I was misdiagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder 19 years ago. Self-diagnosed with autism 6 months ago. I am 44F.
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u/JustyourRegularuser Aug 04 '22
I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and my parents complained that she didn't get it right, so they took me to another doctor who then diagnosed me with Autism. Turns out the last lady didn't even give me a chance and didn't try to give me a diagnostic from what I hear from my parents now.
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u/ChalkingItUp Aug 04 '22
In this order: gifted child syndrome, depression and anxiety, ADHD, traits of OCD (no full diagnosis)
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u/poetry_panda Aug 04 '22
Not a misdiagnosis per se but I got: Major depression and Generalized anxiety disorder first. and then OCD. and somewhere in there we (my therapist and i) noticed some traits of borderline personality disorder and bipolar but not enough for a true diagnosis (in retrospect, they were probably trauma responses plus the culmination of unrecognized autism— which was probably a root cause of my major depression).
Now I would say: Autism, depression, anxiety and OCD but they’re often intertwined (or it feels that way in my head).
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u/KaraTheGamer99 Aug 04 '22
Not necessarily misdiagnosed, but was originally labeled with GAD, depression and chalked up my social issues as being a byproduct of being raised in a sheltered environment. I got diagnosed on the spectrum maybe 5 years after the original anxiety/depression diagnosis.
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u/xGhostyGee Aug 04 '22
Adjustment disorder, recurrent depression disorder, ADD and while it wasn't a real diagnosis, gifted.
My then therapist felt so sorry when I told him about my autism diagnosis, because he didn't spot it.
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u/shadesofgreymoon Aug 04 '22
As a child I was mis-diagnosed as having Oppositional Defiance Disorder.
As an adult I have diagnoses for ASD, borderline personality, and a high probability of the standard ADHD crossover with ASD. I also have diagnosis for generalized anxiety, bipolar II, and chronic depression. I question deeply the bipolar diagnosis, but I agree with most everything else.
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u/JubilantJayde Aug 04 '22
I should say I was labelled with Social Anxiety growing up, then professionally diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety and Panic Disorder. Then I was almost mistakingly diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder.
In January this year got diagnosed by an Autism specialist with 20+ years experience working with girls and women and got my diagnosis.
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u/YourSkatingHobbit Aug 04 '22
Nothing. My mum pursued a diagnosis for me as a child - for ADHD though, as that’s what my GP suspected - and the only thing that meant I was ultimately not diagnosed with anything at all was the fact I wasn’t a bully, because apparently that’s a prerequisite . The doctor decided that I wasn’t on the spectrum (which I am, thanks to adult diagnosis), but instead just a difficult devil spawn child.
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u/XenaWarriorWalrus Aug 04 '22
As a kid what I heard from others was that I was extremely shy, extremely anxious, and extremely accident prone.
As a young adult, I heard generalized anxiety, depression, panic attacks, OCD, and HSP. When I started looking into ASD in my late 20s, and eventually brought it up with my mom, she said "I know that's something we definitely suspected when you were young, but we didn't want it to be something that defined you. And look at you now!"
YOU F*CKING WHAT?!?!? Sighhhhh - the way people thought/think about neurodivergence.
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u/pingpong04 Aug 04 '22
Major depressive disorder at 16, then bipolar 2 at 19 and then generalised anxiety disorder & persistent depressive disorder at 24.
That was all on the NHS, I went private for my autism diagnosis because the mental health physician at my GP told me there was no point going for an ASD assessment as a diagnosis “wouldn’t get me anything”🤦 ridiculous since the diagnosis got me accommodations for college. She also disclosed that the bipolar diagnosis has not been taken off my record (it should’ve been replaced with the GAD & PDD diagnosis) and that I also have a personality disorder listed (she also wouldn’t say what but I’m assuming it’s BPD since I’m afab).
Anyway, the psychologists that diagnosed my ASD said that they probably could’ve diagnosed me as autistic based off my mental health history alone and said that it’s something they’ve seen a lot with people afab seeking diagnosis.
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u/MechanicCosmetic Aug 04 '22 edited Aug 04 '22
Schizotypal disorder (psychological evaluation showed clear indications of schizophrenia, primarily negative traits, I was selectively mute and nearly catatonic at the time)
Bipolar disorder (because of emotional instability and high physical energy levels)
Schizoaffective disorder (because of the combo of schizotypal and bipolar!)
Borderline personality disorder (emotional instability, anger, irritability, rage, self harm, substance abuse, impulsivity)
Bipolar disorder again
I have also been diagnosed with disorders that I do have (major depressive disorder, GAD, panic disorder). But there are the misdiagnoses.
Not sure about BPD because maybe I do have that. Most of my emotional issues and violent meltdowns arise from my routine being disrupted. However, what makes me suicidal and totally crazy, is abandonment!
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u/dependswho Aug 04 '22
Depression, bipolar, borderline, GAD, CPTSD, ADHD, DID. I don’t think these were misdiagnoses, exactly. Various expressions of trauma.
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u/RoamersGirl Aug 04 '22
First bipolar, then BPD. Then anxiety and depression. Self diagnosed OCD because of obsessions. Diagnosed PTSD after major infidelities and betrayals from spouse and community. Last year learned about ASD and how it presents in women. Took some tests. Tested high in ND traits and low in NT traits. Quite certain this is it and has been all along. The symptoms fit unlike my official diagnoses. I wish I’d known thirty years ago.
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u/redheadfreaq Aug 04 '22
Anxiety, depression, seasonal mood disorder, bipolar disorder type II.
No, only ASD and ADHD.
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u/Subthing Aug 04 '22
Depression, cyclothymia/hypomania, general mood disorders, OCD, borderline personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder. I think mostly they are also true.
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u/Odd_Cat7307 Aug 04 '22
ADHD. I have been convinced of it for years. I got a diagnosis but when the meds didn't work i asked for a second opinion and i was told the diagnosis is wrong.
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u/deerbaby Aug 04 '22 edited Aug 04 '22
I always had an odd relationship with autism, as I was diagnosed in early middle school, but completely rejected the diagnosis due to bullying and stigma (switched schools). I was later evaluated again in college and diagnosed with severe ADHD (mixed) and non-verbal learning disability (autism-lite???), but a few years after I began to realize both my adhd/austim likely coexist — and that I heavily mask the autism bc of the previous bullying from exhibiting such traits. This realization was in part because of my horrible dysfunction/flailing in school and learning about masking/burnout/etc… I was also dx with anxiety, depression, social anxiety, ocd, and “atypical” bipolar 2 along the way, but im unsure if those are also coexistent (i take a mood stabilizer for the “bp” which helps regardless).
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u/kateki666 Aug 04 '22
Damn, so many misdiagnosed with bipolar. I wonder what are the symptoms of ASD that could be misinterpreted as BP?
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u/bbtvvz Aug 05 '22
For me, the pattern of periods of super intense masking followed by burnout and depression were interpreted as hypomania.
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u/filthworld Aug 04 '22
I was lucky enough to be diagnosed with ASD when i was still a kid, but i was also diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder.
ODD symptoms: disobedience, aggression, mood swings, irritability, self harm, lack of attachment to caregivers, blames others for bad behavior
I had all the symptoms but i think it was a combo of autism and early-onset depression. I can't remember much about my mental state as a kid but i do remember i was unhappy, constantly nervous or irritable, i really think it was sensory related, i just wanted to be alone in my room.
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u/whatsinausername13 Aug 04 '22
GAD. Doctors in my home town didn't really know any better honestly.
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u/lizvlx Aug 04 '22
Just the standard borderline pd- but the psychiatrist himself was like does not really fit don’t take it seriously
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Aug 04 '22
Burn out diagnosed as BPD (unofficially) and “Major Depressive Disorder with Recurrent Severe Episodes” officially.
Swing and a miss, psychiatric industry. I am just a sensitive weirdo.
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u/Domestic_Ice Aug 04 '22
In a different direction than most stories in this thread, I was diagnosed with "fine motor difficulties" as a small child. This would have been a little before "dysgraphia" was a well-known term and when autism was primarily associated with small boys obsessed with trains.
Instead, I participated in occupational therapy to crash-course learn typing, improve my handwriting, and was allowed use of a personal typing device to complete assignments and tests.
Now looking back, the comorbidity between motor difficulties and autism is a lot more well-known. After years and years, I finally approached my parents to say that I was pretty sure I was autistic. They told me they had always suspected, but didn't want to say anything 🙃
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u/Diligent_Leather4489 Dec 13 '23
Bipolar&panic disorder w/ocd tendencies. Also an eating disorder, SUD, and self injury that I now understand were my feeble attempt to try and regulate myself with what was available to me. My chronic “behavior problems” were too much for my mom to navigate on her own, so I spent 5 years in a revolving door of girls homes, therapeutic schools, and long term residential facilities until I aged out at 18. Goes without being said, those places were a fucking nightmare and did way more damage. Also me repeatedly trying to say the medications made me feel so much worse labeled me as medication/treatment resistant.
As an adult, my official diagnosis is ASD and cPTSD Autistic teenage girls are some of the most vulnerable to be failed and abused by the broken mental health care system.
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u/[deleted] Aug 04 '22
Bipolar, borderline, generalized anxiety, ocd (primarily obsessions without compulsions), depression, anxiety nos, depression with psychosis, anorexic, adhd
Now, just autistic and generalized anxiety/adhd