Asking My Therapist About Other Conditions

How do we delete posts?

Well I have ptsd and ocd tendencies. I have really bad memory like even stuff that just happened. Makes sense. Thanks

what i’m also learning is a lot of symptoms related to autism overlap with ptsd, anxiety, and if i’m correct ocd (as well as obviously adhd). I have tics too and sound and light sensitivity as well as severe memory loss, although the tics are from anxiety, the memory loss could be from the ptsd or adhd and the sensory issues could be related to adhd as well which i’m currently getting tested for, so that’s why i said while it’s fine to have an idea of what you may have, a professional unbiased opinion is so so important bc they will be able to help u figure out what is causing this or that and help you from there

@yi-you first name to come to mind lol. I love all animals. Oh that would make sense. I hate bright lights and loud noises too. I have to write it down or I’ll forget to ask her about it. She’s a very nice therapist. I do like labels and diagnoses so I can understand what it is better. That’s why when I started I gave her all my symptoms and she could start from there. Thank you

@nicolegene see the comment above yours. I also hate bright lights and loud noises.

catlover_ (I also love cats!) have you ever heard of sensory processing disorder? It’s not something a therapist can officially diagnose you with, but there’s a chance you could be dealing with that. I would highly suggest talking to your therapist about your symptoms, your diagnoses and how they feel they fit within those diagnoses and if they feel there could be anything else going on. I know sometimes having a diagnosis to explain things can be really validating. However, as a therapist, I often care less about the label and more about what symptoms and difficulties my client is dealing with and just work on those. If you have this conversation with your therapist and you don’t feel heard, I would say that and if you still don’t, then you may need a new therapist. But I imagine it will be a helpful conversation.

I don’t have any input but I was wondering because I’ve been having thoughts myself, what leads you to believe it may be autism? I’ve been wondering that about myself

Maybe it’s not autism idk but I have vocal tics when I’m stressed or bored. I hit my chest and flap my hands occasionally when I get the urge idk what causes it. I need things a very specific way. I hate hate when the blinds are open. I hate things I can’t control and that stresses me out so it causes the things listed.

So, therapist here. Most therapists won’t diagnose autism and prefer to refer out for specific testing. However, for most diagnoses that are in the DSM, your therapist should be able to diagnose. Have you talked about diagnoses and what symptoms go along with them? What symptoms are you thinking about that don’t feel like they fit in with your diagnoses? (I haven’t looked yet, just saw this question and thought I would chime in)

I’ll try that. I feel stupid sometimes like why the heck do I have all these symptoms or like explaining what I do when I can’t just turn it on and do those things

oh okay so maybe then just restate some of those concerns you have with a few examples you come across in everyday life (ex. “was watching tv and had to shut it off because the lights overstimulated me/caused anxiety,” etc. ) if you’ve already stated those concerns to your therapist though they should already have an idea of a diagnosis, i’m not sure why they wouldn’t be open and tell you about it, but if all else fails you can always ask point blank “hey I’ve been concerned that I display a lot of symptoms of xyz what are your thoughts?”

Oh I didn’t think about that. Thanks. When I first started I gave her a list of all my symptoms and concerns lol

yeah it is expensive lmao and a lot of work plus if u get diagnosed w autism there’s a lot you cant do like go into the military nd stuff BUT u get treatment. what i did and continue to do is just talk openly about my concerns and symptoms, u don’t necessarily need to bring up your self diagnosis cuz it’s good to have an unbiased professional opinion but if it’s causing u problems in day to day life bring up those problems to ur therapist and they can go from there with a diagnosis