I have a new job. After getting to know my coworkers better for the last couple weeks, I was deep in conversation with one about tabletop game mechanics which then devolved into talking about creating currency systems for fantasy novels.
Out of left field they sort of add in that they knew I was autistic. I... had never been recently tested, tbh. I was completely nonplussed, not sure what to say. They asked if I had been tested as a child. I said yes. They guessed correctly that the doctors told me I had ADHD. I nodded... that's exactly what happened. They then tell me that many tests from back in the day were badly done, and many people with autism got misdiagnosed with ADHD.
This blew me away. This coworker was certain. They said they found it extremely uncanny and that they were very unsettled by me, because they also have autism and they could tell I was on the exact same spectrum as them. They said they had never in their life met someone with the same autism type until now. At that moment I realized I understood, too. Like someone was on my plane of existence and that was very unsettling.
So I took the 50 question test and scored 28. I'm on Abilify for bipolar, which I'm not sure I have. The funny thing is... I get all the side effects from the Abilify (Apiprozole) that one with autism would get. Sever drooling, insomnia, etc. Every side effect that the drug would have on autistic people has presented itself. However, the Abilify works good at stopping my horrible thoughts and worries.
So my question is... has anyone ever been in a similar boat? Where you were diagnosed with ADHD but it wound up being autism? These are new waters for me. I always thought when they tested me for autism that they were certain I didn't have it, but the more I interact with my coworker the more I can tell they're probably right.
My next step is to talk with my doctor and get officially re-tested. We may be looking down the wrong medication path (though, because the Abilify works pretty well, I'm not opposed to saying I probably have bi-polar, too).
Grounded take: You weren’t necessarily misdiagnosed. Prior to DSM-5 (the psychiatric diagnostic manual) which was published in 2013 you couldn’t be diagnosed with both autism and ADHD. Given that there’s no treatment for autism it didn’t make sense to even consider diagnosing people with autism when they were presenting with ADHD. BPD is somewhat common comorbidity of autism too (this one seems more often misdiagnosed but if meds work then not much reason to doubt it).
My real take: it’s all the same thing presenting in different ways, because we’re all different people, but it’s also uncanny how similar people with autism are in some respects.
This is a good take to have, and thank you for the practical response. I show all the signs of BPD as well, as my girlfriend pointed out to me. I go tomorrow to reassess the Abilify with my doctor, as it's unsustainable. I only sleep 2-4 hours a day on it.
It makes sense. I have all the classic signs of ADHD, particularly loving to start projects and hating to finish them. I enjoy the peaceful worlds of beginnings, but get fairly impatient with the middles and ends of things.
BPD I'm looking into soon. I have had a constant of every sign of it. I think that's why the Abilify helps so much. I don't think I'm an idiot for talking and no longer cringe at the me from yesterday. I'm also not terrified of being left alone in the world. It's a wonderful feeling.