#comorbid disorders

[my-adhd-diaries]

is it possible to have both ocd and adhd/add? there's no way for me to get diagnosed rn so I'm trying to minimalize the symptoms I experience on my own, but I'm not sure if it's a mental issue and I really have a disorder or if I'm just lazy?

It is absolutely possible to have both conditions at once. In fact, comorbid disorders are quite common, nearly half of people with ADHD have one!

I get what it’s like to go undiagnosed for a long time. I don’t know you, so I can’t really speak on your work ethic, but you’re trying your best to work with what you have and that’s very good!

You may also be able to access some mental health supports for free. Your school might have a counselor you could talk to. If you live near a college or university, kidshealth.org says, “If a college in your area offers graduate degrees in psychology or social work, the students might run free or low-cost clinics as part of their training.” Keep your eyes open for any opportunity you can!

I hope this helped, keep hanging in there! You’ve got this!

Sources:

https://www.additudemag.com/when-its-not-just-adhd/

https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/mhealth-care.html?WT.ac=ctg#catmental-health

[jaethefade]

Hey if any of y’all got some kind words to share while I wait for my blood work results that’d be nice. My doctor thinks I might have lupus and I’m freaking out so any love you can send my way in the form of words, memes, gifs and what not would be great because I’m sad and on bed rest

[autistic-google]

hello. i think i am autistic, and i show most of the signs. but i'm also really skeptical. because i know i'm adhd, but i show a lot of signs that are more autistic. i'm both terrified, and eager to know. do you think i should mention to a doctor or just accept adhd? salutations

ADHD and autism overlap a lot, so it’s totally possible that the ADHD is a misdiagnosis or that you’re both. I think you should bring it up to the doctor.

-mod Ari

[psychotic-spectrum]

Is borderline personality disorder and schizoaffective a common combination of illnesses or is it possible to have them together at all? Sorry I can't find anything about having the two together so I thought I'd ask you, thank you!!!

Hi anon,

I don’t know how common this comorbidity is, but I know that it is possible, I have both disorders, BPD was diagnosed in 2012, schizoaffective in 2015. BPD is a personality disorder and schizoaffective is a psychotic plus mood disorder, so they’re not the same and can co occur, although is quite hard to deal with both debilitating disorders.

[geekysciencemom]

Article from 2013. I was diagnosed with PTSD long before I was diagnosed with Autism, years in fact. My treatment wasn't working. I was bounced between five counselors in three years. No one knew what to do with me. I finally asked to be taken off the various medications I was prescribed, because nothing was working. My recovery was severely delayed, because no one noticed that I was autistic. I was recieving the wrong treatment. It only made things worse. I was 36 years old before I was finally diagnosed, then everything made sense. I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder at the same time. My daughter was diagnosed with Sensory Integration Disorder at age 4, Bipolar at age 8. Then PDD-NOS, Bipolar II, and ODD at age 10 (DSM-IV). Finally, Autism Level II and Bipolar II at nearly 13 years of age (DSM-V). My daughter was screened twice for Autism as a toddler. TWICE, because she was exhibiting all the early signs, but I was told she didn't score high enough to be diagnosed. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the screeners were using criteria for boys. My daughter was diagnosed with Autism only after her younger brother was. I was diagnosed only after both my kids were. I went through a life time of struggle and no one recognized it as Autism. No one mentioned Autism and no one bothered to even check. I was diagnosed by the same psychologist that diagnosed both my kids. When I came to her about getting evaluated, she told me she already knew I was autistic when she first met me. She said she never said anything, because she wanted to focus on the kids. Thanks, doc. "Some professionals have taken the relationship between anxiety, depression and autism a step further. Bartak, Bottroff and Zeitz have proposed a model that suggests anxiety and depression, especially in autistic adults, often result from “ineffectual intervention strategies” used by professionals who fail “to recognize the developmental features and dynamic and functional aspects” of autistic behavior. In other words,[1] being autistic doesn’t necessarily raise our chances of having anxiety or depression. A more likely risk factor is the use of intervention strategies that don’t take into account the functional aspects of autistic behavior."

[fibromyalgiais-blog]

Fibromyalgia is...

Not being in a state where you can use your eyes much, if at all, because of the amount of pain/symptoms affecting them. 

(Such as:

-light sensitivity [light causes significant-extreme pain, contrast is off so everything is too bright to see with surrounding areas too dark in comparison to see, depth/object perception is skewed, etc.]

-dry eyes [makes eyes much more sensitive to light, air, scents, smoke, etc. Causes pain such as burning/stinging/scrapping etc., and makes eyes hard to move because of lack of lubrication.]

-muscle fatigue and spasms [if muscles aren’t responding correctly it can’t properly move from side to side to pick up information, and your pupil cannot properly expand and contract affecting focus and light intake. It can also cause eyes to become crossed or separated which in turn causes blurred/double vision, dizziness etc. Eyelids also can get in the way of being able to see if affected by spams/fatigue etc.]

-nerve pain/fatigue [since nerves are vital to process visual input, it can cause pain to increase significantly in the nerve pathways between the eyes and brain and signals can get dropped due to the fatigue.]

-cognitive difficulties [if your brain is very foggy it can be challenging for your body to processes the information being sent from your eyes, so you may not be able to make sense of what you may be seeing.] )

[oleanderblume]

a complete guide to DID snippet 2

a little piece of my chapter on DID and other “Similar“ disorders talking about the medication aspect of DID it’s been a bit since I've researched this, so input it well appreciated!

“Jolena, is there any medication to make it all stop like every other disorder apparently has?”

No, I’m gonna be extra straight with you guys, there is not a quick fix to DID, no medications can make your alters stop existing or settle down, it is all done through most often extensive talk therapy because unlike disorders like schizophrenia, psychosis, bipolar, and ocd, DID is a trauma based disorder, and to properly address the stressors talk therapy and trauma therapy are highly recommended and the most beneficial.

“Why? All of those are disorders and cause crazy symptoms, why not DID?”

Well, the difference lies in how your brain is built. In trauma based disorders like borderline personality disorder, PTSD, and DID your brain rewires itself to accommodate your surroundings, so a kid who is always tickled on his feet at three o'clock will quickly learn that he has to hide his feet by three so he doesn’t get tickled at least as bad as the first few times.

In opposition, psychotic disorders and anxiety disorders are caused by slight chemical imbalances, for instance, a considerable lack in serotonin (a fancy brain chemical) can cause anxiety disorders or OCD.

Also, many psychotic disorders are inherited from other family members, whereas trauma disorders are caused by others abusing others or considerably consecutive traumatic experiences.

In both senses the brain is rewired, but there are two different ways that the rewiring happens.

[actuallyadhd]

hi! is it possible to have both adhd and autism? i've done lots of research, as i recently realized that i most likely have one (or both) of the disorders. i'm going to see a doctor, and i won't diagnose myself. but i see the mainstream points and symptoms from both (the social and emotional aspect of autism, the attention and activty aspect of adhd). i know the two share many symptoms, but i feel as if i may have a combination of the two. is this possible? thank you.

Sent April 9, 2019

Yes, it is absolutely possible to have both ADHD and autism. The current version of the DSM makes that clear; until it came out, people were being diagnosed with both even though it said that they couldn’t be comorbid.

-J