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Can any of you shut off empathy?

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Can any of you shut off empathy?

Postby Torleelaa » Sun Apr 19, 2015 2:12 am

I was almost diagnosed with BPD when I was a teenager. At one point I fit all 9 criteria, and I was doing pretty badly. I was also severely abused by my parents. My current diagnoses are autism and Bipolar, although I wonder about the Bipolar at times. I definitely am autistic, as I've showed symptoms since I was about 3. I know for autistic females, being severely abused can cause either mimicking of BPD or actual BPD.

But sometimes, I'm just all around 'effed up. Can any of you shut off your empathy? Like, completely shut it off, hurt others if you like, and feel absolutely nothing. Is this a product of abuse? A lot of "higher functioning" autistic people have very HIGH empathy, but can't express it. Due to my childhood, I'm good at analyzing others, but it's also sort of a special interest. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with empathy, or if it's the BPD.

Note: I usually don't shut it off, and I can turn it right back on. But I seriously think I'm kind of dangerous when I do that, so I just don't do it...
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Re: Can any of you shut off empathy?

Postby letha » Sun Apr 19, 2015 2:53 am

I have some level of empathy that prevents me from physically hurting people (even if I want to). Also I would never be able to take advantage of someone, or steal, or otherwise hurt someone who I viewed as innocent. Though... I'm less hindered in the event that someone has hurt or slighted me.

I think that's fairly constant. I have a lot of anger, and think about hurting people... but I don't carry through, and I doubt I ever could. I feel faint when I see people injured.
"I have seen too much, felt too much, loved too much in my life; I come to seek, still living, the calm of Lethe. Lovely place, be for me those banks of oblivion: to forget is my only happiness."
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Re: Can any of you shut off empathy?

Postby Mary24 » Sun Apr 19, 2015 6:25 am

Torleelaa wrote:I know for autistic females, being severely abused can cause either mimicking of BPD or actual BPD.



What do you mean "mimicking of BPD? What would be the difference between that and having it? Just curious. Seems like it would be the same thing.
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Re: Can any of you shut off empathy?

Postby Torleelaa » Sun Apr 19, 2015 6:34 am

Mary24 wrote:What do you mean "mimicking of BPD? What would be the difference between that and having it? Just curious. Seems like it would be the same thing.


Literally mimicking behaviors. It's what autistic people do. But I have the actual traits of BPD. I posted in here, but I'm not sure if anyone else has both autism and BPD, so I'm not sure if this empathy thing is either of this or just childhood abuse. I have an extreme amount of empathy, but I can shut it off. I added the last bit just in case someone was like me or something. I worded my whole OP very oddly. I pretty much just wanted to know if anyone in here knew of anything like this. I might just post this in the Autism forum too. :lol:

I tend to mimic whoever I'm around because I have a lack of social skills. Or, I did when I was a teenager. A lot of autistic people do it when they are older. People are supposed to naturally do this, but it's conscious with me.

I'm totally out of it today. Don't mind meeee :roll:
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