Could PDA be a form of Dissociation?

ok I think I know why the past host came here ...they're a little off..(I don't think it is DID) but it still could possibly be classed as a kind of Dissociative Disorder?


When looking through paperwork I have found that we were diagnosed with autism in the past. I was ready to dismiss this as I don't feel I fit when I think of 'autistic' however re-reading the psych report they mentioned 'although I was not typical of autism, she (the psychologist person) still nonetheless believed I was definitely autistic'.

Recently I came across the term 'Pathological Demand Avoidance' which some autism specialists are saying maybe a subgroup of autism. I find the technical stuff hard to digest sometimes so looked for a more personal account online and found one who described the Fantasy and Roleplay aspect of PDA to avoid demands.

I remember having feelings that I was 'watching myself' or that 'someone else' was attending events on my behalf ... These seem to fit (I think) derealisation and depersonalisation and I wondered if PDA would therefore be classed as a form of dissociative disorder, due to the intense need to either get 'lost in fantasy' or 'disconnect from your 'self' in order to be able to 'get through life'?

I wonder if actually what I had was episodes of derealisation and depersonalisation when I felt I couldn't cope with the pressure or 'avoid a demand'?

I'm not sure where the 'last host' comes in to it...only that I still really do have a feeling that, that 'past me' wasn't 'me' - if that makes any sense???

I guess it could be OSDD or just an impact of the stroke but given that there is actually a confirmed diagnosis of autism ..would that make PDA 'more likely'? - although I've been told as an adult I probably wouldn't get a diagnosis of that now as I can barely remember my very early years and my parents aren't alive to tell in detail what my behaviour was back then.

Right now the 'past versions of me' are un-contactable (is that a word?) but there are 'others' inside who (they) believe are spirits/imaginary friends...created or 'summoned' by me (hence my nickname - Yuna was a character from Final Fantasy 10 who was able to summon magical creatures to help them 'in battle') whenever I needed 'help' to get through a social event or 'meet a life demand' (go to work etc). I think I'm asking is this a form of dissociation? ...even if it's not full DID?

Thanks

Yuna

depersonalization and derealization are symptoms in a huge number of mental problems including depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, autism and also dissociative disorders. dr/dp alone don't make a disorder dissociative.

birdsong87 wrote:depersonalization and derealization are symptoms in a huge number of mental problems including depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, autism and also dissociative disorders. dr/dp alone don't make a disorder dissociative.

so it could just be 'part of the autism' and not a separate condition such as OSDD?

It's just I've never met anyone else with Autism like me! .... only seen people with autism and learning difficulties who for the most part were non-verbal and struggled to communicate simple daily needs so were obviously unable to explain anything as complex as 'others inside them' and whether they had 'fantasy worlds'.

I always thought I must have some mental illness that If I told anyone about 'the others' I'd get locked up and heavily medicated for life! ..part of me subconsciously must have realised I needed them 'to get through life'.

It would be best to talk about this with a clinician.
Some people with autism have elaborate fantasy worlds and engage in a lot of daydreaming.
A diagnosis is based on clusters of symptoms. no one symptom alone can tell you what the diagnosis will be. A diagnostician will ask about all the symptoms and then look at the cluster to figure out which diagnosis fits best.

Autistic brains tend to develop trauma-related issues, depressive issues, anxiety issues, phobias... more often than non-autistic brains. There is a lot of overlap.
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Daniel.

I totally agree with the idea of talking to a specialist. Maybe one for each condition (autism and dissociative disorder) if you can't find anyone specialized in both, and see if they can work with each other.

Autism and complex dissociative disorders come with a wide variety of symptoms and comorbidities. Autism can mean being more prone to fantasy and having a sense of self lacking integration, but it is also known to be a risk factor for dissociative symptoms and dissociative disorders*.

Untangling everything can be hard, as comorbidities and autism can overlap, mix or "suppress" each other (from an outside view). One can look like the other, one can mask the other, both can mask each other, or look like something completely different...

For example, in addition to the abuses, my dissociation also masked my hypersensitivity to noise and light + my meltdowns, that's why no one never suspected anything. Every time someone in my system was overwhelmed, we switched and they would have their meltdown in the inner world, while the alter at the front would be in a deep dp/dr state. As the dissociation lowered down, our difficulties started to become more obvious to the outside, but we thought it was a manifestation of PTSD (we hoped it was, in fact, because PTSD can be healed, autism cannot, and we're still struggling with accepting these limits). After a year of things becoming harder as we were healing, we had to realize it's not PTSD-related, to accept it will probably never disappear, to learn new ways of dealing with ourselves and to find people able to sort what's related to dissociation and what's not.

Currently, we're waiting for our psychologist (specialized into dissociative disorders) to report all of our dissociative symptoms + for a psychiatrist and a neuropsychologist to evaluate the symptoms related to autism/ADHD, in order for them to find out what's going on. We also have a functional evaluation to do with a group of doctors, which will help us to have the accommodation we need to go back to the university. At this point, all the people working around us think we will end up with, at least, two diagnosis (DID or OSDD, and autism and/or ADHD).



So yeah, you should find someone to check everything. When it comes to those disorders, things can be very complicated.




*see here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0dfyWyjSbE

birdsong87 wrote:
Some people with autism have elaborate fantasy worlds and engage in a lot of daydreaming.

I didn't know this...I have no memory of ever been told that before!

-- Tue Jan 04, 2022 11:26 am --

ArbreMonde wrote:Autistic brains tend to develop trauma-related issues, depressive issues, anxiety issues, phobias... more often than non-autistic brains. There is a lot of overlap.
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Daniel.

No-one has ever explained this to me either or maybe I just can't remember. But since the stroke not one person has even mentioned the autism! I found out from reading a medical report I found here at home whilst I was actually looking for something else! Though oddly once I had read it I felt something inside me telling me 'we already knew this!"

Dwelt wrote:I totally agree with the idea of talking to a specialist. Maybe one for each condition (autism and dissociative disorder) if you can't find anyone specialized in both, and see if they can work with each other.

Autism and complex dissociative disorders come with a wide variety of symptoms and comorbidities. Autism can mean being more prone to fantasy and having a sense of self lacking integration, but it is also known to be a risk factor for dissociative symptoms and dissociative disorders*.

Untangling everything can be hard, as comorbidities and autism can overlap, mix or "suppress" each other (from an outside view). One can look like the other, one can mask the other, both can mask each other, or look like something completely different...

For example, in addition to the abuses, my dissociation also masked my hypersensitivity to noise and light + my meltdowns, that's why no one never suspected anything. Every time someone in my system was overwhelmed, we switched and they would have their meltdown in the inner world, while the alter at the front would be in a deep dp/dr state. As the dissociation lowered down, our difficulties started to become more obvious to the outside, but we thought it was a manifestation of PTSD (we hoped it was, in fact, because PTSD can be healed, autism cannot, and we're still struggling with accepting these limits). After a year of things becoming harder as we were healing, we had to realize it's not PTSD-related, to accept it will probably never disappear, to learn new ways of dealing with ourselves and to find people able to sort what's related to dissociation and what's not.

Currently, we're waiting for our psychologist (specialized into dissociative disorders) to report all of our dissociative symptoms + for a psychiatrist and a neuropsychologist to evaluate the symptoms related to autism/ADHD, in order for them to find out what's going on. We also have a functional evaluation to do with a group of doctors, which will help us to have the accommodation we need to go back to the university. At this point, all the people working around us think we will end up with, at least, two diagnosis (DID or OSDD, and autism and/or ADHD).



So yeah, you should find someone to check everything. When it comes to those disorders, things can be very complicated.




*see here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0dfyWyjSbE

Thank you this is very useful information..I do remember a sound phobia and struggling to understand people. The video was very good (it was subtitled luckily so I could follow it).

I may pursue it further later..right now is not a good time I feel. The nearest city hospital to me has declared 'code black' so they are getting overwhelmed with covid cases again,ambulances stuck in queue's for hours again waiting to off-load patients and appointments getting cancelled due to staff shortages and people needed on ICU/Covid wards. (for the unvaccinated)

I've managed to get mine but only because they put me on 'home visit list' due to the recent stroke and limited mobility/communication difficulties. My check-up appointment got cancelled (which I've waited months for) due to situation at the hospital