Autism, ADHD and OCPD walks into a Bar…

Sounds like bad joke, but this is how I almost died…

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Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) are three disorders that may be confused with each other because of the similarity in their names. However, each disorder has unique signs and symptoms that both doctors and patients can use to differentiate between them.

ADHD is a mental disorder in which patients have heightened levels of activity, particularly in activities that provide pleasure. Adults with ADHD are often diagnosed with OCPD because OCD symptoms closely resemble ADHD symptoms.

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The most common symptoms of ADHD are difficulty staying focused on one task, hyperactivity or impulsiveness and restlessness. Patients diagnosed with autism generally display the opposite behavior.

Autism is a mental disorder in which patients display abnormal or impaired social interactions and tend to avoid human contact. Patients with autism often show resistance to change and they usually practice specific, repetitive behavior. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is also characterized by such behaviors but not as severe as those seen in autism. Patients diagnosed with ADHD tend to be fidgety, restless and have difficulty staying focused on one task.

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Patients with OCPD are very organized, methodical in their work habits and they prefer to stick to set patterns of behavior. Those diagnosed with autism may display some or all of these symptoms which can often lead doctors to believe that patients have OCPD rather than autism.

In order to properly diagnose a patient with one of these disorders, doctors have to take into consideration the behavior exhibited by the patient. Other factors that contribute to a diagnosis include family history and environment. If you or someone you know is suffering from one or more of these disorders, then it’s best that you seek medical attention immediately in order to improve the quality of life.

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Repeated unusual behaviors such as hand flapping or body rocking that occur in some children with autism, but not those with ADHD; resistance to change and inflexibility (which contributes to misdiagnosis with OCPD)

Difficulty related to social interactions, lack of empathy and impaired communication ability (which contributes to misdiagnosis with ADHD)

Inflexibility, difficulty related to change and being very organized with work patterns (which contributes to misdiagnosis with OCPD)

I walked out…

So, Autism, ADHD and OCPD walks into a Bar…and that’s how ended up in a Psychiatric Ward post a failed suicide attempt. I walked out a New Man!