Autism Misdiagnosed As Bipolar Disorder

Why do ADHD and Autism get misdiagnosed as Bipolar Disorder? What impact does bipolar medication have on someone? How do Brandon and Thomas process anger differently?

Brandon Christ (@autistically_b) was diagnosed with Autism (ASD-2) and ADHD recently after a long life of being misdiagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Working in physiotherapy with a passion for baseball and fitness, Brandon seeks to open up about his experiences with late-diagnosed life and how fitness has shaped him as a person.

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The conversation commences on the topic of neurodiversity, looking at the differences between inherent and acquired neurodiversity, as well as the fine lines between viewing some neurodivergencies as good, neutral, or inherently bad.

On the topic of masking in adolescence, Thomas tended to be quiet and blended in as much as he could... whilst Brandon became hyper-verbal and highly social.

Thomas dives deeper into Brandon's difficult childhood, highlighting the behavioral training he received due to stimming, meltdowns, and attention problems. Brandon reflects on life before the People's First movement and how his early adulthood influenced his life outcome.

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is best characterised as a sensitivity to expectations, not defiance, and is fairly common in autistic people. The two talk about their experiences with PDA and aggression at school, at work, and within sports. Highlighting the silly online culture around things such as the Alpha Male, Thomas postulates that the idea of the Sigma Male likely comes from the existence of confident autistic men with PDA.

It can be hard being autistic in a neurotypical world; Thomas and Brandon connect on the negative experiences that shaped their prior negative mindset towards neurotypicals... and how they shifted their perspective to forgiveness in later adulthood.

Sport and exercise is a big part of both Brandon and Thomas' life... it's regulating, a great social lubricant, helps develop grit, and can temper you against sensory overload in the long term. Autistic people can struggle with instinctual movements and hypermobility, but have a lot of strengths in sports too!

Brandon directs a question to the host about the struggles he faces most often as an autistic person. Thomas highlights it was once alexithymia and other people which were the biggest factors, with executive functioning and transition difficulties being a close second. Being autistic often comes with unfavorable life experiences and co-occurring conditions, and for Thomas mental illness is the biggest difficulty in life.

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