Join Dr. Regan for the final episode in this series on autism misdiagnosis. This episode focuses on anxiety-related conditions and when their diagnosis may mean that autism is never considered. Wrapping up this series, Dr. Regan also discusses that after all assessments are concluded, there will be instances when no diagnosis of autism can or should be made. Previous episode -- Abuse, Neglect, and Relational Pain on the Autism Spectrum   Dr. Regan's Resources Course for Clinicians - Interventions in Autism: Helping Clients Stay Centered, Connect with Others, and Engage in Life Course for Clinicians: ASD Differential Diagnoses and Associated Characteristics Book: Understanding Autism in Adults and Aging Adults, 2nd ed Audiobook Book: Understanding Autistic Behaviors Autism in the Adult website homepage Website Resources for Clinicians Read the transcript here: 100:00:06,730 --> 00:00:07,190Hello,200:00:07,190 --> 00:00:09,130this is Dr Theresa Regan.300:00:09,140 --> 00:00:11,790I am the host of this podcast,400:00:11,800 --> 00:00:13,320autism in the adult.500:00:13,330 --> 00:00:15,480I'm a neuropsychologist,600:00:15,490 --> 00:00:23,650the director of an adult diagnostic autism clinic in central Illinois and a certified autism specialist.700:00:24,330 --> 00:00:32,480You are joining me for the 4th and final episode of a series on autism and misdiagnosis.800:00:32,490 --> 00:00:36,480The first episode covered foundational information.900:00:36,490 --> 00:00:39,320Why does misdiagnosis occur?1000:00:40,390 --> 00:00:47,110That is, why is autism missed while other conditions may be diagnosed Instead.1100:00:48,040 --> 00:01:02,860The next episode focused on personality disorders and we specifically reviewed information about borderline personality and narcissistic personality as potential misdiagnoses for autism.1200:01:03,640 --> 00:01:12,730The 3rd episode covered information about bipolar disorder and depression and today's episode will focus on anxiety.1300:01:14,620 --> 00:01:25,760I should say that we could continue this misdiagnosis series for quite some time and cover other really common areas of misdiagnosis ... like schizophrenia,1400:01:25,760 --> 00:01:27,390psychotic conditions,1500:01:27,400 --> 00:01:34,810dementia and those involving behavioral dysregulation things like oppositional defiant disorder.1600:01:35,930 --> 00:01:52,250I'm not going to dive into all the possible categories because I feel like we've covered several common misdiagnoses and also because the main goal of the series has been to just introduce the concept that misdiagnosis does occur.1700:01:52,260 --> 00:02:08,990And also to illustrate why ... essentially to point out what kinds of elements in the neurology of autism may lead to diagnoses describing these single points but missing the big picture diagnosis of autism.1800:02:12,090 --> 00:02:32,480So we covered the possible misdiagnosis of depression last episode and we're going to talk about anxiety today ... and so I'll share with you my own thoughts based on my personal experiences that anxiety seems to stem at least in part from the neurobiology of autism.1900:02:33,040 --> 00:02:39,560Whereas depressed mood as I would define it with this component of emotional struggle,2000:02:39,570 --> 00:02:40,790hopelessness,2100:02:40,790 --> 00:02:41,520helplessness,2200:02:41,520 --> 00:02:42,540worthlessness,2300:02:42,550 --> 00:02:44,950loss of pleasure in activities.2400:02:44,960 --> 00:02:51,540This seems to be more reactive in the autistic individual to difficult life circumstances.2500:02:52,320 --> 00:02:59,000It seems to me that most individuals on the spectrum do experience difficulty with anxiety,2600:02:59,010 --> 00:03:07,470although the strength of this anxiety and how much it impacts their daily life can vary across life seasons.2700:03:10,860 --> 00:03:34,090There is research that has attempted to capture information on the prevalence of anxiety disorders and autism