can one have bipolar disorder and also be autistic?

[aspietalk]

are the two mutually exclusive? anyone have experience with this?

[Lori]

I don't have any experience with it but there seems to be a large amount of overlap between autism, ocd, adhd, tourette's, bipolar, and schizophrenia. Overlap of symptoms and of diagnosis. There are lots of people diagnosed with more than one of these things at a time, so i would guess that they are not mutually exclusive.

I think meds are not always the same for people with more than one dx as they would be for people with a single diagnosis, especially if one of the dx's is bipolar.

[STEFANIE]

yes you can have both ,i have autism and a learing disibility
i notice alot of men with as seem to have mental health proublems

[Brandy]

I am diagnosed and treated for both Bipolar Disorder and Autism. The right medicene balance now helps me work on getting life skills and just enjoying life in general. If you think you are Bipolar, please do try to get help! Your life will be so much better. It's scary at first to lose the "high" of mania, but it cannot compare to being able to go days without a meltdown! :)

[D]

i believe actual clinical depression or bipolar disorder are something seperate from autism, but i'm sure one could exacerbate the other. i'm a clinical depressive. definitely seperate from asperger's in its origin (for me, anyway, depression is chemical), but the anxiety from the autistic symptoms certainly made things worse at times (and still does). however, i do think that they may go hand-in-hand in a sense for some people for whatever reason.... i'm really bad at explaning my points, sorry! let's just say, the brain can have more than one "thing" or "disorder" going on inside it.

[Perhin]

I'm schitzoaffective, which means I have bipolarism with a touch of schizophrenia, and then there's the autism. So, yes, you can have both.

[STEFANIE]

wow that must be hard have ytou seen true life i have mentl illness on mtv they did storey on people with diff iusse

[Perhin]

No, I have not seen that show. The story seems interesting, though. ;)

It's hard, but since I'm on meds, it's much easier than before. :D

[chatwuann]

I unfortuneately have experience with both autism and bi-polar disorder so it is possible to have both. I have since found out that when you have an abnormal brain you can get something else on the autism spectrum as well.

[Taelyn]

I received a formal dx of major depressive disorder, later expanded to include chronic depression, in 2001. I am pursuing a formal dx for asperger's syndrome at the present after self-dx in 2006. If MDD and ASD can be comorbid, I imagine bipolar and autism can coexist as well.

[Chris mcmorris]

i got the asd and depression so yeah i imagine this is so........

[Danie]

In the DSM it says "symptoms can not occur in the disorder of ASD" (or something like that) in Bipolar and Schizophrenia Disorders. But that doesnt mean you cant have both. It simply means the symptoms of ASD can not count for symptoms of Bipolar or Schizophrenia disorders.

From what I have experienced, for myself and the observation of others. Psychiatric Disorders and ASD are commonly comorbid.

I have a Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder, and ASD.

[STEFANIE]

what i noticed in the as group is alot seem to have mental health iusse along with there as .i wonder if it gose togher for some or just a condice .i have autism an severe ld