BPD, ASD and recurrent illness

@earsgowhoosh

Hi there. It does seem like you need more clarity with the information you’ve received.

Bumping your post in case any members can shine a bit of light to help you. Alternatively, have you spoken with your doctor to see what support they can offer? 

Thanks for reaching out, hope you get to a conclusion shortly. 

@earsgowhoosh

Hi there, tried to do some research:

1) PDD-NOS and AS are no longer used. The APA did an overhaul of how autism is diagnosed in 2013 with the DSM-5. The new scheme uses a single diagnosis (ASD) for all forms of autism with two categories (social communication and interaction support needs, restricted or repetitive behavior support needs) and three levels (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3) of support need.

2) PDD-NOS and AS were different diagnoses prior to the DSM-5. PDD-NOS was usually used for people with lower support needs who didn't satisfy all of the diagnostic criteria for AS.

3) (I peeked at your profile and saw that by recurrent illness you mean tinnitus.)

Tinnitus and autism: tinnitus is much more common in people with autism (35%) vs. the general population (10-15%).

Tinnitus and BPD: there's some evidence that people with tinnitus are more likely to experience a variety of psychological conditions including personality disorders.

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Sources:

Overview of the old PDD-NOS diagnostic category and how ASD is now diagnosed:
https://www.healthline.com/health/autism/pdd-nos

Overview of the three levels of support needs:
https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-the-three-levels-of-autism-260233

Abstract of a study on typical experiences of children diagnosed with PDD-NOS compared to those with autism and ASD:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14726723/

Frequency of tinnitus in autistic vs. general populations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conditions_comorbid_to_autism#Tinnitus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus

Info on psychological comorbidities of tinnitus:
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/psychopathology-tinnitus