What kind of disorder does this sound like?

Unspoken

Well-known member
I've been researching additional disorders I could potentially ask about if I were to visit a therapist. I think that I have less of an emotional range than is normal, am very restricted in expression, and that many of them are shallow or experienced abnormally.

I am not a sociopath nor do I lack the desire for close personal relationships (I have two), and that leaves me with no leads. However, I am certain I am I have something.

EDIT: Meant to go in off-topic; will a moderator move it?
 

spearhunter

Well-known member
If you go to a psychiatrist , they would probably diagnose you with a depression, as they diagnose everybody with that those days.
 

Unspoken

Well-known member
If you go to a psychiatrist , they would probably diagnose you with a depression, as they diagnose everybody with that those days.

Mm, they could also diagnose me with something else, though, and then there would be treatments that might allow me to connect to people and communicate with them normally outside of the one or two very unusual cases so far. I can hope!
 
I don't know much about you, so I am just guessing, can you relate with Asperger's Syndrome? Those people sometimes experience a lack of emotion, and sometimes not much of a desire for social contacts.
 

Unspoken

Well-known member
I don't know much about you, so I am just guessing, can you relate with Asperger's Syndrome? Those people sometimes experience a lack of emotion, and sometimes not much of a desire for social contacts.

I'm not sure about Asperger's and don't really relate to it. When I was younger I would have fit the bill very nicely, but if those traits have faded or are fading then they're not innate and I doubt it would be Asperger's. My older brother is a lot like me (at least on the surface) except he hasn't managed to make friendships, possibly because he tries to pretend he doesn't have the handicap (eyesight) he does because he's too proud. My second, even older brother is similar but nowhere near as severe as us.

I have a lot of desire for social contact, just on a broader scale (more communities/acquaintances; handful of close friendships). I've made great improvements when it comes to relaxing in crowds, conversing with people, and body language, although I am still somewhat poor at reading it. A toxic home environment probably stunted me in a lot of ways.

I don't have any problems with empathy even though I was a late bloomer with it, as my friends feel loved and understood despite everything. I'm callous some days because I think people tend to languish in their emotions sometimes while I've struggled so hard to get fear, anger, and insecurity under control in order to gain control over my life, and am not in the mood for being courteous and subtle. I usually place a lot of value on not stepping on people's toes unless I feel someone is being picked on or harmful misinformation is being spread or encouraged, and am at least moderately aware of whether something is rude or not (factoring in various levels of sensitivity and truth vs tact values).

I had narrow and intense interests as a child and rarely sought out interaction, but I don't think I suffered with reciprocity more than the average child who was more interested in books. I shared my toys and showed the few friends I had cool stuff I found, but I wasn't really good at understanding them emotionally or supporting them.

I've met several people with Asperger's and, except for one, didn't relate to them very well. I was very good at understanding them, though, and a teacher once asked me to explain something to one of them that she couldn't get across. Seemed a simple enough miscommunication.
 

jaim38

Well-known member
I believe that learning to feel different emotions and expressing them is like learning a new skill. Maybe your experiences in life so far have not provided opportunities for you to express a variety of emotions. Maybe acting lessons could help.

I also have a limited emotional range that I express. It's probably because growing up, I've been taught to suppress my emotions because expressing them in front of people is immature. Shouting “yippie yeah” or exploding in public is not acceptable. So I've learned to bottle up emotions to the point where people perceive me as robotic.
 

Unspoken

Well-known member
You shouldn't assume you have a mental illness unless you are diagnosed with one. If it negatively impacts your life, or you treat other people poorly, then you should do something about it.

That's what I'm considering doing. I can't force myself to experience things I don't through the magic of trying, so the easiest first route is to question the possibility of a disorder that would have professional treatments.

I don't treat people poorly outside of arguments on bad days. It's not a behavioral issue.
 
Last edited:
Top