<p>Perhaps what you were diagnosed with was PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified)? This is a lot like Asperger’s, both are a form of autism (which is considered to be a mental disorder). From what you have described about yourself so far, you could easily fall on the autism spectrum although clearly not classic autism (I believe that I too am on the spectrum even though I am not officially diagnosed. And yes, it can seem pretty random since so much is still unknown about autism spectrum disorders, including whether some of the disorders should even be called autism). But as with Asperger’s, this means that in many respects, you ARE normal, but just - as you said - have problems adjusting to society, due to the way your brain is wired.</p>
<p>Have you seen a therapist with expertise in the area of autism spectrum disorders? That could be the first place to start - find someone who is more knowledgeable with this disorder; even if it is not specifically what you have, you might receive a different kind of counseling than you have in the past.</p>
<p>It wasn’t PDD-NOS. If you read the DSM criteria, you’ll find that there are plenty of disorders NOS.</p>
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<p>People I talk to on the internet rarely fail to mention the possibility that I have Asperger’s. The last psychologist I saw, however, told me that I don’t have that condition. I asked him why he felt that was the case, since I exhibit so many Asperger’s-like symptoms, and he told me that I don’t qualify for Asperger’s because I reported not being the way I am when I was a child. Instead, I got diagnosed with a personality disorder not specified, since I meet the general criteria for a personality disorder but not the specific criteria for any particular personality disorder. It’s important to keep in mind that some personality disorders, such as schizoid and avoidant, can be hard to tell from Asperger’s.</p>
<p>Not really. I find talking to people on the internet a lot more fulfilling than talking to psychologists. (I don’t have a delete key in real life.)</p>
<p>I find you interesting. I wouldn’t want to hang out with you, but having a person with opinions about life such as your own speak openly about it is interesting.</p>
<p>I think you should join the Army, assuming you are in the right age group. They will certainly take you even if you’re not all that fit, and have a poor attitude. They will help you modify both your state of physical fitness and your mental attitude.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure that the military screens for mental health issues and assume that a personality disorder diagnosis might raise some sort of red flag. But it is an interesting idea, that someone with mental health issues going in to the military would come out – healthier (although I assume that was a joke anyway?)</p>
<p>Well it has certainly been getting a lot of soldiers discharged lately (and then they do not get proper treatment once discharged if it is considered pre-existing).</p>
<p>True, I wouldn’t want to hang out with the people on Jerry Springer either. The point I was trying to make was that even though you consider yourself boring, there are interesting aspects about you. My advice would be: find something that you’re passionate about and pursue it. Don’t let any perceptions about inherent flaws that you believe yourself to have influence your decision to pursue something. You can improve your communication skills, you can be successful, you can be interesting, you can make lots of friends in real life. The key is believing that you can, and then taking the steps necessary to do so.</p>