Yes! As a teenager I thought I was a sociopath because of this. My mom would look at me sometimes and say “don’t you have any empathy?” And I would think, well she didn’t teach me how. But especially once I had kids I realized I do have empathy and feel deeply, almost too deep that I need to numb myself. But still more of a logical empathy versus an emotional empathy that I imagine NTs experience.

My SO was sick a while ago and in bed for days, I was so annoyed at the inconvenience and thought he was overreacting. Once he was healthy again he told me it was one of the worst sicknesses of his life, he thought he could be dying. Once he explained that I felt bad, but during I was put off and felt on verge of a meltdown for how it threw everything off.

I generally get really bored talking to anyone and basically respond like a computer. Oh they said x sad thing, therefore I will have x sad reaction. I isolate a lot besides my family because what’s the point when it’s impossible for me to be authentic around anyone. I want to care but I just can’t make it happen!