Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
i have a weird concoction of ASD and mental health disorders and I was hoping there was someone else who could relate to destructive stimming? I self harm severely and it comes in many different forms, driven through a combination of OCD and ASD. I know I use it to wipe out all other stimuli as overstimulation is a big problem for me, it is also ingrained as an obsessive compulsive cycle and is NOT impulsive as most people assume. Has anyone else experienced the destructive side of stimming? How did you deal with it?
Unfortunately Even my new care coordinator doesn't "believe" I have ASD (I am female and it's often confused with personality disorders despite having an ASD diagnosis, psych always seem to jump to the PD assumption), has anyone else found that no one listens to them when it's not 100% obvious they have ASD? And even if they do they seem to have no concept of what it means. So far the mental health professionals I have known have not had a clue what it means and how it effects my behaviour and interactions. I am always honest and straightforward but they seem to take this as manipulation , like I'm trying to get them to do something or say something through deception whereas I'm genuinely being flatly honest.
i don't know how to explain the mental distress that I'm in without either physically expressing it or telling someone that "i am feeling distressed" but both these approaches seem not to work. I get told I should tell someone if I'm not safe, if I don't then it's my fault cos I didn't tell anyone, if I do I get told I'm "trying to get admitted to hospital" and that I need to "take control and responsibility for myself". If I tell someone I'm feeling distressed they tell me I have to come up with what might help.
Essentially I am between a rock and a hard place, does anyone have any tips on how to communicate distress so that it won't be dismissed or analysed?
Im sorry this have been a bit of a moany post, any advice would be gratefully received.
smeghead out
Unfortunately ASD appears to be the lesser known of all of the conditions you mentioned, among professionals as well as the general public.
Do your mental health team have ASD specialists that you could ask to be referred to? Perhaps even counsellors experienced in ASD? They do seem few and far between but if you could access help from someone who actually does have some experience of ASD it would be much more helpful in being understood.
Could you contact the person or team where you were diagnosed ASD and explain your difficulties in being heard and listened to with your current care team? Would your GP be easier to talk to about how you're feeling than your new care coordinator?
I'm sorry that I can't offer any more help or advice than this. I wish I could but I just do not know enough about destructive stimming and haven't had my own ASD diagnosis for very long so I'm still learning about it myself.
Unfortunately there seems to be very little provision for ASD in my area but I think contacting the people who diagnosed me is a great idea, thank you!