Published on 12, July, 2020
Hey everyone I know there are probably 500000 posts a day like this one but ill annoy you all with 1 more anyway :)
I am 23 and all my life I have been different, a social outcast of sorts in primary school and then into secondary school. I learnt that if I acted a fool I "impressed" my peers and made friends through being the class clown. Although outwardly I seemed eccentric on the inside I was always a very anxious person. Struggled to fit in, couldn't make conversation and my only hobby was playing xbox 12 hours a day. This ended with me being kicked out of school permanently.
Fast forward to 16 I joined the Army, I was physically fit enough but once again felt outcasted from the other lads. I just didn't fit in and quit within 2 weeks due to not emotionally coping with this new life. I then became pretty depressed and even more socially anxious. All through my life even now I have this overwhelming feeling I am different, I don't fit in. I only enjoy very few things right now that is PC gaming and motorbiking. I am on benefits but cower at the prospect of being removed from them and having to go back out to get a job. It's not that I don't like working or am lazy I just never fit in with anyone. I have never made a friend I have been able to keep for long. I can't make eye contact with anyone my body rejects it and makes me look away. I have always complained of memory issues and struggle to learn new information but can somehow remember numbers amazingly. I know atleast 15 phone numbers off by heart, I can remember my NI number, all my debit card details etc etc.
The main overwhelming thing for me though is the complete lack of social skills. I only realised when working at mcdonalds how bad I was at it. I realised that when trying to make conversation with people I always talked about my life experiences like joining the army. Never once did it click that I probably seemed self absorbed but in reality it was because I didn't know what else to talk about. To this day I still have no idea how to make normal conversation with people. I always end up talking about something happening in my life, or my motorbike. When I feel anxious which is a lot I twiddle my thumbs and look at the floor without realising it. I did an autism test and scored 47 / 50 and I answered it as truthfully as possible. When I made some online "Friends" do the same test they all scored less than 10. I am under a mental health team with a diagnosis of antisocial and borderline personality disorder which never seemed to fit me nor does it help me. But when I read autism symptoms in adults it just clicks. On some of the tests some of the questions are weird ones but I think wow yeah I do that. For example textures feeling offensive of my skin. I have always cringed when touching many things like anything made of wood or polystyrene.
I brought this up with my mental health worker but they seem to shrug it off, but I can't shake it off and no offence to anyone here but of course I don't want to be autistic but if that is the case then I would at least like to know why I am different and know there is a reason for it.
Sorry for the wall of text and I probably missed out a lot of information but I just want to know from actual autistic people if you relate to anything I have said? Many thanks Danny
Hello, Danny, and welcome to the forums. Yes, I've been the eccentric and the clown. There have been various threads here recently mentioning autistic people being misdiagnosed with BPD/EUPD.
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