Published on 12, July, 2020
I need advice.
About 3 years ago(when I was 15), I got diagnosed with ASD(Asperger's Syndrome to be more specific), I was kinda surprised, but everything made sense, I had a lot of problems autistic people have, for example, I used to have strong reactions to sudden loud sounds(like when my classmates started talking loudly at the same time, it felt like a panic attack and I would putmy head on my desk and cover my ears), I also have trouble getting tone sometimes(I get confused when they say it in a more agressive tone, especially if I don't know the person well). Basically, I presented a lot of autistic traits and quite a bit of people suspected I was autistic, some were even psychiatrists. But, my mom says I'm not, she says I used to look her in the eyes and could pick up when she was sad when I was a small child.
She claims she took me to several professionals(including the one that gave me my diagnosis), and that they all told me I was normal(my mom even made some brainwave scans), when I got the diagnosis, it was really fast, he asked a few questions, and I was give the diagnosis in the very same day. Am I really autistic? Or it was a bad doctor? The only other time I remember a professional thinking I was autistic, he game me a quiz(which I was not interest and all and half-assed it).
I have also experienced extensive doubt around my diagnosis, also because my mum said she didn’t see traits in me in my early childhood. It’s also not uncommon to experience impostor syndrome after diagnosis, so know that you’re not alone. After a little reading, my mum has said that she did see traits in me when I was little, it’s just that at the time she didn’t recognise them for what they showed.
After a little reading, my mum has said that she did see traits in me when I was little, it’s just that at the time she didn’t recognise them for what they showed.
It may be worth encouraging your mum to do some more research, if you think that would be possible and helpful.
as perfect example says, traits tend to be amplified by stress or pressure, which typically mounds as you grew into teenage years and adulthood – I know this was true for me.
and as Dawn says, it may be helpful to get a second, more thorough assessment. I myself had two assessments, and it was helpful to have confirmation from the second one.
I know the doubting process can be hard, so do feel free to get in touch if you’d like to chat further. Good luck with your next steps
sphynx said:and as Dawn says, it may be helpful to get a second, more thorough assessment. I myself had two assessments, and it was helpful to have confirmation from the second one.
Yes, I am planning on it a few years from now on my own, and I really think it will be more likely really autism, a previous psychiatrist I went before the one that gave me my assessment was much more in depth, asked about some experiences I had, or about what I liked, I never knew he was suspecting I was autistic. It went on for a few sessions(don't remember how many), but the last one I had with him, he gave me that autism test where you had to mark stuff on a 1-5 scale, he gave it to me and said "If you have any questions about the test, ask me for help", and since I was kinda burned out on the day, I basically marked 3 on every question. Never knew the answer, but according to my mom, it was Generalized Anxiety Disorder.