Hello, everyone,
My name is Colin and I've just been diagnosed with Autism (Asperger's Syndrome).
Firstly, I would like to give warm thanks to fellow forum member Jamie for advising me on the assessment and helping me
to get the ball rolling.
I was assessed by Sara Heath of Shropshire Autonomy and then diagnosed by Dr Pravin Thevathasan. I live in Oxford, but,
for understandable reasons, the local mental health services have been either unable or unwilling to provide me with the
correct support for mental health problems going back to very early childhood.
So, what do I do with this information? These two professionals having given me a great amount of detail in terms of my
diagnosis and the reasons for it. But I feel shell-shocked and the realisation is hitting me that several years of my life have
been wasted trying to fit into a uniform that will never fit me.
I should be relieved that I am as close to my personal truth as I will ever get, but it feels like a type of bereavement. A therapist
once told me that most of us have a "shadow" self: a projection of our dark impulses, our need to avenge life's wrongs and a
need to seek personal justice. I think he sensed something about me that was more than just depression and anxiety.
Is there anywhere I can turn to to get advice on how to rebuild my life and personality in a way that will finally make sense? I
now see the world clearly and need to shed the fear and anxiety that has ruled my life so far.
Thanks for any advice,
Colin