Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, I have been thinking a lot about my diagnosis which was given in 2022 as ASC / ADHD and c-PTSD. I was fascinated to read that psychologists used to believe Autism was caused by traumatic events because there are so many similar features eg the need for control, routines,sensory issues.
Apparently this is no longer the general consensus, and is now considered to be a neurological development issue - but i can also see why clinicians came to this conclusion previously.
The OT that i spent time with ( she is a very nice lady) told me that with Autism, it is present in childhood, i did have some traumatic childhood experiences but i have always been hyper-sensitive, anyway what i do know is that depression and anxiety are common in autism, and apparently caused by the fact autistic people are acutely aware that they are different and do not ' fit in ' i certainly agree with that.
I am also told that a person with Autism and ADHD looks different to a person with Autism because ADHD element can give the impression the person is more 'sociable' or ' approachable' having said that, i am told that Autistic people observe others and watch their behaviours and mimic them in order to try to fit in somehow. I think this is true for myself, although in the last 10 years i have given up ' trying to fit in '
One last point on trauma ; i have recently undertaken EMDR therapy which really seems to have improved the symptoms ( less flashbacks)
What are your thoughts?
For us I think it’s compounded.
I’ve always felt detached from what’s going on around me, as far back as I can recall. So, there’s a natural endogenous component. However, we also encounter social abuse, can develop OCD anxiety reactions, and so there’s an environmental worsening on top. And, the shell shock effect and protective detachment gets reinforced, over and over again.
Indeed , that is probably why i have ended up with a C-ptsd diagnosis and anxiety disorder, even from a very early age i felt i needed to be alone, adolescence was even worse because i was trying to form relationships but didn't understand what people wanted from me or how to maintain them, then in my 20s this is when i really started to suffer with anxiety and depression. Horrendous. I don't know how i am still here to be honest. I think i have spent most of my life in a bedroom.
Yes social abuse/bullying was a massive stressor growing up and it came up in the assessments.