Advice needed

Hi Relaxed

I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for, I feel confused to be honest.

I'm 31 neuro-typical female, my partner is 25 and has been diagnosed with ADHD and her physician for ADHD strongly believes she has autism too. We also believe this to be the case as she does have a lot of traits that would suggest this.

I've known my partner for 10 years+ however, we've only been in a relationship for just under 1.5yrs. I love her very much, she's so kind and loving, very smart and has the best sense of humour - I know she's the one for me, quirks and all!

She was diagnosed in February this year with ADHD after we pushed it with the mental health team/doctors as she just wasn't coping well at all with life and she didn't want to live if she had to feel the way she did, she has pretty much masked all her life to fit in. After she was diagnosed and started treatment for ADHD, this is when Autism really came through - it's like her ADHD was over shadowing it. She's always been very sensitive, feelings/noise/smells etc but her emotions seem to be very dis-regulated.

I like to consider myself as a supportive partner, I try to do what I can to help her manage and I try to listen and act on what she says. However, now, when she's having a burnout and her emotions are uncontrollable, she tries to explain things to me - such as how she's feeling or what is making her feel that way, but then tells me I don't understand, but says it in a way that almost makes me stupid for not understanding, if that makes sense?

We do communicate well, I know I could be better at opening up but past experiences have made me this way to some extent, I am trying to get better at this and be more vulnerable with her, which I do, but she still tells me 'I'm still not opening up enough'. Another thing she has said is that I can be overly caring which makes her feel less independent.

I just want to do the right things and I know I'm not going to get it right all the time, I also know that I'll never completely understand her brain and that's totally fine, but I just feel like I'm really trying to listen and help but it isn't good enough. 

I just wondered if anyone had any helpful suggestions/advice. She's going through a really tough time and I just want to be more helpful and be a better partner. 

Sorry for the essay - thank you in advance! 

Parents
  • Welcome to the forum and respect to you for reaching out to help your partner.

    ADHD and autism share a number of symptoms and are also fairly common comorbid (ie the person is both ADHD and autustic) so diagnosis is tricky.

    It seems burnout/meltdown is the big issue at this point so I can recommend some reading on the subject:

    From Anxiety to Meltdown - How Individuals on the Autism Spectrum Deal with Anxiety, Experience Meltdowns, Manifest Tantrums, and How You Can Intervene Effectively - Deborah Lipsky (2011)
    ISBN 9781849058438

    For the relationship side I can recommend this:

    Loving someone with Asperger's syndrome_ understanding & connecting with your partner - Ariel, Cindy N (2012)
    ISBN 9781608820771

    For ADHD these are worth a read:

    100 Questions & Answers About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Women and Girls - Patricia Quinn (2010)
    ISBN 9780763784522

    The queen of distraction, how women with ADHD can conquer chaos, find focus, and get more done - Sari Solden, Matlen, Terry (2014)
    ISBN 9781626250918

    If you have a specific subject you want to dig deeper into then this forum is a great place to talk about this but for now I think you will benefit from reading more about the issues and diving deeper into the main points of interest / concern.

  • Thank you! I'll definitely have a read of these Relaxed

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