Autistic? work and depression

ah your on a waiting list, that will take about 8 years or so lol

i survived without a job by living with my parents and never functioned or did anything until i was like 31, i only moved out when i got a job in my 30s... by the sounds of it you had a job already early, this will go against you in assessments and in whether you qualify for pip, and theres no way in hell that id be allowed pip myself due to having a job and my own place and now function... despite having not functioned all the way to my 30s and youd think that would qualify me for backdated pip all from age 16 to 31 then but its just not how the system works. infact im still on a diagnosis waiting list that i was on before i got a job and before i functioned around the time i started looking for help and i likely now wont pass the diagnosis for autism due to having now got a job and a flat and showing i now function despite having not functioned most of my life.... that is just how it is.

I'm never sure when people are joking/being slightly sarcastic online, it's not always easy to tell, I'm one of the worst for it too.  I might be miles off... But the tone worried me a bit...

Hopefully your not feeling low enough to be considering that, I've had those thoughts, it's a scary place to be. please remember there's always a reason to carry on and people who understand and will help if they can, even at times where it doesn't feel that way.

It is bullshit. We should be allowed euthanasia.

They are totaly self important and fake. I cannot stand them!

I do find since diagnosis I've talked to people about my condition and often find the answer to me saying what I feel or experience is "just stop doing it" or "well just ignore that and don't focus on it" , like I'm doing it by choice!

So hard to get people to understand what goes on in our heads!

I did find a group who are there to allegedly there to help adults with ASD including getting diagnosed. Unfortunately the experience was entirely negative and felt like the result of a brain storming session from well meaning NT deciding what people like me want and need. Funny how they never ask us isn't it?

I've just been diagnosed late in life, I feel far more autistic since, but from other threads on here I hear that's fairly normal, the focus on the condition makes it worse, so once things settle it should improve.

Eventually it won't feel like a daily battle without any meaningful goals, what you feel now isn't forever. 

My view is that we are looking ahead to a future we don't yet understand, so that's where the anxiety comes from. Once we figure things out and find a new normal, that future won't look so bleak. In the meantime try and bring the focus closer in to now, you can sort tomorrow when it gets here, you don't need to have all the answers for it today.

I know all these things are easier said than done and I'm terrible for not taking advice, but I hope it helps,

Take care, I hope it all goes ok!

Edit.. there are some free guided online  CBT courses you can get from NHS, self referral, think it used to be called "IATP", Google should find it.

I really can't get over the hump of being AWARE that my whole life, is going to be grifting through and nothing meaningful milestone wise, and feeling like I'm severely missing out..I'm just struggling mentally with all of that right now. 

Hello, I'm new here and so grateful I came across this as I was originally searching for a chat room, so if one exists I would really like to participate. I can relate to everything that is being said, and yes, the diagnosis was very liberating for me as well in the first year, and now I'm going through a heavy depression, and being misdiagnosed with so many other things because it's been months of the depression, and I'm afraid it won't get better the more I try and say maybe a magic pill will make me less autistic. My dilemma is I want to experience everything non autistics experience, and I want to be happy, not behind my peers and still feeling like a child..in my 30s...if anybody else feels this way it would he helpful to put my mind at ease just for tonight.

Judge Dredd is correct to an extent. There is little meaningful support for autistic folks. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own support by meeting people who can help you. And you could try pills I guess, you may find one that works well for you as there are many pills for autistic co occurring conditions like anxiety. Then again none may work for you. But there’s other things too like diet and exercise. Some people like taking supplements too. I’m not recommending anything but there is infinite options almost. There’s so many things out there that you couldn’t possibly try every one of them in your lifetime there’s that much to do. For example you could go to a music festival and meet someone who changes your life or you could crash into someone who talks to you and tells you about something that may help you. 

I’m in the same situation at the moment and today had my assessment, do you have children? And also I would call up mind therapeutic who will assist you for right to choose, call your doctor after you have spoken to them and say you want to go through them, they will have you fill out an AQ10 form which you take back to your fldoctors and then forward on the paper work from mind therapeutic. I did all this 6 weeks ago and have now had the assessment!!!!! I was in the waiting list like yourself. If I can help in any other way I will!! If work have terminated your contract go to your local citizens advice or universal credit office and explain the situation. They shoud be able to help you financially as your contract was terminated and you didn’t walk. If I’m wrong on any of this please corect me anyone who knows more. But right to choose I have done it’s fast and free!!! In the mean time look after yourself 

yeah i agree, in the past i have been given talking therapies, wasn't helpful, been on antidepressants for years, doesn't help, only in the past 2 years i realised i may be autistic and thats why nothing is helping, im now on the waiting list for official assessment, but like you said the list is ridiculous. Thank you so much for your reply, im sorry that you're unable to get the support you need aswell

Thank you

JD's response is very negative, but I'm afraid that is pretty much the same experience that I am having....basically no help out there, especially for older autists.

Its almost 6 months since my later life diagnosis and whilst it has given me a better understanding of myself and been somewhat liberating to me (eg, I am not ashamed of stimming or appearing vulnerable), I do think that in general life has got that bit harder for me.

I'm taking a break from work for a while and that will hopefully enable me to de-stress, recover some energy and drive. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to go back to being my former self - someone who was unaware of his autism and managed to mask & fit in....when absolutely necessary.  

Sorry mate, but you are out of luck. There is no support networks for adults with ASD.

Try to get access to Clinical Partners via the Right to Choose scheme.

https://www.clinical-partners.co.uk/nhs-services/right-to-choose

Be prepared to fight for it. The waiting list is some months, but it is free and it's better than the 10 years long NHS list.

Afterwards, you are screwed. There is no support available. You can ask for "workplace adjustments" like WFH, but you will need an official diagnosis for it. I would advise to do that AFTER you pass probation.

You can ask the NHS for help, but they only provide useless CBT with untrained operators with no idea about ASD. The best you can get is some happy pills from your GP. He will be happy to prescribe some. Do not be surprised if they turn you into an obese, impotent, smiling zombie. They are also extremely addictive.

Sorry if I do not sugar-coat it. I have been diagnosed one year ago, and I could not find any meaningful help. That's your life now.

Hi Origin,

Very sorry to hear that you're having a difficult time at the moment. If you need to access benefits while you're not able to work, I would recommend contacting Citizens Advice who can usually help with this - https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/ - either in person or online. You can also see how to claim benefits on the official government page here - https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits

You might also want to have a look at the Autism Services Directory here on the NAS site - https://www.autism.org.uk/autism-services-directory - which lists various types of support services local to you if you search by your location or postcode.

Hope this is of some help,
Ross - mod