Are there any benefits from being diagnosed with Autism/ADHD?

I'm in a similar position after a diagnosis this year, after years of knowing I was autistic or something similar.

I think it's positive to know, we can't deal with the unknown, even if diagnosis is initially a shock or knocks us of the rails a bit, I feel that long term it's positive.

So far I'm learning about who I actually am and it's a lot different than who I thought I was, mostly in a positive way and it's made me far less hard on myself.

I can also defo relate to what you said about your work & home life M11.
Before I became too ill to work I was also very good at it. Well organised at work but at home I am the complete opposite. I cannot get my head in gear, like a mental blank/shutdown & cannot get past it or work how to engage in what needs to be done. Or calm down my buzzing head enough to hone my thinking in the right direction. Too much going on in my head at times. where at work, I had my focus.

Also about being vocal at work. I really struggled with that too especially when I had to speak in front of a group. I just used to freeze up & it all because too overwhelming

Absolutely nothing wrong with a long post ania. I can see that it would have been difficult explaining all with a short one. You have described your journey of diagnosis so well & it was very interesting to me & has left me with much to contemplate on.

I received some support via a councillor from Cavernoma UK over Christmas when I was really struggling with depression. I have Symptomatic Cavernoma & have 4, possibly 5 in my Cerebellum which can make daily life quite a struggle as it affects me mentally as well as physically. The councillor was concerned about my mental health & contacted the Dr on my behalf. Very soon she recognised that I had Autism & highlighted this to the Dr. (She has an Autistic son herself) The Dr put me on anti depressants that I reacted to very badly. I couldn't look after myself, lost a lot of weight & slept almost all the time as they completely knocked me out.(I live on my own) The Dr took me off them & I dive bombed & became suicidal. I still don't know how I survived. I think it was just the thought of my pets being left along whom I love very much, that kept me alive somehow. My dog is very intuitive & just seems to know what to do. But after I was taken off the medication & was left to fend for myself because I didn't fit into any of their boxes to receive help or support. There are also no adult Autism groups anywhere near me. Island life can be difficult at times.

I am so happy to be here & be amongst people like me who except each other for who we are & support one another. I feel this is a lifeline to me.

I will defo do some research as you mentioned different types of ADHD ania as I feel I would benefit to understand more. I have lived on my own for 8 1/2yrs now & rarely speak to anyone. I am quite the hermit. So much of who I am feels "normal" to me.

Hi, 

Thought I’d reply to your post as there’s so many similarities I notice in my situation but you are a lot further along the process than me.

I too visited the GP originally about an ADHD diagnosis after 2/3 years of extensive research, albeit I had in the back of my mind it could be a dual diagnosis as I matched a lot of the criteria to both but there was also a lot of contradictions  I.e. I’m so unorganized at home/chores but my attention to detail in my career is excellent. 

After visiting the GP I come out with just an autism referral which I was quite shocked with, currently been on the waiting list for 18 months or so. 

My research first started roughly about  4 years ago after my first burn out a year and a half into working full time consistently. Only after another 2/3 years of research, moving out of my family home for the first time, few promotions at work mixed with a few more periods of burnouts in between did I pluck up the courage to go to see a GP. I’ve had a lot of imposter syndrome as I didn’t watch up to the stereotypes of the conditions as I had a full time job, live with my partner. 

I’ve think I’ve learned how to reduce my burnouts, my next step is to tackle my emotional regulation as my emotions are effected by external factors too much and I have  a spiky profile at times in my home/work life more positives than negatives but it’s one thing that’s now affecting me furthering my career. Frustration adds to the dysregulation as I know I’m an expert at my role now and am ready for my next role but it just doesn’t seem to happen because I’m not outwardly vocal of the things I achieve/bring to the table. 

A bit of a ramble sorry but it was nice to hear someone with similar experiences 

I actually suspected having ADHD before thinking I might be autistic, but two years later I had an assessment only for autism and they did diagnose me as autistic and when ADD was brought up as a possibility they said they didn't pick up on any symptoms or traits of ADD. Since my struggles with RSD are quite bad these last few years I took this as me being stupid for even suggesting that and despite throughout the next year feeling like there was still a lot about me that was unexplained I kept pushing it off and telling myself I am just going to be told I am wrong again.

The lack of the ADHD diagnosis for me did me really bad to be honest. I had to go through a mental health crisis to get diagnosed autistic. And with the lack of support for my ADHD I unfortunately declined even more to the point I ended up with a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa, emotional dysregulation, borderline personality traits, and depressive episodes and I think I even ended up experiencing a manic episode as a result of the extreme stress and lack of proper support.

Receiving my ADHD (combined type) diagnosis was such a relief and really did make a huge difference for me. I got access to medication which has made a huge difference in my focus and it even helps me a lot with my anxiety. I am taking methylphenidate but this is not the only medication used to treat ADHD, if you do manage to get access to them (it is not so easy in the UK right now unfortunately I had to go private to access them but if you are able to I would highly recommend giving them a go if you do receive an ADHD diagnosis) there are 4 different ones available to try.

Unfortunately I had to go through a lot of mental health problems and crisis's to even get diagnosed and access medication because I kept getting left behind and rejected by services because I didn't seem to fit the stereotypes but I hope this would not be the case for you. If you feel that there is still somethings about you that seem unexplained or you do really struggle to keep focused or any of the other symptoms and you feel it would benefit you to have some support with it then I highly recommend looking into getting diagnosed.

Another common thing I noticed in other ADHDers is difficulty regulating emotions and RSD (rejection sensitive dysphoria) although I don't think these are part of the diagnostic criteria I recommend looking into them as they do seem common (not in absolutely everyone with an ADHD diagnosis) and I believe these are the traits that let to my "borderline personality traits" diagnosis. I feel these traits are not talked about enough and when people think ADHD they think inattentive, hyper, unable to focus but I think there is much more to ADHD than that and more research still needs to be done. 

This is just my experience, I am completely aware we are different people and we may present or experience these conditions in a totally different way but I hope this may have been helpful for you! I would say that if you find that you may have some struggles with stress or anxiety, or you feel the possible ADHD may be impacting your mental health negatively then please do look into it as I found it really helped explain so much more for me that autism couldnt completely explain, there was just something missing for me. Also do look into the different types of ADHD as there isn't just one type! People thought there was no way I had ADHD combined and that I was only inattentive because I am a very quiet person but my struggle to talk to people I don't know isn't actually from social anxiety but from RSD, my strong fear of rejection, I was scared to speak in case I said the wrong thing or made a bad impression, but this was seen by professionals before any other diagnosis i received as social anxiety. 

I'm sorry I made this so long I just don't know when to stop! I hope this was helpful and you are able to find the right diagnosis' and support in the future so you can be your best self and thrive, and I really hope you don't have to suffer severe mental health issues like I did, I hope you are able to access the right support and whatever you may need to live happily! Wish you all the best and again I'm sorry this is so long!!!

Thank you AJ90UK for your reply, it interested me a great deal because your perspective about yourself is so diff from mine.

Happy to hear your diagnosis has helped you achieve the adjustments you needed at work & having a positive outcome
I hope now that you have your diagnosis your journey forward is made much easier.

I agree with you about not thinking it necessary to tell everyone you are Autistic. I told my neighbour the other day who is a teacher & she told me "you shouldn't label yourself"! It surprised me a great deal!
I think some peeps take the information positively & some not so, but I put that down to lack of understanding rather that pure discrimination. The unknown can be scary.

I've never had a problem with who I am, I have left that to others lol! I've always known I was different & I am OK with that. I became very good at masking but I only use that when it will benefit me most; to achieve my end goal as smoothly & efficiently as possible. The quicker it is done, the sooner I can remove myself from the situation :D 
At the end the end of the day, I was just trying to work out if an official diagnosis would actually help me in any way. And maybe you guys experienced things I had not though about yet. 
From my point of view, I am who I am diagnosis or not. I know I am Autistic like other member of my family. It doesn't change who I am.

So the jury is out on whether to wait 2yrs for an official diagnosis & go through the trauma of proving who I am :/ Now there's a scary thought... going through the process of being diagnosed!

Wasn't taken as criticism Bunny, you just stated the facts & I stated mine. I hope I wasn't too abrupt for you. I always take things in a positive manner; It lightens any potential stresses in communication

Please excuse me feeling wary about offering my own opinions at this point; I'm still working through what my own (fairly recent) diagnosis means for me. Even though I felt very confident that I met the diagnostic criteria, I needed to know for sure.

My diagnosis - along with the self-report process that my assessment involved - has given me a LOT of really helpful insights into "how I work", including why I've suffered so much with anxiety, depression and more.

I've already been able to make some positive changes, but would say that I'm also still in the process of resetting my understanding of myself and working out how to move forward in the best ways for my - and my partner's - future health and wellbeing. 

It’s a tricky one as everyone has their own individual circumstances which a diagnosis would help them, there isn’t a “one size fits all” answer. Although I’m sure everyone benefits from knowing that they’re not alone in how our brain processes things compared to neurotypical people. For me, it’s helped me feel less like a failure and help stop question why I can’t do stuff like everyone else. It’s also opened up my mind to exploring more about autism which has helped understand myself better. Yeah, I could have done that without a diagnosis, but I also struggle  with imposter syndrome and wouldn’t believe I was autistic until I was formally diagnosed.

I also benefit from asking my employer for reasonable adjustments so my job can be more manageable. And whilst I shouldn’t need to have a diagnosis, it does make it easier to access the adjustments I need.

A diagnosis should also help access support services or groups, to help meet other autistic people. Although I know any support services are impossible to get any support from. 

personally I’m still struggling with telling other people, 9 months on from my diagnosis. I don’t think it’s always necessary to tell people, unless absolutely necessary or if there is any benefit to me, such as the person knowing they need to give me more time and notice or not changing plans last minute etc. 

I hope you find the benefits of a diagnosis that will help you

There's absolutely no need to apologise - and please don't take what I said as criticism; it wasn't intended that way.

Each of us is unique in how we approach this question and I'm sure others will be more than happy to offer some fresh perspectives. I just wanted to encourage you to dig around in the forum archives, as something there might also prove helpful to you.

Apologies for the repetition

I had read the "Benefits of a diagnosis" but most points don't apply to me. I don't have "family, partner, employer, colleagues and friends" around me; I am totally alone. I've not been misdiagnosed. I cannot access any services because I am Autistic & no-one to help me navigate them.

I was looking for more of a personal point of view. So I will endeavour to use the search tool from now on.

Ty

To get the widest possible range of views (in addition to fresh replies / opinions here), it's well worth using the forum's search tool, as this question has been revisited many times over the years. 

In addition, the NAS resources may be of help. They include:

"Benefits of a diagnosis

Some people see a formal diagnosis as an unhelpful label, but for many, getting a timely and thorough assessment and diagnosis may be helpful because:

• It may help you (and your family, partner, employer, colleagues and friends) to understand why you may experience certain difficulties and what you can do about them.
• It may correct a previous misdiagnosis (such as schizophrenia) and mean that any mental health problems can be better addressed.
• It may help you to get access to appropriate services and benefits.
• You will be entitled to have reasonable adjustments made by your employer, college or university.
• It may help women, and those with a demand avoidant profile, who may not before have been recognised as autistic by others.
• You don't need to be diagnosed to join our online community or subscribe to the Spectrum or Your Autism magazine, but you might need a diagnosis to join some social groups.
• Although you don’t need to be diagnosed to have self-belief, some autistic people welcome the diagnosis as a way of making sense of their life experiences and being able to identify with other autistic people."

From: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis/pre-diagnosis/adults

A couple of examples of previous threads:

https://community.autism.org.uk/f/adults-on-the-autistic-spectrum/24311/benefits-of-diagnosis-for-older-adults/211545#211545

https://community.autism.org.uk/f/introduce-yourself/31591/what-are-the-benefits-of-an-adult-diagnosis