Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello everyone, my name is steffan and I’m a 31 year old male with 2 children a 12 year old boy and a 4 year old girl (who are both on the pathway for autism also) also I have been diagnosed with EUPD (emotionally unstable personality disorder) along with severe anxiety suspected OCD and depression.
i am struggling massively in possibly every single aspect of my life and have been since i was a child. I have had my first contact video assessment and been told I have a huge amount of indications that I am autistic and have adhd. I have been placed on the full diagnostic assessment waiting list and have been told I could be waiting a long time, so I am feeling very deflated, isolated and alone and I also have a huge amount of anxiety bubbling away inside which I think won’t pass until my assessment is completed. Now I have been told by 7 different mental health workers that they believe I’m autistic and I really want to meet other people that are in my situation or experienced similar and could maby help me with some advice about what I could do to help and anything about support and finding a community I can join and feel like I belong as I feel so alone :( I suffer with panic attacks regularly and I can become very distressed in heavily crowded areas or if my mind runs away to fast with problems or worries I have (maby partly due to adhd) I just don’t understand the neurodevelopmental issue i have and am trying to reach out now. I just wish sometimes I could find friends easily or keep those friendships.
Welcome aboard!
Hope you're watiing isn't too long, it can feel like an eternity waiting to find out something so fundamentally important.
I wonder how many of the other diagnosed conditions could actually turn out to be symptoms or traits of autism? I spent years trying to figure myself out before I was diagnosed age 49, I'd been convinced at one time or another that I had all sorts, OCD, general anxiety disorder, bipolar etc. but they turned out to be facets of autism or issues that it created.
I also have suspected ADHD, some symptoms overlap so I'm waiting to see if I really think I have both, then I might go for diagnosis. however it looks very likely and I can totally relate to the "audhdh" descriptions and experience people describe.
Try and stay positive, eventually you'll get the answers you need. You may find all sorts of emotions hit you when you get a diagnosis, that's normal and you'll be able to work through them and learn to understand yourself better.
This place is great for advice and support and even just to vent, so make sure you stick around.
hello, apologies for the late response I haven’t been on here for a while as I’ve had so many things going on that I’ve just been absent. Thank you for your response and it’s funny you should say that as i have been thinking along those lines myself lately. Since I’ve been learning more about my autism and I’ve joined a group for autistic adults to help with sensory issues and understanding our autism better it has really opened my eyes to the possibility that a lot of issues I’ve been having with my mental health could possibly be due to my untreated autism. I have felt so alone and as if I’m an outcast for years but today I had my autistic group and I can say since going and meeting other people with autism it really has helped and I’m starting to think maby there is a place for me after all. I hope you get your adhd diagnosis soon and get the support you need. I am suspected adhd also but im not sure what will happen with that as they are going with the autism iniatially. I will try to stick around and interact more as I feel that is what I need. Thank you again for you’re response and I hope you have a good day :).