Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all,
I was officially diagnosed 2 days ago. Even though i was pretty certain that i was autistic, the diagnosis has really affected me. Initially i was pleased with the validation finally as a 38 year old female i was fed up with having to justify to people why i am autistic as not stereotypical. Anyway once that wore off i have felt completely flat and shut down. Did anyone else experience this? I did not expect it to affect me at all as i thought i had accepted the fact that i am autistic. I have of coursed looked this up and read about late diagnosis grief? is that actually a thing?
Hi Jo,
yes, it's real. I was diagnosed a few months ago and think I've been suffering with it on and off since. Definitely had a period of very low mood once the "novelty" of the diagnosis had worn off, but I think it has lessened (one of my autistic traits is alexithymia so I don't always have the best sense of what's going on inside). For me, I felt as though people were treating me differently post-diagnosis and I felt as though I was a burden on my family and people I love. Spent a while trying to contradict my diagnosis too, but as I've read more about autism I'm accepting it as part of who I am which has brought a bit of relief. It's hard and being patient and accepting of things isn't part of my natural make-up.