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wondering if my brothers issues with ageing is connected to autism

Pianist_Louise

My brother has been told by someone (in metal heath I believe) aspergers, mild autism but doesn't believe its ever been officially diagnosed but the way he reacts and what's written in his notes suggests he has. he's clearly is in denial, and is adamant he doesn't have the traits. I'd be surprised if a neuro typical person could could do an impression of Matt Lucas as Vicky Pollard in Little Britain.

He says he doesn't want to age and wants to look like a child forever even though he's 30. I know women are know to struggle with aging but not to the point of not wanting to look over 18. 

It makes me wonder if this is connected to autism in some way or maybe his fear is more having to have responsibility in and adult sense, that he's never had to have and maybe masking the real reason?

I'd love to know if anyone else has experienced this?

Parents

  • One of the advantages of this being an anonymous forum is I can say things here I never would say in public. I know how he feels. At least I think I do. When I first started developing facial hair in my late teens I started plucking it out meticulously. I hated the idea of getting older. I still do. I didn't like my voice deepening either. I experimented with shaving my body hair but it was too much nuisance. I think it is maybe partly because we form a strong sense of who we are and what we stand for in our teens. I didn't want the face I associated with that person to change. I think it's also partly because as a young person I developed a strong sense of us and them. As far as I was concerned adult society suffered from a form of collective insanity ... my views on this haven't changed much.



    But from a physiological point of view after 15/16 parts of your body start to age. For most people up-to that point every aspect of your bodily function has been constantly improving. Reflexes, strength, hearing, flexibility, range of motion. The notion that from that point onwards there would be aspects of my body that were constantly in decline was upsetting. It's not really mortality that is distressing so much as the awareness of slow decline.



    On top of that my aspirations as a teen were all frustrated. The exciting active social life I hoped for never materialised and the more 'adult' the 'society' around me became the less I wanted any part of it. The world of mortgages and school catchment areas just didn't suit me. If I could have kept that 15/16 year old face I would have. If I could have kept hanging around with university freshers I would have.



    This is why I pivoted my research career towards ageing research. I have not trying to find the secret of eternal life. Nor am I only concerned with alleviating ageing related diseases. But if gene therapy or cell therapy or any other intervention could wind that clock back? That's what motivates my work.



    I remember when Emile Ratelband applied to have his age legally changed by the dutch court. I must have been one of the only people in the world who didn’t think it was a huge joke. Of course his legal argument was that he looked 20 years younger than he was. I don’t know about him but I certainly couldn’t say that about myself. But suppose there were a therapy that could take +10 years off your biological clock. I would certainly try to get some sort of legal age change. I’m sure the courts would deny me just as they did him. But no one would be able to say I tinkered with my own genes for a joke. And in truth in a case like that you’d apply for a court order to stop the papers reporting on it anyway.

  • in reply to Peter
    1. Thank you for sharing your story. It sounds like you probably do understand him. It's nice to see you are using it for something positive though.
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