Autism diagnosis and the change it may have

Hello there, I am new to this forum, really just posting out there to get some different opinions and ideas on what I am experiencing on a day to day basis. I’m a 37 year old male, left secondary school in year 7 due to bullying and not had any real education since. It wasn’t all the bullying that made me come to the decision that me and school were incompatible but it went a long way in that choice, I refused to go back. I was put on anti depressants ect but every time I tried to attend the school I would freak and withdraw from those trying to help. Anyway, that’s the rough background but in my adult life up until the last few years I never considered myself autistic until I read about it. I’m very social avoidant, dislike change unless I decide to, have a strong dislike for people making plans that involve me because I probably don’t want to go, avoid eye contact, that’s way too personal. I thrive on routine because it makes me feel safe like nothing bad will happen and it makes me feel good about myself also because I can repeat those good days where it’s just routine. I’m told I’m also very righteous? I mean I did want to be Batman of that helps but people said it wouldn’t really be possible which kinda made me have to grow up a bit. I suffer from anxiety and depression pretty much daily, I mean it’s always there really, no cure. Even at my work which is in an office environment I feel seriously overwhelmed, I’ve been there almost 20 years but my colleagues are still strangers to me and I’m almost frozen to my chair at times thinking that if I don’t put 110% in I’m gonna be looked down upon or looked at badly even though I know I work hard. I think I will seek out a diagnosis . Thank you for reading and look forward to the replies, 

Parents
  • Hi and welcome.

    We're all different here and many have gained comfort from a formal diagnosis, while others (like me) haven't got one and don't intend to, but feel that we "belong" in this community.

    I can confirm that most autistic adults have a lot of the traits and issues that you describe - including anxiety, depression, social avoidance, a strong sense of justice, perfectionism and a preference for routine, or knowing what is going to happen and when. I hope you find that you can identify with others here and that you find this forum useful.

  • Thank you Pixiefox, I’m really enjoying the replies I’m getting here, they are all very helpful and interesting to read, any additional information that I was not aware of before is brilliant. Being so new to the idea of myself being autistic is causing me some real deep identity type issues without even having gone to the doctors yet. I think I’m at a stage in my life where because I am unable to change and cannot force something which is alien and uncomfortable I realise that I’m not adaptive. I’m looking around the room at work wondering how all these people go out and meet up outside, I’m 37 and I’m tired of feeling like a freak, not being able to look people in the eye for long and they must notice. They must also notice I have never attended a single Christmas party and I don’t seek out communication as much as others may and will often speak more when spoken to. It’s difficult without proof for me to accept myself as autisic because a huge part of me feels severely undeserving of real acknowledgment and a real answer for why I’ve been in a war with myself my whole life. 

  • I completely understand - it was a shock to me to when I suddenly realised I could be on the autism spectrum and then got a score on the autism quotient test which showed it was highly likely (42 out of 50)

    My realisation didn't come until I was in my fifties, and as I was married and working and although I'd always had problems maintaining friendships and felt out of place at work social functions, I hadn't even considered autism until I saw an autistic woman on a TV documentary and identified with a lot of what she said about herself. Cue my new "special interest" as I searched for information on the internet, read books and found this site where I asked lots of questions.

    The only advice I can give is to be patient and to think about what exactly you want from life. In my last job (I'm retired now) I never went to a single Christmas party and I'm glad I was able to be true to myself and not go just to please others. It's your life - do what you want with it.

    Also remember that being able to hold down a job for 20 years is a great achievement. 

    I wish you well on your journey of discovery.

Reply
  • I completely understand - it was a shock to me to when I suddenly realised I could be on the autism spectrum and then got a score on the autism quotient test which showed it was highly likely (42 out of 50)

    My realisation didn't come until I was in my fifties, and as I was married and working and although I'd always had problems maintaining friendships and felt out of place at work social functions, I hadn't even considered autism until I saw an autistic woman on a TV documentary and identified with a lot of what she said about herself. Cue my new "special interest" as I searched for information on the internet, read books and found this site where I asked lots of questions.

    The only advice I can give is to be patient and to think about what exactly you want from life. In my last job (I'm retired now) I never went to a single Christmas party and I'm glad I was able to be true to myself and not go just to please others. It's your life - do what you want with it.

    Also remember that being able to hold down a job for 20 years is a great achievement. 

    I wish you well on your journey of discovery.

Children
No Data