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Post-diagnosis mindset

alushjoyhand

Hello,

I received my diagnosis three weeks ago, aged 42.

The initial rush of identification arose and made me feel incredible. This subsided and I am now reflecting on the elements of how I function that I resent for their inefficiency.

For example, periods of relentless bleakness in the darker months of the year, disbelief in my ability to meaningfully connect to others, loss of humour and warmth, fixation on highly morbid topics and self-destructive information.

I presume this is both logical and valid, as I recompute all the assumptions about my understanding of myself and my relationship to the world that had been in place for many years. In short, I am scared and sad.

For other diagnosed adults, what was your experience? Have I missed an established thread to which I should instead refer? Is this the best place for such a question?

Advice welcome. Slight smile

Parents

  • Welcome to the community. I chose to self-identify rather than seek a diagnosis, but your description of those post-diagnosis feelings sounds all too familiar – the initial relief and sense of euphoria that at last I could make sense of myself and my relationships followed by the realization that my autistic identity would entail a radical transformation of who and what I thought I was.

    Just one thought on the specifics of your post: you mention periods of relentless bleakness in the darker months of the year. Might this be seasonal affective disorder (SAD)? I’ve suffered from this for years and have learned to combat it by making daily use of a daylight lamp and getting outside every morning.

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  • Welcome to the community. I chose to self-identify rather than seek a diagnosis, but your description of those post-diagnosis feelings sounds all too familiar – the initial relief and sense of euphoria that at last I could make sense of myself and my relationships followed by the realization that my autistic identity would entail a radical transformation of who and what I thought I was.

    Just one thought on the specifics of your post: you mention periods of relentless bleakness in the darker months of the year. Might this be seasonal affective disorder (SAD)? I’ve suffered from this for years and have learned to combat it by making daily use of a daylight lamp and getting outside every morning.

Children