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imposter syndrome whilst waiting for a diagnosis

SophieWhit

I am getting diagnosed later in life (27 years old) and every step I progress into the diagnostic journey, I keep getting a paranoid feeling that I am lying, I am a fake etc and I know I am not, but does anyone have any advice on how to stop these feelings? Everyone in my life who I have spoken to about going forward with a diagnosis has been saying that it's clear I am autistic and without a doubt I have no worries about the diagnosis coming back lacking but I still worry. I think it stems down to not knowing what I will do if I get the answer that I am not autistic because I have more or less accepted it (I've been thinking I could be for at least half of my life now) and I know that is a silly feeling because my GP (who is experienced in autism luckily) wouldn't have put me forward for a diagnosis if they disagreed AND my friends who are also autistic wouldn't be supporting me in going for this but yeah.. any advice?

Parents

  • I feel the same. I’m 34 and I’ve just been referred for assessment. But it’s science, and I prove it to myself over and over again to reassure myself. I go through the traits of autism and I tick them off as being exactly what’s been going on with me. 

    I also go to an autism hub and a sweet older woman was telling me her story and it was like she was telling the story of my life (I grew up in Africa, just moved to the UK less than 2 years ago). If a woman far older than me, growing up an a completely different environment had eerily similar experiences as me growing up worlds away, the chances of both of us faking it is extremely high.

    Why would wearing earplugs when going out automatically make me have a less draining day? Why would humming loudly for 5 minutes reduce the noise in my head? What else could explain this?

    So keep proving to yourself over and over again with the evidence that you have, and that will settle your mind. And even if I’m not diagnosed with autism, the tips and tricks I’m learning about autism is actually making my life better, and isn’t that the goal? Will a diagnosis change my help seeking? NO! The goal is not to end up in a mental health ward again and a diagnosis won’t stop me from adapting and trying to live a better life.

    Take it one day at a time… you can do this!

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