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Do you ever feel ashamed of being autistic?

LivAgain

Hi,

I know it sounds like an awful thing to say and I'm sure it will spark controversy but this is just a question I have never felt able to ask other autistic people and tonight I just thought, "Why not? People are welcome to disagree with me if that's how they feel."

Anyway, I've been having a rough time lately and feel very ashamed of a lot of things. One thing I'm certainly ashamed of is being autistic. Everything about it feels like a threat - a threat to my femininity, to my appearance, to how others will perceive me. It's hard to put into words but it's almost as though the symptoms don't worry me (I don't actually have a great deal of symptoms, really; not nowadays anyway) but the label itself is damaging me more and more every day.

I feel so guilty for feeling like this but I don't want to wonder anymore. Does anyone else feel like this?

Thank you,

LivAgain 

Parents

  • But a very disabling 'difference'; one that can impair both mental and physical health. If you are prone to stress, you can read self help books, exercise, eat healthily, practice meditation, and so on; but Asperger's is a brain condition that can make stress a natural part of everyday life, and there is only so much you can do to deal with it. Asperger's can't be cured; Asperger's by definition causes stress; stress can be modified, not cured; therefore it is likely that people with Asperger's live shorter lives, and are more prone to certain diseases.

    In an ideal world, a person with Asperger's could live peacefully - as far as this is possible. But we live in a noisy world, our senses are always under assault, we misinterpret things, and all this has one result: stress, stress, adrenal exhaustion, poor health. This is by no means inevitable, but Asperger's makes all this a lot more likely. So I can never be pleased about having Asperger's, no more than someone can be pleased about having any other life limiting condition, but I can focus on my unique strengths (resiliance, fortitude and motivation) to get me through life. I am pleased to be me, but Asperger's and me are not the same thing.

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  • But a very disabling 'difference'; one that can impair both mental and physical health. If you are prone to stress, you can read self help books, exercise, eat healthily, practice meditation, and so on; but Asperger's is a brain condition that can make stress a natural part of everyday life, and there is only so much you can do to deal with it. Asperger's can't be cured; Asperger's by definition causes stress; stress can be modified, not cured; therefore it is likely that people with Asperger's live shorter lives, and are more prone to certain diseases.

    In an ideal world, a person with Asperger's could live peacefully - as far as this is possible. But we live in a noisy world, our senses are always under assault, we misinterpret things, and all this has one result: stress, stress, adrenal exhaustion, poor health. This is by no means inevitable, but Asperger's makes all this a lot more likely. So I can never be pleased about having Asperger's, no more than someone can be pleased about having any other life limiting condition, but I can focus on my unique strengths (resiliance, fortitude and motivation) to get me through life. I am pleased to be me, but Asperger's and me are not the same thing.

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