Catastrophising

Based on own experience and what I’ve heard from other Autistics, I’d say that’s likely fairly common. I recently had a client with Autism who had a surgery coming up for a failed organ and what started as a bit of anxiety over the procedure snowballed into a massive downward spiral over a week, leading him to becoming imprisoned. I know that’s a pretty extreme example, but that’s at the front of my mind right now since it literally JUST happened days ago.

My advice is tell people that you trust how you feel. Make it clear that you want your fear validated, but also accept it when they offer realistic views of how it will probably actually turn out. I think validation is important; You’re not crazy, bad things do happen. However, after getting validation for that fear it is important for you to open up to what are the realistic expectations for this operation. If you don’t, well, I’ve just seen what happens when you deny reality or ask for help too late.

All that being said, I do hope that the procedure goes well for you.

(Small note: I just realized that I have GAD (general anxiety disorder) and the guy I referenced I believe also has a similar diagnosis. Catastrophising may be more of an anxiety trait than an Autistic one. Though the two are often linked, they are separate conditions.)

(Small note: I just realized that I have GAD (general anxiety disorder) and the guy I referenced I believe also has a similar diagnosis. Catastrophising may be more of an anxiety trait than an Autistic one. Though the two are often linked, they are separate conditions.)