Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I'm 38 and following chatting to a friend recently diagnosed with high functioning autism and doing a lot of research I'm reasonably sure I have aspergers. I'm in two minds about actually seeking a diagnosis but that's probably another discussion altogether.
One big issue I've had for a number of years is bad reaction to noise caused by other people, although in specific circumstances. The usual thing is if I perceive it as someone being unreasonable (linking to the known issues with people 'not playing by the rules') so even if it's not very loud it can cause problems. This has led to quite violent reactions and sometimes I don't always remember the entire episode, I'm guessing it's effectively a meltdown but I experience extreme anger towards the source of the noise. A classic example would be neighbours playing loud music, even if it's a few doors down the road having a bbq at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon.
I'm due to be seeing a psychiatrist soon to have an assessment related to these specific issues (so not specifically for anything asd although I have mentioned I think I may be on the spectrum).
I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced similar issues and if so if they found a way to cope. I've had brief sessions of cbt over the phone before but it didn't help. It was all based around me being the issue not the people being noisy and the problem is because I believe it's the other people being unreasonable so it went agianst what I believe.
I've noticed this to some degree too, specially at work. That could be more about being trapped in an environment. I don't know. I figured out myself that I have Asperger's. I am not diagnosed yet. For me that's a formality that gives me more power with my employer to tweak my work environment. In terms of sounds, there are several different types of ear protection. They're designed for different things, they dull certain frequency ranges but allow others. I'd suggest exploring the differences, then narrow down what you're trying to block etc. For me I think I'm looking at the overall background ambience being blocked but people talking isn't. I think I'm looking at musicians earplugs. Whatever works for you is the correct option. Remember that it's not just the design but the rating.