Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I am new to this forum and fairly new to the autistic community so am going to try and summaries my experience.
Im 24 and my therapist has referred me for an autism diagnosis (something i definitely have). Ive been passed around mental health services/doctors etc since 15 and been diagnosed with various things such as social anxiety, depression, traits of BPD and OCD. Before my referral I was ready to give up with getting help because therapy etc has never helped me and i started to believe i was just broken. but since reading on female autism it has completely changed my mindset and everything has made sense.
As someone who has lived a fairly "normal" life with a bunch of friends, went through university and had many jobs, this is something that I know will be hard for those who know me to accept or believe.
The fact it has taken 24 years really frustrates me because I know a lot of my problems could of been answered years ago if id just had a diagnosis. **LONG STORY SHORT** I'm really considering making some sort of fundraiser/website/petition for autism awareness in females. The lack of research, knowledge and help online and from GP's is absolutely terrible and something that frustrates me. Does anyone have any opinions or suggestions on how to do this? or if this already exists?
Im sick of the misdiagnosis and awareness of female autism and i really really want to change that
thanks :)
Hi! I don't have any info on existing petitions or fundraisers as I'm fairly new to the autistic community myself and am about the same stage as you are! I just wanted to say that I'm a 20 year old girl who is self diagnosed and in the early stages of getting a formal diagnosis, and I feel exactly the same as you. The awful lack of understanding, awareness, research and resources for women with ASD is so detrimental for everyone! I want to offer my support in any way possible if you are making a website or petition etc., and feel free to message me any time to talk or swap experiences!
It's so frustrating and shocking how our experiences aren't taken seriously and are so often sadly dismissed.
I do know of some instagram pages which have been really useful to do with female autism - I can recommend if you're interested! Do you have any resources or book recommendations which you've found helpful?
Bea
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