Am I autistic or just one of life's weirdos?

I've suffered from depression for as long as I can remember and no meds have ever worked.  I'm seriously beginning to wonder whether I have a form of autism or am just one of life's weirdos.

I am generally fine(ish) speaking to one or two people, but even then struggle to make conversation as I find I ask questions but get none asked back.  However, put me in any kind of group setting and I feel like a caged bird, desperate to escape.  I will always be the one left standing alone in a corner.  

If I offer an opinion or suggestion people either ignore me (and later offer the same suggestion themselves) or look at me as if I'm speaking a foreign language.  I never seem to have the same thoughts or views as other people, I find it very hard to think of ideas to contribute and it's as if my brain just doesn't function like theirs.  I prefer to do everything by myself and don't want or need others.

People claim to struggle with things that I find easy and vice versa.  My IQ was tested at 134, so I'm not a stupid person, but I've always been described as "odd" and "independent".  I am not remotely close to any of my family and have always found it nearly impossible to express love or affection.  I seem to have little in common with the human race in general.

I think I'm always very polite and go out of my way not to offend people, but am told I can be abrupt or rude.  I tell the truth always and people seem to dislike that.  I get very annoyed if someone moves what's mine and irritated as hell by poor spelling or things not being done properly (pedantic).  I have a poor sense of smell and am not receptive to touch but I don't think I have an obsession with numbers or patterns.

Other than two people I write to occasionally I have absolutely no friends and while those I work with are pleasant enough they've never suggested doing anything outside of work.  I absolutely hate speaking on the phone and think of myself as a writer, not a talker.  I am very much a "details" person.

I did a test on the Psych Central website and got a score of 38, which indicated autism, but at the age of 42 I can't determine whether life's just made me into a total weirdo or if there is really something other than depression at the heart of it.  I feel that if I go to the doctor he'll dismiss how I feel because people don't like me telling them a different opinion.

Does any of this sound like I could be autistic or resonate with anyone else?

Parents
  • You can be both if you want :D

    Sounds very familiar... If you think you might have an ASD you can't strictly speaking lose by going to the doctors... although a brush off can be hurtful. That said, I'm not sure what the doc would actually be able to do, as I've found (as an adult) that things are usually focused on children and basically nothing has been offered to me... but if a diagnosis would be useful to you personally, to answer your own question and settle your own personal identity, then go for it.

Reply
  • You can be both if you want :D

    Sounds very familiar... If you think you might have an ASD you can't strictly speaking lose by going to the doctors... although a brush off can be hurtful. That said, I'm not sure what the doc would actually be able to do, as I've found (as an adult) that things are usually focused on children and basically nothing has been offered to me... but if a diagnosis would be useful to you personally, to answer your own question and settle your own personal identity, then go for it.

Children
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