I'm new here! Mid-20s adult awaiting diagnosis.

Hi everyone.

I've wanted to join this forum for months, but I've been really nervous about it! I've been waiting for my autism assessment for quite a while now and I've just received my pre-assessment questionnaires. 

My family and I have suspected that I'm autistic for many years, but I've never felt able to identify as a member of the autistic community until I truly knew for sure. The traits have always been there, but I've found everything's heightening as I get older - particularly the sensory issues and processing delays. Saying that, I often get those moments where I feel like a fraud and wonder whether I'm just overthinking everything. Most of the time, I do believe that I'm autistic and would benefit from a diagnosis to help me get to know myself better.

I also have anxiety and OCD, and I'm due to start "heightened" CBT (whatever that means?) to try and tackle my compulsive behaviours. I am a little scared because some of my symptoms are definitely OCD (e.g. intrusive thoughts), but what if I accidentally start erasing the repetitive routines that are beneficial to autistic people??

I'm a huge music lover; I sing, play piano and perform in musicals. I also love dogs (being with them and learning about them)... I memorised the breeds at a very young age! In my spare time, I enjoy writing, particularly poetry and novels (although I'm yet to finish a novel as I flit from project to project, and I have a habit of signing up to things that eat away at my time).

I'd love to hear from people about their own experiences, particularly in relation to the autism assessment and seeking support from mental health.

Nice to meet you all