Very late diagnosis

Hi, Nananina. I received my diagnosis a few days ago, and I'm 49. Mine came out-of-the-blue. I was in disbelief when the mental health nurse referred me to the assessment team, and having been treated for anxiety and depression since an early age, and being told everything from, "You have M.E, chronic fatigue syndrome," to "you're listening to too much loud music." I didn't really take it seriously. I'm still processing the diagnosis and learning about what it means for me. The assessment team were great and have helped me understand why some of my behaviours might be viewed as strange by people without autism. And why, many, if not all of the ways our society is organised make it very difficult for me to function to my full potential. My attitude towards the diagnosis changes. At the moment I resent the fact that I've had to struggle on for so long without any support or understanding. Yesterday, however, I was excited about the prospect of starting a new chapter.

Hi, Nananina. I received my diagnosis a few days ago, and I'm 49. Mine came out-of-the-blue. I was in disbelief when the mental health nurse referred me to the assessment team, and having been treated for anxiety and depression since an early age, and being told everything from, "You have M.E, chronic fatigue syndrome," to "you're listening to too much loud music." I didn't really take it seriously. I'm still processing the diagnosis and learning about what it means for me. The assessment team were great and have helped me understand why some of my behaviours might be viewed as strange by people without autism. And why, many, if not all of the ways our society is organised make it very difficult for me to function to my full potential. My attitude towards the diagnosis changes. At the moment I resent the fact that I've had to struggle on for so long without any support or understanding. Yesterday, however, I was excited about the prospect of starting a new chapter.