Published on 12, July, 2020
I don’t have a diagnosis, but my husband is sure I am ‘on the spectrum’. We love each other dearly, but he’s had to teach me how to interact with him, and it’s still not second nature for me after many years.
I have a loooong list of psychiatric diagnoses and am a complete outsider. I’ve never really had a job and desperately want friends, but I don’t know what to do or say and get really anxious. My husband has secondary progressive multiple sclerosis and because of this and my problems we’ve been totally isolated for ten years. We both want to do something about this, but how do I explain to people I’ve been in self-imposed exile for a decade without freaking them out...and I don’t know (or want to know) anything about ‘Love Island’ or anything ‘normal’. We both like gaming and my husband recently bought me a chemistry set, a ‘grow-your-own’ mushroom box and a membership to the British Mycological Society. I’m a 40-something woman. These gifts were perfect for me, but, again, I think if I mentioned this to someone else they would think us both odd.
I don’t know whether seeking a diagnosis would be of any use, but I’m just looking for...My Tribe? Life advice?
Hi Eliot,
Thank you for sharing this with us. May I suggest looking at our information about autism spectrum disorders:
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism
If you were interested in finding out if you are on the autism spectrum, you would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one:
https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis
Furthermore, it is important the professional you see has experience of autism spectrum disorders. You can find details of diagnostic services on our Autism Services Directory in the Assessment and diagnosis section: http://www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx
If you have further questions, you may like to contact our Autism Helpline team. They can provide you with information and advice about getting a diagnosis. You can call them on 0808 800 4104 (Monday to Friday 10 am to 3 pm. Please note that the Helpline is experiencing a high volume of calls and it may take a couple of attempts before you get through to speak to an adviser.
Hope this helps.
Kindest regards,
Eunice Mod
Hi Eunice Mod,
I’m not sure if you’ll get this because I’m not sure whether or not I should use @, but hey!
Thank you for taking the time to reply and to send so much info. I truly appreciate it!
Take care
You're most welcome! Kindest regards.