Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi there, Hope everyone is doing well currently (and enjoying the sun over here in the uk) - I'm just starting a discussion to introduce myself. Firstly, I haven't been officially diagnosed with autism so please forgive me if I don't use the correct terminology as i'm still doing my own research. I've been someone who has struggled with their mental health for as long as i can remember, but over the past few months i've started feeling that there was something else (something that i couldn't quite put my finger on). I have private counselling, and also some hypnotherapy through my work and it was the latter that suggested that I should book an appointment with my GP to discuss going for a meeting with a psychiatrist (lucky I now have an appointment coming up, but I'm a little scared about what to expect).
I know we're told to not self diagnose ourselves but after doing some research into possible outcomes I see myself having autism spectrum disorder as i knowingly (and unknowingly) have some of the common traits associated with asd.Sorry that this is a bit long and maybe a bit unreadable, I have dyslexia and can sometimes struggle to get down what i want to say onto paper so to speak. But i've been reading some of the discussions on here and they've really resonated with me so i thought i would join, we'll see what happens with my psychiatrist appointment soon too.
For my assessment, I researched very extensively. I ticked off all of the traits I had that filled each diagnostic criterion, and made detailed notes about instances, from my childhood onwards, where I felt that I had displayed autistic behaviours, sensory reactions and thought processes. Well before the end of the session with the psychiatrist he said, "I am confident in giving you a diagnosis of ASD". I think that in very many cases adults have self-diagnosed - I certainly did - well before seeking what is just a confirmatory clinical diagnosis.
Thank you Martin. My hypnotherapist also suggested that I start something similar in creating a list of things that I do (that’s not the same way she worded it, but best way for me to explain it) - and going through the list I’ve noticed a lot of them could be seen as ASD behaviours etc.