Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I am a 29 year old women and have been looking at the possibility that im autistic for a couple of years now. My niece was recently diagnosed with ADHD and autism and during that time my family and myself noticed a lot of similarities between my niece and how i was at the same age. As we researched autism in girls more the symptoms seems to familiar to me that i was surprised i has never been diagnosed when i was young; i have been diagnosed with OCD and general anxiety disorder and have been in and out of therapy since about 8 years old.
I have also taken a number of online autism test (unsure how accurate they are) and they have came up with a high likely hood that i am autistic. I guess i am just looking for advise on if i should pursue a diagnosis. Although i think i have a lot of the symptoms i am somewhat reluctant to seek this out because i would have thought if i was autistic it would have come up during my years in therapy? In autistic peoples experiences how often are you misdiagnosed or not diagnosed for whatever reasons?
I know that if i went through the process it would be quite stressful for me, however, after seeing how well my niece is now doing with the proper support and understanding i think it could be a good thing for me.
Please let me know if anyone has any experience of late diagnosis even after being in therapy and diagnosed with other things before.
7 years ago, I was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). I received Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help me manage my anxiety. However, only 5 years ago, I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and I am now in my mid-twenties. So, for many years, I was struggling in life not knowing what was wrong with me. I had been suffering the same pain as you and I feel for you. Life can be very difficult sometimes.
You should pursue a diagnosis because, when I was having CBT for my anxiety, no one raised a concern that I might have autism. It was only 2 years after my GAD diagnosis, after not being able to cope, I got myself assessed for autism. I was then diagnosed with autism. Getting a diagnosis may seem daunting at first. However, when you get a diagnosis, life becomes so much easier with proper support, trust me.
Hope you understand that there are many people in your position.
Thank you for your reply. It's reassuring to hear about people who have been through similar experiences.
I found CBT for be somewhat helpful, however, very singular in its focus. Whenever i tried to bring anything up that wasn't necessarily related to my OCD or GAD then i was redirected quite quickly.
I am seriously thinking about seeking a diagnosis, though i am worried about the number of questions that it will entail and how that will make me feel. Looking through the replies ive had on here and reading peoples own experiences, i can see how helpful proper support is.
Thanks again.
Jay123 said:Whenever i tried to bring anything up that wasn't necessarily related to my OCD or GAD then i was redirected quite quickly.
I found this too. My ruminating thoughts didnt always feel like worry but it was always steered into that direction. I think CBT is effective some of the time but altho I understand everything I did and can CBT my way through a situation it often doesn't make much difference. Understanding how autism affects me and accepting things has made more difference, A diagnosis will give you some answers (and gives you permission to be yourself) but then I have found this needs further work in order to integrate it into your life. There seems to be little support for adults.
Thanks for your reply.
Its good to hear from someone who has had CBT and feels the same way. I could never quite put my finger on why i never felt i was getting what i should out of my sessions, or why the tools I learnt couldn't be applied to situations where it seemed they should have been helpful.
I think even if i wasn't to be diagnosed it would stop me wondering and then I could look into other things.