Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all,
I'm a 47 year old male and was diagnosed with autism in May of this year after struggling all my life with depression and anxiety. I've always felt 'different' and 'odd' and it explains a lot. For over a decade running (especially trail running, where I'm usually totally alone for hours) has helped me cope.
Initially my diagnosis was a relief as it explained a lot about my issues but longer term it's left me feeling quite conflicted as I've always pushed myself to be 'social' and not to give in to my anxieties. Now I find myself in a position where I struggle not to use it as an excuse and it's also knocked my confidence (even in my ability to run).
I just wondered what experiences others have had after receiving a diagnosis as an adult, especially as I've had no support/advice since receiving my diagnosis.
Yes my son has had same problem..even its mentioned a lot that people say they wish they'd never been diagnosed etc...it took my son 5 yrs after diagnosis to get over depression because what he was telling me overall was the information he found online was very negative .
Just wondering when you got your diagnosis? As I say it took my son 5 years to come to terms with it he didn't get out of bed it got pretty bad.but he is now running on treadmill etc and I have heard it is a good thing to do regarding asd too
It sounds to me like you just depressed and is why you lack motivation to run.It sounds like a cliché but just know that depression can end and you will want to run then
I was diagnosed May this year and expected there to be highs and lows.
I've suffered with depression all my life, I can even remember suffering as a child. I suspect this is down to a traumatic childhood with various trauma as an adult also thrown in.
Luckily, before I was diagnosed I did a lot of therapy and it left me in a much better place with ways to manage as well. I'm pretty confident it's not depression but a combination of mental fatigue from adapting to my diagnosis and physical fatigue from the races I've run this year (a marathon, 3 x 50 mile races and a 24 hour mountain race).
My diets very good due to the running I do, and on the rare occasions I let it slip, physically I feel like cr@p!
I'm a strong advocate of 'each to their own' in terms of treatment, whats right for one person may not be for another. Therapy has always worked well for me and as such I've avoided anti depressants as I think they would just be covering the symptoms behind my real issues.
Thanks for the reply, I hope things work out well for your son and he gets out running when he's ready.