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I received my diagnosis yesterday

whomper

Hello everyone

Yesterday, I had my autism assessment here in Cornwall. After a quite intense four hours, they told me there and then that I'm autistic and that it was quite clear cut.

I was on the waiting list for three years, and although I knew there was good chance I get diagnosed, I think I still appeared slightly surprised.

Despite having read and thought so much about it over the past three + years, hearing someone say it back to me took me aback slightly. So many years of trying and failing to fit in, with recurrent challenges that I struggled to make sense of .

I've been on the forum a couple of times before with different accounts while still waiting for my assessment, but thought I'd give it another go.

My main emotions at the moment are relief to have finally heard someone say it, but also frustration that it was missed for so long (I'm 51). The psychologist said it was missed because I'm a really good mimic and worked hard at masking, even though that was frequently exhausting.

  • Congratulations  

    Wishing you the best moving forward.

  • in reply to Roy

    Thanks Roy. So far, it's provided me with a real sense of peace. It makes sense of so many things. It sounds like we had a very similar experience - my psychologists said they decided at the lunch break that I was after ruling out the last alternate possibility they'd been testing (social anxiety). I've also experienced the same sadness at the years lost - I was under the care of the community mental health team in my late 30s, and it frustrates me that they missed it. The lead psychologist at my assessment thought it seemed pretty clear cut, and that I was very unlucky not to be spotted earlier, even with clinical knowledge being more limited.  I hope the move to Cornwall goes OK. It's a lovely place to live. 

  • Hi, i was diagnosed 3 weeks ago and am still processing. I'm 45 & have spent most of my life masking. It was a relief to finally know. I'm hoping some of the guilt of 'upsetting' others by not behaving properly will go now. 

  • Hi and congratulations on your diagnosis, I never know if it’s correct to congratulate someone. I was diagnosed in June by the NHS at the age of 57. My wait was nearly 3 years,I was also given the diagnosis on the day, it was explained that they don’t normally give the result on the day, they had apparently decided on me by lunchtime. It is a big relief but I found it very sad as well, too many years of not knowing why. I don’t know how long it will take to fully understand it all. I’m currently moving to Cornwall at the moment, the pace of life is much better for me. I hope you are able to find comfort in your diagnosis.

  • Hi  congratulations and welcome.

    I hope moving forward you will be able to discover the real you and find your joy in life.

    Look forward to chatting.

    (⁠•⁠‿⁠•⁠)

  • I’m happy for you - I think it’s a good thing. I was also diagnosed in my fifties - better late than never. I’m sure you’ll go through some up and down emotions - so try to be kind to yourself and reassure yourself that overall this is such a good thing and a real positive. I think over time it makes us reassess lots of aspects of our lives and experiences- which is really interesting and helpful in my experience. 

  • Jolly good - welcome to the club :-)

    You've climbed a mountain! Enjoy the view.

    You might spot a few more challenges from where you are now.

    Suggest this is where the hard work starts is coming to terms with the change.

    Careful on the way down!

    According to some "change guru" there are 3 possible outcomes:

    "Fisher suggests there are essentially three routes out in the end. One is disillusionment, another is hostility and the third is gradual acceptance. Which one becomes our own personal end in coming through this change will depend on many factors, some of which may lie largely outside of our control."...

    Reckon you'll find out and will be interesting to share your journey if we both continue to post on here :-)

    Don't want to bring you down be happy!, still, I suggest you get some decent post-diagnostic support as soon as...

    All the best!