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Introducing myself...

Latediagnosedandlost

Hi all. Im just going to put on what ive just put on my profile. Any advice or help would be lovely. Hope everyone's ok. Here goes..

I'm Sean. Im 50 and just been diagnosed as Autistic, with ADHD running co-currently. So I guess I'm AuDHD, if that's the right phrase?  And since that, I've been a person in two halves. Maybe even three. I know it doesn't make sense. I've felt relief, vindication,  but also denial and shame. And I dont know why. I dont know who the real me is now as I know I've been masking and covering up my authentic self by copying everyone else's mannerisms and actions, but without any of their knowledge. Trying to find out how be my myself from now on....

Parents

  • Hi Sean - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community.

    Following a diagnosis, it can be common for us to experience a lot of emotional dysregulation - I've linked to an article below about this.

    As for many others, my diagnosis turned out to be the start of a new journey of learning and adapting, rather than a conclusion with instant solutions. I'd suggest taking extra care to be patient to, and kind with, yourself - and to take your time with processing everything.

    The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis", including one covering how you might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months, and others covering the kinds of support that you can access. You might find them helpful as a starting point:

    NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis - includes perspectives from other autistics

    NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis - including:

    • Talking about and disclosing your autism diagnosis
    • Emotional support for family members after a diagnosis
    • Formal support following an autism diagnosis
    • What can I do if formal support is not offered or is not enough

    Therapy or counselling are often recommended after a diagnosis, as a follow up action for your GP to arrange. If you prefer, depending on where you are in the UK, you might instead be able to self refer for talking therapy on the NHS. 

    Before arranging it, you might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book, which includes discussion of various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint. Several of us here have found it very helpful:

    The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy

    Finally, I'll just mention a couple of books that I and others have found helpful early on in our post-diagnosis journeys:

    Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!

    How to Be Autistic (free download currently available via this page)

  • in reply to Bunny

    Thank you bunny! I want to be at peace with this but I'm finding it hard to work out what I should be feeling and have started to feel this "skill regression" and that's a hard pill to swallow also. All of a sudden, I don't feel confident or competent in anything I do. I'm sure I will get there. Hope to see you about om here. Sean. 

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  • in reply to Bunny

    Thank you bunny! I want to be at peace with this but I'm finding it hard to work out what I should be feeling and have started to feel this "skill regression" and that's a hard pill to swallow also. All of a sudden, I don't feel confident or competent in anything I do. I'm sure I will get there. Hope to see you about om here. Sean. 

Children
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