Published on 12, July, 2020
I have struggled with depression for at least 5 years and only more recently diagnosed as autistic. I’ve been on two different antidepressants- Sertraline and citalopram- and I’m not sure if I can even tell anymore if I feel any better.
I’ve been told that I’ve most likely been in a state of burnout for a long time so i now don’t know if autism is the root cause of all the depression I’ve felt ( I know it has definitely contributed) so would antidepressants just not work in this situation? Or am I just finding it harder to tell if I’m doing better because I can’t identify may own emotions as easily? I know that I don’t feel ‘happy’ or stable yet but I can tell if my mood has improved at all because I feel like my depression has caused so much brain fog.
has anyone had similar experience ?
Ladybug5 said:am I just finding it harder to tell if I’m doing better because I can’t identify may own emotions as easily?
This is a very common symptom of autism so don't worry about this one. It is best to accept that is could be there rather than worry about it as well.
There is a commonly used approach to being able to identify your emotions - there is something called the Emotions Wheel which is very useful in this case:
https://positivepsychology.com/emotion-wheel/
You can download the image of the wheel to use on your phone or computer and there is no need to buy books about it - the principle is fairly straightforward.
As for worrying about the assessment - don't think about it too much. Think about what you will ask after it is done and split this into two sections - 1 for if you are autistic and 2 for it you aren't.
Write these down and add to them as you remember stuff as it will help keep your mind from spinning when it is trying to remember the details.
The foggy feeling is almost certainly the antidepressants and you can ask your GP to adjust the medication to find the least fog inducing ones for you.