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Feeling alone

Laurensimmo

Not sure if this belongs in this section, but I don’t have anyone else to speak to about this! I have suspected I have Autism for many many years now but like many, my mum doesn’t believe in ‘labels’ (despite being a psychiatric nurse!). My family and partner all agree I have quite a few autistic traits and I have recently put myself forward for a diagnosis which I’m still waiting for. It would explain so so much to me, like why I always felt ‘different’ or ‘weird’ to my peers. However every time I say something about it, for instance a tweet about someone who got diagnosed and their constant fatigue made sense to them (I have been struggling with this since early teens), it’s shrugged off as ‘well that’s normal, that could mean anything, loads of people feel that way’. It’s just really disheartening and makes me feel as if I’m just label or attention seeking. Apologies for the mini rant, just feeling alone and not sure what to do

  • I’m 57 and was diagnosed with adhd 3 years ago. My adhd team has now put me forward for ASD diagnosis. 
    I felt like I shouldn’t have been born a human being. ASD and adhd didn’t exist when I was young!Joy I am high functioning so wasn’t taken seriously. I too felt very alone…still do. I went to my doctor who listened to my life story and took me seriously. In the past I was classed as having depression and just put on anti depressants. I am proof that there are people out there who will take you seriously. I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy but keep going. Best of luck Kissing heart

  • you're doing the right thing. best of luck in your diagnosis either way.

    BTW welcome to this forum Slight smile

  • Hi, thanks for joining :) 

    you’re definitely not alone. I saw lots of autistic traits in myself for years, before finally pursuing assessment and getting a formal diagnosis last month. I’m also going through doubt from family, I know how dismissive it can feel when someone says, ‘well, everyone experiences that,’ or tries to explain away aspects of your life through other means. I find that what I need is validation: someone to recognise both my struggles and also the nicer things that can arise from autism. i’m compiling a list of my traits and aspects of my experience which feel aligned with autistic stuff, and that’s something I’m finding helpful just for myself. It could be that as a later stage, I give this missed to family members, to see if this helps us understand each other a little better. but really, try to trust that you know yourself. I hope your assessment brings you what you need, and that your mum gives you the recognition you need and deserve. 
    Take care.

  • Have you done any of the free online autism diagnosis tests? For example:

    https://psychology-tools.com/test/autism-spectrum-quotient

    One of these tests could give you a pointer until your professional diagnosis.

  • Hi, Laurensimmo, welcome Slight smile

    I know what you mean. I've felt the need to have people truly listen what I'm trying to describe - listen to me not compare me to the national average! I find it frustrating that people have often said 'that sounds like everyone'.

    I listed out as many clues as I could about the way autism shows up for me in my life and I noticed that if someone else were to experience only one of them in isolation to any of the others, it could be classed as common, 'normal' (hate that word, but can't find a better one!), etc. There were some clues that this would not apply to because they are too unique to autism in my view, but many could have had any number of common causes.

    But when looking at ALL the clues put together, the picture they form is absolutely autism.

    I went through quite a few other diagnoses in the past that could have been better described as autism now I have hindsight. I'm also now wondering if many other people with those same past diagnoses may actually be autistic. E.g. I was unofficially diagnosed as having chronic fatigue at one point. My notes at the time show how painfully intense sensory and social things were at that time in particular. I suspect it was autistic burnout, especially due to my lifestyle and environment that led up to it.