Someone used a delicate side of my autism as an Art project

Hey! So this just happened to me tonight: I want your opinion:

A couple of months ago my autism degraded my health heavily making me wonder if it may be more severe than my initial diagnosis. I found something that fitted my description completely and I discussed it with my GP, but feeling worst, I dropped the aid. It caused several depression, loss of weight and a lot of suicidal thoughts (not the subject). Around the same time I meet this girl, I'll call her Mary. She tells me she's very autistic, and I tell her about my condition and suspicion of my decreased mental condition. I tell her I think I may have something close to an extreme version of  "Maladaptive Daydreaming". My parents thought I was naive sharing my thought with Mary that she'll tell everyone. 

I didn't care if she did, it might to me be very true. I was not going to see her again since we chose different art options "yes we are in an Art University"

No, she did worst.

Today, was a great day, first of all. Then I hear a girl talking with my tutor about her project and how it's about "people stuck in a different mental dimension"....... ok? Then after a while, the girl talking is about to leave, trying to depict at best her work while avoiding making it narrative (art). Suddenly she says it's about "maladaptive Daydreaming". I rise from my seat in astonishment and guess who I see? Mary. I was FURIOUS. I watch her leave in awe, she doesn't even notice I am in the room. The tutor looks at me and asks if something is wrong. I ask if I heard what I heard was correct. He says yes and then realises I may be that which Mary spoke of and I say "yes!" and he replies "Ok, I'll tell her to put you the credit!" I cry that that's NOT THE POINT!!

I cry and am still upset. I felt betrayed that she would not even ask me first knowing I had that mental condition and how sensible it can be. Understand that she would not know about this had I not talked to her about it in the first place. Autism can take many forms I know.

As an autistic person would you enjoy having a mental condition that may cause you harm and be used as an art project WITHOUT WARNING? Did I overreact or am I right to be upset?

Parents
  • If this happened to me I think I would also be upset. 

    Reading your post the first thing I did was google Maladaptive daydreaming as I'd not heard of it before, then I thought 'am I like that?'  You said that Mary described herself to you as very autistic, so maybe she resonated with what you were saying and looked at how that applied to herself too.  I don't know if you feel able to talk to Mary or if you think that would make things worse.  I think that I would try to talk to her possibly with a mediator if I thought it might get out of hand (imo your tutor should've suggested that!).

  • When I told her about it, she did research it in front of me. She said it was a version of autism from what she could read. I don't believe she saw herself in this, and I don't believe talking to Mary is a good idea. The simple fact from what I could read from your comments: she did not do anything wrong. Sure I was in the right to feel distressed and hurt when it's a mental condition that is harmful to me daily. Then again you have to understand that I wasn't hurt by the art in itself. On the contrary, some of you pointed out I do not own the sickness (i knew that writing this) and I felt flattered by the concept. Yet again like @Sam pointed out, she probably wasn't even thinking about me specifically when she decided to do that. Although I do feel very hurt, I think seeing the art might calm me better than a conversation.

  • Sounds like you have a plan, hope you are ok.

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