Masters/PhD on neurodevelopment/neurodivergence/autism

I don't totally fit that category but I did study psychology (and psychotherapy) at Masters level. My studies included Neuropsychology, which was, and still is, fascinating. We learned detailed theories of childhood development, the brain and behaviour.

I only recently learned that I'm Autistic and my university years are long gone. However, like many, I'm aware that I was indeed Autistic then. I went to uni after treatment and in recovery for anorexia and depression. I know my issues made me want to study psychology. I wanted to learn to help understand myself, but I also wanted to help children so they could have a better life growing up than I did. I didn't want children to suffer from mental health issues and I wanted to support them properly - a rather huge goal!

My professors wanted me to continue immediately for my PhD but 6 years of uni was enough for me - I wanted to stop all the studying and work/have a life. I must say that staying at uni would have been better for me because my work environments were horrible. I just wanted to do my work and not chat all the time or gossip with colleagues I didn't like. Nobody respected me. I was the "weirdo" for just concentrating on my work.

During my employment, I did work for my uni training Masters level psychology/psychotherapy interns at my (terrible) workplaces. I was also a university board member. I got a lot of respect there. Uni life had always helped me feel good.

After 2 jobs involving my psychology/psychotherapy skills, I decided I could not and did not want to work with people - I liked working with children and they liked me, as did my employees; it was the 7-8 hours around other management colleagues that distressed me.

Therefore, I went into research, which I studied as well at uni. I just wanted to sit quietly with numbers, statistics and other data. I love questionnaire design. I made the mistake of working in an office and had the same experiences with colleagues as before. I wish I could have worked at home but that was a long time before that option was appropriate. Also, it would have taken too long to build up a consultancy career working for myself. I did some consulting work as part of my job and I sometimes got respect.

So I doubt I meet the criteria of your topic, but I just wanted to respond with my experiences that are sort of related (I hope).

Sorry you went through all that with other people. Now I'm in a job with the same people every day it's now awful. And being told to just ignore is so easy for those who don't experience it to say. Anyway I just wanted to say you're not alone in dealing with unkind people.

Sorry you went through all that with other people. Now I'm in a job with the same people every day it's now awful. And being told to just ignore is so easy for those who don't experience it to say. Anyway I just wanted to say you're not alone in dealing with unkind people.

Thank you, Pickl. I complained repeatedly and many times directly to the disrespectful person. That just made me more marginalised.

Being told to ignore it is not only difficult, it puts the responsibility on US, not the people who are the ones being unkind and disrespectful. It got so bad that I feel like I have low level PTSD even now.

I could write a book about working with dreadful people but I'll wish you good luck and thank you again for the support.