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Obsessions and OCD.

nikitaruby

Hi, I'm new here and I'm not sure if this is the right topic to place this comment so tell me if its in the wrong place!

  My son was diagnosed with Aspergers two years ago. He's 20 and has had problems for a long time to the point that the school excluded him as they had no idea what to do with him. Its a long story and no doubt many of you have had the same journey. Its been a battle all the way, fighting to get him education and to stop myself from going to prison when he wouldnt go to school, then fighting to get him treatment and an assessment then a battle to get financial aid. He self harms, (the scars on his arms are very bad but he refused to go to A+E after he cut himself for fear of being sectioned), has OCD and many strange obsessions. He has a fascination with mirrors or anything shiny, and his reflection. Often I'll come home from work and the mirrors have been taken down or I'll have to hold a mirror while he looks in it.

I guess I just want some reassurance that these little obsessions are part and parcel of Aspergers. He has no friends at all and I've been told he can get support to help him with education or hobbies although this has been very slow in happening. I've had to ring and email and ring again. he refused to take any medications for fear of the side effects as he has health anxiety too.

  I'm on meds myself because I became mentally ill with all the stress. I live on my own with him and work and keep a house, and at one point last year was studying for a degree which I achieved, (god knows how!). Its been hard and stressful as Im sure you can all attest to.

Sorry for the rambling post. Its a relief to let it all out. :/

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    Obsessions are a common feature in Asperger. Sometimes this is mild and you wouldn't notice and sometimes it gets out of control. There is a saying that "When you have met one person with autism you have just met one person with autism" we are all different but do share some common challenges.

    I sympathise with his resistance to medication. Medication is not necessary for Aspergers and I have avoided meds in order to avoid dependency issues and to avoid being chemically coshed. I can manage without but other people find them useful for some things so I don't advocate avoidance for everyone.

  • Hi nikitaruby,

    I recognise your journey so well as we are on it. Our grandson is 14 and high functioning. I understand exactly when you describe your life as a 'fight' to achieve anything. Those who haven't experienced it will never understand the far reaching effects that  autism can have on the child or adult and their carers. I have been seriously depressed in the recent past and I am sure that many more people on this site would attest to the same. 

    Obsessions....they are absolutely a part of Aspergers/ASD! Our grandson uses his obsessions to escape from a world he doesn't understand and they consume his every waking moment at times. Its a world where he is the expert..there's no nasty surprises awaiting him and he has supreme control of that world he has created. He is such a rigid thinker that dealing with just one topic for hour after after hour is a great comfort to him. He will attempt to control all conversations by talking incessantly about his obsessions because conversation can, otherwise lead anywhere and he can't cope with that. I have learnt that our grandson's obsessions are part of his coping mechanism so its a blessing that he has them despite the challenges that they bring. They help to protect his mental health in a way although anxiety is never far away. Take some comfort in the fact that there are thousands of us out there going to through exactly the same thing with our ASD children.