Recently diagnosed - No idea who I am any more

Hey - new here and hoping to get some friendly advice on how to cope with being diagnosed recently. I’m 34 and i was 95% convinced I was autistic for about 4 years before I actually got officially diagnosed, so when I finally got the confirmation that all my suspicions were right, I felt a huge sense of relief and validation. Now, about a fortnight on, my euphoric relief has turned into a deep dark dissociative space. I’m depressive, vacant and don’t want to talk to anyone or do anything social. I am aware of how down I am, but can’t do anything about it. I feel like I’ve now been given the green light to know who I really am… and now I’m completely overwhelmed. I feel like I have to get to know a new person. And that person is me.. who I thought I already knew… help !

Parents Reply
  • life is rubbish and depression does come and go

    And so do moments of great profundity, richness, and meaning.They also go, but they also come.

    As someone who has struggled with depression, there are moments of unrelenting empty darkness, and there are those moments when the light dances through a window - and there is a wonderful lightness.

Children