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I’d like to report this post for doxxing
Don’t forget trauma, can’t tell what the hell is going on with me because the symptoms for the 3 overlap a lot. All 3 fit while all 3 don’t fit.
Spent over 30 years thinking I wasn’t autistic, never even suspecting as much. If not for my gf who actually knew the symptoms and convinced me to seek diagnosis, I would still think I’m a “different normie”
Maybe both?
This hits hard as my son has just been diagnosed with ASD and when old enough is very likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. We’re very happy to help support him thro this and feel it benefits him knowing.
However, my wife is convinced I portray symptoms and while I feel a little lost in life I really don’t want to take the attention away from my son. I’m also 50 so feel like it may be better to just accept I’m from a time that didn’t address it and bottle it up with the rest of my traumas
I am diagnosed with ADHD but also have basically every Autism symptom to some extent. But I don’t know if pursuing an Autism diagnosis is even worth it, like it’s not treatable anyway, is it?
Have ASD level 1, can confirm there’s no treatment sadly.
I mean, what would an autism diagnosis provide?
At least with ADHD you get really helpful meds
I got some preliminary testing done by a clinical psychologist for both ADHD and autism, and it indicated I have both. For a diagnosis to ‘count’ medically, you have to have a doctor make it though, so I went to a psychiatrist.
Both the psychologist and psychiatrist basically advised that I should only seek a medical diagnosis for neurodivergence if I was going to seel treatment or other disability accomodations with it. Otherwise, there’s no real benefit and a huge chance of discrimination by other doctors. A friend, who’s from another country, said her psych gave the exact same advice.
So I only got a medical diagnosis for ADHD and remain content with the psychologist’s autism ‘diagnosis’.
I mean, what would an autism diagnosis provide?
Some peace of mind for some, I guess. Giving a name to the issue may help a little living with it
Are labels like that actually helpful?
I’m genuinely asking. I feel like they’re not, that with or without it you have to forge an understanding with others
Getting my ADHD diagnosis was very validating for me. It validated the struggles and experiences I have, and allows me to be kinder to myself
As a parent, helping children to name their emotions when they feel something is the very foundation of getting them to recognise what’s happening and developing strategies to cope with the strong feelings.
I’ve been told by parents of kids with autism, and by friends who’s received formal diagnosis that it is a very similar mechanism. The ‘label’ helps with recognising patterns of behaviour, and helps them to develop coping mechanisms.
My self-talk has changed in tone since I got a diagnosis. It’s still not very gentle but it’s also not outright abusive anymore. It’s the difference between “you fucking lazy fuck, everybody else can do this, what is wrong with you?!” and “oh right, THAT’S wrong with you. right, okay, fine, find a different way. again. *eyeroll* sheesh…” That’s huge.
In my case yes absolutely, being able to identify it and get help with it did definitely help
For some they are, for some they’re not, I guess. Personally I do think it helps me understand myself better , but then again I was diagnosed as a kid for ADHD, but have been off meds for 20 year (I forgot to take them and eventually stopped altogether)
Not the labels per se but being able to identify patterns and processes can be a comfort and even helpful if you have the right guidance and support system.
For example, identifying habitual masking (even when unnecessary) and making the decision not to mask can be helpful when socialising by conserving energy and making them more meaningful without the doubt and shame of “faking it”. Also giving yourself credit for feeling emotions and stimuli intensely and deciding for yourself to move away from to self-regulate.
The “label” should be foremost for you, hence why some don’t feel comfortable getting an official diagnosis (especially in the U.S.)
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Some amount of support from the government and public institutions (at least where I’m from).
Well, must be nice to live in a civilized country…
Well there’s lots of red tape and the bureaucracy is a nightmare but it exists.
I was almost certain I had adhd, and would sometimes think “what if I am autistic or straight up mentally challenged and everyone knows but hasn’t told me?” Cuz I was tsken to a shrink as a kid, but I don’t know what the outcome of that was or even why my parents took me to begin with. I just remember being super uncomfortable and the smell of the office.
So I setup a doctor’s appointment in my mid 30s and was told I have both, plus BPD which I didn’t know about then so I’ve spent a lot of time looking into what it actually is and that one explains almost evey single problem I have that made me seek help for. The ADHD and Autism seem to balance themselves out; the BPD puts way too much stress on relationships with other human beings.
funny comment for me to find, this literally just happened to me. had the terrible realization recently that i’v…kind of been the setup/butt to jokes my whole life, from people taking advantage of my “naivity” i guess. which is weird because… I had always sort of looked down on autistic people myself. they just seemed so…predictable (apparently I am high-fucntioning autistic, or whatever it’s called).
realizing that I myself have basically been forest gump to all these motherfuckers…very jarring realization. Had been living till now with the assumption of ignorance before malice, that most people are just…dumb, not evil. now i realize the evil people might be way more common than i thought, really fucking with my head…
find myself reexaming all my lifes interactions, how many people this whole time that i thought were being nice werent. how can i mask effectively anymore if i can’t trust my own memories let alone my ability to read other people?
wait, i think this whole experience just finally tought/reinforced… full empathy for me? jesus. this feeling fucking sucks, i feel so much pain and misery for humankind as a whole, i don’t like it
You just scheduled a doctor’s appointment and got diagnosed with autism in your 30s? How did that work? Every experience I’ve heard of (inside and out of the US) has been quite involved
It was more than just a single appointment for the whole process but the first one gave enough indicators to have them send me to see a specialist.
Ah that makes sense. I got the “indicators” but don’t have the time money or desire for a full blown diagnosis so I left it at that. Glad you were able to get it done though! Some people get screwed.
Don’t tell them you smoke weed or you’re going to have a bad time.
Why is that? Weed can cause similar symptoms?
Haha, it was both
