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Don't Be Shy To Introduce Yourself

Hi everyone, I’m 31 living in MD. I am late diagnosed (only a year ago) ASD level 1, ADHD-PI, along with the classics: severe anxiety and depression. I spent the first 30 years of my life wondering why I felt and saw things and processed things different than everyone else but I pushed that aside because everyone said I was fine. As I graduated college and found a successful career my mental health started to seriously decline. I sought help, therapists, psychiatrists, I’ve been partially hospitalized for a month before, with no luck. After returning to work my health got really bad and my doctors pulled me out of work. After being infuriated that nobody believed me I did so much research including many many many of those online tests ( all saying moderate to high likelihood I have ASD) I began the long journey to get diagnosed. After a dozen declines from psychiatrists because they’re self-pay or only diagnosed kids. I pleaded with the woman on the phone and consequently started to meltdown. She granted me an appointment, and confirmed my suspicions. ASD level 1 and ADHD-Predom. Inattentive. Now a year later my private disability insurance, through Principal, decided to randomly pay a third party doctor to say I’m fine and I’ve been fine this whole time and stopped my only income. They never spoke to my therapist and none of my doctors cleared me to return to work. I can barely operate my own life. I’m having a really hard time not only processing this but getting help from local community resources. I’m also getting a divorce and need to navigate that somehow and will be moving out in six months. I’m here to connect with fellow autistic people and find community. Nobody understands me, so I’m hoping there will be more understanding here. I’m sorry for the long intro, I think I needed it off my chest.
 
TheLostSurveyor said:
Hi everyone, I’m 31 living in MD. I am late diagnosed (only a year ago) ASD level 1, ADHD-PI, along with the classics: severe anxiety and depression. I spent the first 30 years of my life wondering why I felt and saw things and processed things different than everyone else but I pushed that aside because everyone said I was fine. As I graduated college and found a successful career my mental health started to seriously decline. I sought help, therapists, psychiatrists, I’ve been partially hospitalized for a month before, with no luck. After returning to work my health got really bad and my doctors pulled me out of work. After being infuriated that nobody believed me I did so much research including many many many of those online tests ( all saying moderate to high likelihood I have ASD) I began the long journey to get diagnosed. After a dozen declines from psychiatrists because they’re self-pay or only diagnosed kids. I pleaded with the woman on the phone and consequently started to meltdown. She granted me an appointment, and confirmed my suspicions. ASD level 1 and ADHD-Predom. Inattentive. Now a year later my private disability insurance, through Principal, decided to randomly pay a third party doctor to say I’m fine and I’ve been fine this whole time and stopped my only income. They never spoke to my therapist and none of my doctors cleared me to return to work. I can barely operate my own life. I’m having a really hard time not only processing this but getting help from local community resources. I’m also getting a divorce and need to navigate that somehow and will be moving out in six months. I’m here to connect with fellow autistic people and find community. Nobody understands me, so I’m hoping there will be more understanding here. I’m sorry for the long intro, I think I needed it off my chest.
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Hello, I'm going through a divorce process myself (I already moved away), and it was such a good decision in my life. I hope you feel the same or soon will feel the same. It's scary in the start, but then you just get used to living alone again.
There are some AuDHD people here, I'm sure you'll find a lot in common. This is a safe place. Welcome :)
 
TheLostSurveyor said:
Hi everyone, I’m 31 living in MD.
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That means somewhere in the US I assume. Welcome to the forum. There's a wealth of experiences in here, no matter how autism presents in you there will be someone else in here that's similar. Learning to understand yourself a little better should help make life a bit easier for you.
 
Welcome to the forum! :)

Sorry to hear that you've had such a difficult time. I live in MD as well and was unable to find a doctor who would take my insurance AND worked with adults. That's why I self-diagnosed. Some parts of the world people recognize that this is real, while in other places they don't. I hope things get better for you. 🌈
 
Welcome, @TheLostSurveyor

I too was late diagnosed ASD LV 1 and ADHD Inattentive but I've got a few decades of age ahead of you.

Are you in a job or a field of work that's more stressful to you than you originally thought? Looking back, it's obvious to me that a lot of the jobs I had, I was very ill-suited for and as such, they caused me a ton of stress without me even realizing it.

I hope your divorce isn't related to your recent diagnoses.

Ask any questions you want of us to get feedback. Our personal experiences and accounts may help you.
 
Welcome. I’m glad you’re here.

Also going through a divorce I didn’t want.

You might want to get the ball rolling on Social Security Disability (SSDI). It is tough to get; usually takes 3 tries. (Used to be in the field.)

Does your private disability insurance have an appeal process? If so, it could be beneficial to file an appeal. Then you could present your other doctor’s information.
 
Magna said:
Welcome, @TheLostSurveyor

I too was late diagnosed ASD LV 1 and ADHD Inattentive but I've got a few decades of age ahead of you.

Are you in a job or a field of work that's more stressful to you than you originally thought? Looking back, it's obvious to me that a lot of the jobs I had, I was very ill-suited for and as such, they caused me a ton of stress without me even realizing it.

I hope your divorce isn't related to your recent diagnoses.

Ask any questions you want of us to get feedback. Our personal experiences and accounts may help you.
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Thank you everyone for welcoming me!

I had worked my way up to a project manager for an engineering firm. I thought that it was normal to feel the crippling anxiety and the overwhelm, and that everyone just handled it better than me. The work itself fascinated me; interpreting land records, and recreating old land surveys. But I think that’s what hurt me. I loved the work, I just couldn’t handle everything else on top of that
 
TheLostSurveyor said:
Thank you everyone for welcoming me!

I had worked my way up to a project manager for an engineering firm. I thought that it was normal to feel the crippling anxiety and the overwhelm, and that everyone just handled it better than me. The work itself fascinated me; interpreting land records, and recreating old land surveys. But I think that’s what hurt me. I loved the work, I just couldn’t handle everything else on top of that
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I worked for 27 years straight.
At the end of it, I had "Autistic Burnout", but I was able to retire early and now have an anxiety-free life.
I saved the best for last. :cool:
 
If my employer had not dropped the ball, give me a desk job as company quality engineer I may have stayed beyond retirement, they found out after they were bought out by a larger company and then realized how important I was to their business model threatening to sue me after I retired did not help their case. Us highly qualified Aspies are not easy to replace or more likely irreplaceable.
 
A good resource for your legal rights as a person with a disability:

DISABILITY RIGHTS MARYLAND
https://disabilityrightsmd.org/how-to-get-help/
How to Get Help

Please contact us Mondays through Fridays between 9am and noon, or Wednesday evenings between 4pm and 6pm.

Disability Rights Maryland (DRM) may represent Maryland residents who have a disability and a legal issue within the scope of our 2024 Advocacy Service Plan.
To request legal representation:
Contact our intake office at 410-727-6352 ext. 0 (ask for “intake”), Monday through Friday 9am to noon, or Wednesdays 4pm to 6pm to learn if we can assist you.
To reach the intake department, please use the phone numbers listed below.
Phone: 410-727-6352 ext.0
Toll free: 1-800-233-7201
TTY: 410-235-5387
Fax: 410-727-6389
Mail: Disability Rights Maryland
1500 Union Avenue, Suite 2000
Baltimore, MD 21211

For people living in other US states, just google disability rights [state name]
 
Hi!
My name is Hayley. I’m 28 years old and I’ve been diagnosed with Aspergers since I was 8 years old.

I love to hyper-fixate on a lot of things as it brings me a lot of comfort. When I’m tired or bored of something I’m currently fixating on, I like to cycle through my other fixations I love and jump back into those. I’m a San Diego native and in a couple weeks, I’ll be moving closer to San Francisco. I have been blessed with a loving fiancé who accepts me for me and I’m hoping I can make friends on here.

It’s a little hard for me to make friends, so I apologize if I’m a little awkward at first.

Thank you guys for taking the time to read this.
 
Welcome, @HyperfixedAngel

We all are our own flavor of strange. It would be boring otherwise. But yeah. I have no doubt you'll make some friends here. We are a friendly community and can help with anything you maybe unsure about.

Who knows. We could learn from you, more than you learn from us.
 
Xinyta said:
Welcome, @HyperfixedAngel

We all are our own flavor of strange. It would be boring otherwise. But yeah. I have no doubt you'll make some friends here. We are a friendly community and can help with anything you maybe unsure about.

Who knows. We could learn from you, more than you learn from us.
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Thank you so much for your kind words ❤️
 
Hi, I am Created Unique, I am a 33 years old woman. I was diagnosed with autism when I was in the fourth grade. I have five siblings, one of which that passed away recently. I lived on my own for 4 years, but now live with my parents. I want to understand myself and others better. findI hope to find community that understands me and what I am going through.
 
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