Is there a chance I might be autistic?

[WhoStoleMyCigar]

Hello, I‘m a teenager from Germany and I‘ve been wondering about my condition for a while now. I hadn’t been diagnosed, but I considered visiting a psychiatrist. My problem is that I always felt like the „odd one out“ in school. I always had problems communicating with others, so much that I was bullied in a certain class for a while. I never understood how to interact with other people and always had difficulty understanding them. „It‘s like participating in a play where everyone’s got their script except for you“ is a quote that I can sympathize with.

My interests are very specific and I had them for a long time, like psychology (which is why I got interested in the subject in the first place), art, dog and cat breeds, philosophy, Greek gods, etc. I am obsessed with organizing and writing down stuff over and over again. I can spend ages writing down certain gods or characters in a specific order (like alphabetical). It satisfies me.

Speaking of characters, I‘m making up characters all the time! I want to create an animated show in the future and become an animator. But it’s not like I kind of create some little characters and move on, I NEED to think of them all the time. I need them to be with me. I imagine having a strange (and disturbing) connection to my characters. There isn’t a single day I don’t think about my show and my world. It’s like a bubble around my head that only allows my thoughts and I need to be alone and get very annoyed when something interrupts me in my thinking. I always talk to myself because I need to organize my thoughts and I always imagine conversations (that will for 90% not happen).

I don’t know if this has anything to do with autism, but other symptoms I found were misunderstanding basic body language, the fact that I started to build sentences at age 3-4 and repetitive behavior. I hate it when sudden events happen. I usually get really annoyed and angry when I have to go for example to the Chinese restaurant, even though I like it. I feel bad for making my peers uncomfortable because of my behavior and I try to control it, but it’s difficult.

Any advice? Are there any chances I might be autistic? I have noticed a lot more symptoms from me but I decided to stick with these.

 

[tree]

 

[Nitro]

Hello WhoStoleMyCigar

 

[Isadoorian]

Welcome to the Forums! I hope you make new friends and enjoy your stay in the process!

There's online tests you can do that will help determine (here's a site to some tests Aspie Tests), however if you want to be absolutely, positively sure, then you'd need to get an Official Diagnosis done by a Medical Professional

 

[Graphin]

The chance is there, but is it truly about chances?

It may be difficult to find out what that means, but IMO granted one is honest with themselves and truly understands what being autistic means, the person themselves would be the best to know.

The problem with many of those tests is that those are mostly based on self evaluation, people can get too biased quickly without even knowing.

Professionals don't seem to hold a good reputation in this forum due to many stories.

 

[Tom]

Those are fairly representative of autistic behaviors and experience, so I would say you may be on the spectrum. It takes a while to be sure however, so consider it a possibilty but not the only one. Taking free online self tests is one thing to try and interfacing with other Aspies (like on this or another forum) can be illuminating. No everyone wants to get a official diagnosis, but it is an option if you think doing so will be of benefit. Not sure about your country but not sharing the info can be pretty important (that is not telling people you are or suspect being autistic). Many use it as a negative label or stereotype against you. So be cautious in your self investigation.

 

[Autistamatic]

Hi and welcome
Some of what you say suggests you could be on the spectrum so I'd say it is a distinct possibility. Formal diagnosis is the only way to be sure and at 16 years old it will be easier to get done than when you're an adult in most countries.
You do hear some tales of bad doctors and psychologists, but then people are always keen to share the horror stories without mentioning the good ones or the ones that just do an OK job. I wouldn't let such stories scare you off.
Who you tell and when is up to you, but it can go badly with people you least expect on occasion. At your age I wouldn't mention autism to anyone outside your immediate family unless you are formally diagnosed.
I hope you find it pleasant here and it helps you decide how to move forward

 

[Joshua the Writer]

@WhoStoleMyCigar It sounds like you most like are autistic. Maybe go to a professional who specializes in it and ask how you can get an official diagnosis.