Late/missed diagnosis- Identity Crisis ( Hi )

[AprilR]

Hi AprilR ! Yes I agree. I just finished watching an interview with Gabor Matè and Tom Bilyeu -Nothing about autism but the information about trauma manifesting into illnesses, the first 3 years of a child’s life and how important it is , spirituality, life purpose etc . I really learnt a lot . I’ll attach incase you are interested to check it out. FYI it’s 3 hours long .

I am sorry that you can relate ! I wouldn’t wish that type of pain and hurdles on anyone. I try to believe we were given more difficult lives for a reason. I hope to find that. Hope you do too if you haven’t:
Happy almost bday !

Thank you! I will watch it, i was always interested in spirituality even as a child.

I like to think everything we live through is for a higher purpose also, to become a better version of ourselves.

 

[BreaksOver]

how many of you suffer from depression and anxiety? Do meds help? I’ve had such poor experiences with meds in the past . I wonder if it’s more due to the autism and sensory overload and lack of relationships / trauma etc …. Plus being situational ..

I am late here but I wanted to say welcome and yes, depression + anxiety for me. And the depression was definitely situational. I also have PTSD and an eating disorder which are linked to the anxiety. I strongly relate to this as I've also had very poor experiences with meds. I was on a lot. And I tried many combinations. None of them ever helped me, largely because I was on them while in abusive situations, so of course they wouldn't help. Once I made it out of those situations I stopped all meds. For years I swore off meds and would not even take Tylenol. I just hated how I'd been on all these medications and experienced so many side effects, but they'd never helped me emotionally.

I'm sure you're waiting for the "but", and here it is...BUT after many years I decided to try out medication for sleep. From there I realized that it helped with some of my anxiety. I do not trust psychiatrists and have never had a good experience with one - and this is not hyperbole. I have yet to meet one who actually listens to me, and I've met a lot over the years. However I brought this up with my primary care physician, and my doctor ended up prescribing a medication for anxiety. Funny how a doctor who isn't even a psychiatrist listened to me more when it came to meds. All that to say that in my experience, using medication as a way to treat certain symptoms has been helpful. With the stipulation that it's completely my decision what I take, no doctor is pressuring me to try anything, and I'm able to stop at any time. So far it has worked out for me and makes life a little more bearable. Meds don't cure anything for me, but I'm able to sleep fairly consistently and I have a pill I can take when I need to tone down the anxiety. It also helps that I chose to start on these medications in my own time.

Anyways, thanks for reading. I would love to chat and connect or hear your experiences if you’re comfortable. I am super caring , I love animals , love listening to music, researching, watching my favourite series over and over, eating chips (lol) , being in water, sailor moon & playing piano.

I also love eating chips. Crunchy textures are my favorite.

 

[Chameleon In Recovery]

Hi @BreaksOver ! Thanks for the warm welcome and for sharing some of your story with me. It’s really fascinating how many overlaps and similarities a lot of us have. I’ve been reading it’s more common for NDs to experience traumas and have PTSD and also the statistics on depression and anxiety for those on the spectrum is huge .. :/ I weirdly feel better gaining this knowledge, I’ve felt there’s something wrong with me for 3 decades now.
Happy to hear you’re getting better sleep with the meds .
& HECK YES TO CRUNCHY TEXTUREs!!!!!!!!
Psychiatrists are just so out of touch it seems. They don’t care about emotional or situations it’s like you’re a lab rat and they’re documenting the science and side effects and go from there.

Western medical system has a long way to go … it’s all backwards If you ask me.

I hope you’ve had a good holiday & happy new year

 

[BreaksOver]

Thanks for the warm welcome and for sharing some of your story with me.

Of course! I'm also happy to chat over message if you have other questions or just want to talk

I’ve been reading it’s more common for NDs to experience traumas and have PTSD

I read that as well. Honestly I wasn't even sure if I was autistic because I thought all my experiences stemmed from trauma. But after finding places like this forum and continuing all my research (autism has become a special interest for sure) I can see how it is a combination of both for me.

HECK YES TO CRUNCHY TEXTUREs!!!!!!!!

They're so good!!! Chips and crunchy food in general has always been the easiest thing for me to eat, even if I'm experiencing sensory overload.

 

[Chameleon In Recovery]

Of course! I'm also happy to chat over message if you have other questions or just want to talk

Likewise !

 

[autism-and-autotune]

Music helps. Especially when depressed or feeling lost. Even when you're overwhelmed put on headphones and play something relaxing.
Just to say I am officially Autistic diagnosed. Asperger's Syndrome. Though the term is no longer used officially.

I like what you're saying; music help me too to the same extent. I like plainchant and Vivaldi.