Neophilia and “fixated interests”

[Kalinychta]

About every eighteen months I become fascinated by something. I read every book in existence about it,—any and all books available on the entire planet, I’ll find them,—dream about it, write about it, think about it, talk about it,…but then I move on to the next something, eventually. Although I never lose complete interest in things I was once enamored of, but the fire does die. This goes for relationships with people, too, particularly those with men.

I’m curious how often other autistic people’s fixated interests last—those of you who have fixated interests as defined in the DSM:

1. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g, strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interest).

 

[717]

I also fixate but in my case is more cyclical. I revisit many of the same fixations over the years, picking them up, going really strong for some time then dropping them and then to repeat some months or years latter.

I don't do this with relationships, I get to make friends, but this is not the normal kind of friends, but more like... friends in a place, or friends with common interest.

 

[Judge]

I’m curious how often other autistic people’s fixated interests last—those of you who have fixated interests as defined in the DSM:

1. Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus (e.g, strong attachment to or preoccupation with unusual objects, excessively circumscribed or perseverative interest).

I became aware of my own autism at the age of 55. Having watched a program on the National Geographic Channel called "Taboo". People with unusual attractions to things like a blowup doll, the Berlin Wall or a Volkswagen Beetle. Though they didn't specify how long these people have had such feelings. Leaving me to wonder after seeing this post. Hmmmm.

The man with the blowup doll was clearly identified as also having this thing I never heard of called "Asperger's Syndrome".

Yet as I recall, the woman with a fetish about the Berlin Wall and the man in love with his Volkswagen were not mentioned as being autistic. I'm guessing they may have been, though this was back in a time when much of the science was still being researched in terms of the American Psychiatric community.

I have core (fixated) interests that have lasted for several decades. Though they ebb and flow to an extent, but are always there.

 

[Aspychata]

If an interest doesn't serve me well whether it be people or an interest , l move on. If l can revisit , l do. It's that simple for me.

 

[Crossbreed]

I fixate until I exhaust my available resources. It does not die, but it hibernates until another new piece of the puzzle comes along.

For example, I have all of the features I could ever want on my highly-programmable universal remote

, but I still tweak it when I discover new features.