Hoping for a diagnosis! — Scope | Disability forum
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Hoping for a diagnosis!

AsGirl34
AsGirl34 Community member Posts: 3 Listener
Hey guys have not had a formal diagnosis as of yet (in the process) only just plucked up courage to see the GP to share my struggle and suspicions! I’m 99.5% sure I have ASD really really struggling with anxiety/depression at the moment but VERY good at putting the mask on!!! Anybody else in a similar situation?  -

Comments

  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Community member Posts: 16,007 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @AsGirl34 - Welcome to the community & thank you for joining us all. We do have community members that are on the autistic spectrum who will absolutely 'get' what you're saying. I'd like to ask @Franstrahan if she would come & chat to you as I'm sure she will be helpful (again)! Thank you Fran.  :)
  • thespiceman
    thespiceman Community member Posts: 6,388 Disability Gamechanger
    Hello @AsGirl34   Pleased to meet you.

    Thank you for joining and sharing.

    I am one of the team of Community Champions.  We guide, advise and help, support members.

    Sorry to hear this, please your not alone. Please if I can recommend the following mental health charities.

    I have mental health and disability plus addiction history .  I have anxiety depression and use my knowledge, expertise and experience to assist those with any problems.

    Used all three.

    https://www.richmondfellowship.org.uk.

    https://www.mind.org.uk.

    https://www.rethink.org.

    All offer floating support advice, guidance on your issues . Would help here with a possible diagnosis of ASD.

    Looking at benefit advice, information, support and any health wise. Diet nutrition.

    Please one suggestion if your are suffering anxiety or depression please consider this information. Very useful and can be beneficial.

    Certain foods we consume effect the mental state and cause more problems. One of these is Caffeine the other is Alcohol.  

    Caffeine in Tea, Coffee, Cola, Chocolate is a stimulant , more you consume the more you reach out for me. The more your symptoms become worse.

    Same with alcohol avoid at all costs, we get anxious thinking a drink will be calming in fact increases the anxiety and the depression become good to start with but makes you on a downer after wards.

    Sensible eating healthy lean meat and beans, pulses. Vegetables and fruit.

    Milky drinks warmed through with touch of honey.  Night time.

    Also eat whole grains. Pasta Rice, Bread and Potatoes have them at evening meals.

    Pasta, contains tryptophan as does any whole grains. A chemical in these ingredients natural sleeping pill and calming eases anxiety. 

    Nuts, Eggs and Dairy products useful for anxiety and soothing calming. Do not take if you have food intolerances.

    Natural or Greek Yoghurt useful for the anxiety stomach and very much can help. Buy ones with added bacteria cultures do help.

    One other you could contact your local Community Health Unit who has a well being support service.

    Wellbeing is a service where you have one to one, consultation with a member of the staff.

    All the things and aspects of mental health they do advise on as well anything else like ASD.

    Some thing to look at as well. Always useful.  To know additional education, knowledge. About how to cope.

    I used them after addiction and attained qualifications, knowledge use this to help members

    Please if you need anything else need to ask any questions please do so.

    Please take care.

    @thespiceman
    Community Champion
    SCOPE Volunteer Award Engaging Communities 2019
    Mental Health advice, guidance and information to all members
    Nutrition, Diet, Wellbeing, Addiction.
    Recipes
  • AsGirl34
    AsGirl34 Community member Posts: 3 Listener
    That would be amazing! Thank you! :)
  • Bettahm
    Bettahm Community member Posts: 1,439 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @AsGirl34, I'm Fran, thanks @chiarieds for the tag. Yes I have ASD, only found out last year at 57yo. I too have depression and anxiety (general anxiety disorder, also social anxiety disorder). I think I realized I was 'not like other people' when I was about 11 but certainly in high school there were problems. Since then never been able to hold down a job, or friendship, and never had a relationship (or wanted one). Happiest on my own, doing my own thing. Social interaction is my major problem. Like you, I mask, chameleonize, when dealing with people. Going out is like an actor going on stage, putting on a performance. Trying to cope in this alien world. There are other things, but everybody on the spectrum is different, no two of us present the same. 
    How do you find others react to you? I find they have to have a label (this is before I knew what was up). They've noticed something different about you. I've had these ones more than once. 'Alcoholic' 'lesbian' 'not normal' 'weird' . 'Shy' is one of the nicer ones. I'm HFA which used to be called aspergers. 
    Tell me a bit about your problems and let's see what we have in common.
    Nice to meet you  :)
  • AsGirl34
    AsGirl34 Community member Posts: 3 Listener
    Wow thank you so much for sharing with me! OMG I can’t believe now only at your age you have been diagnosed! Females really slip through the net don’t they! Just adds to, we are super human, more so those with ASD ;p So mine is definitely social anxiety- always have struggled but had a catalyst at work recently so thought sod it! I need help I need to know! I’ve always had I’m ‘unique’ I hoping in a good way! Lol very outspoken (what comes with) shy when younger definitely and avoidance! PDA I def fit under that bill in certain aspects of my life- have any of your family members been diagnosed? My dad has AS aswell as his 4 brothers so think why have I always gone un noticed? Female masking traits I guess? Very lonely place isn’t it at times 
  • Bettahm
    Bettahm Community member Posts: 1,439 Disability Gamechanger
    @AsGirl34
    Hi, I def dont feel superhuman! Something my cousins dont get. They read about all these aspies with great careers, families etc. Kind of had a falling out with them just recently. I was very unruly at school (1970s) so eventually they got a psychologist in to check me out. He missed it (girls do get missed) and I got suspended for being unruly. My parents knew there was something up, I just thought I was incredibly shy all my life, until it did get diagnosed as social anxiety disorder. That was only relatively recently. From that they went on to diagnose asd. I cant multitask (unlike most women), I work slow (I like to say methodical!), I like my routine, and dont like changes or surprises. I like lining things up, straight lines, facing forward. Would have made a great shelf stacked, but too slow!  Theres more stuff, but I find now I know I'm asd and can tell people that doesnt necessarily help either. Get comments such as You're not ASD, I know someone with ASD and your nothing like him!! They question it, I guess because I mask and still do. Old habits die hard. I do have a bad temper, or what I thought was bad temper, now know they are meltdowns, when everything gets too much. Dont know if family members have or had it. No close family left now. Dont really know second cousins that well. They think one of my second cousins may be. Hes older than me, never met him, and I think hes undiagnosed. But he had a job all his life, which is why they cant understand my not being able to hold one down. Comes back to this unable to do social interaction thing. I prefer the company of my pets and have worked in the past as a pet carer and gardener, and hope to get back into that soon, but this time with a little help and support.
    What do you do for work? I'm def not going back to working with people.
  • Chloe_Scope
    Chloe_Scope Posts: 10,586 Disability Gamechanger
    Hi @AsGirl34 and a warm welcome to the community, just wanted to check in to see how you were doing. :)
    Scope

  • Topkitten
    Topkitten Community member Posts: 1,285 Pioneering
    I think that, in general, doctors are slow to diagnose and inform trying to ensure they don't get it wrong but also there is something inside everyone that says "I don't want to be called disabled". I know it took me 4 years to admit I was disabled and when I finally asked the doctor if I was he said I had been for 3 years or so but didn't like to say so.

    TK
    "I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell" - from Wrong side of heaven by Five Finger Death Punch.

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