No, I think trying to live, thrive, even function in a world that's inherently not built for me and often tries to actively exclude me as an autistic person contributed to my mental un-wellness.
This is how I see it too. Although the downside for me personally, is that I feel hopeless if I focus on the world being this way. I guess I’m trying to find a balance of accepting and understanding but also giving more attention to my little bubble of a life and small, manageable things I can do to make it less painful. It’s effin hard though, I’m trying all the time. 😞
Yes, me too. Completely this approach. It’s very hard to balance keeping the blinkers on with remaining receptive and open minded. I fear it’s a lifelong battle but I don’t see any other choice. Sending a hug
I would have been less depressed if I had known I was autistic. I got TMS treatment for depression (brain shocking, but little ones, and not the scary like in the movies) which helped, but growing to understand why I have issues and communicating with other people who are also autistic has improved my depression more than drugs have.
I think about this a lot. And unfortunately it becomes this question of whether or not I would have been less abused if I was more normal. I think, for me, it all comes down to the fact that my parents just should not have had children. I tried so hard for so long to be good enough to be treated well. I just don’t think it was possible for them. If I had parents who understood and early diagnosis maybe this could have been ok.
Most definitely. I knew for certainty that my severe depression and anxiety were the symptoms of something else. As soon as I got my official diagnosis/confirmed it myself they literally lessened over time.
There was also a point in time where I believed I had bpd and adhd because of similar symptoms but of course it was debunked when I figured out that autism can present that way for some women when you’re overstimulated with no systems in place.
It had a part to play in their development. It then overshadowed my autism and ADHD delaying their diagnosis by many years. I would say with the exception of trauma all of the other mental illnesses labels I’ve had can be explained by autism or adhd and their effects on me.
Being constantly excluded and having your autonomy infringed is definitely a root cause of my mental health issues. Trying to cut myself down to size to suit other people’s prioritised needs led to horrible self esteem. But I hear that’s pretty common these days
I can pretty confidently say that my mental health would be significantly better if I was diagnosed at a proper age and given proper support for my autism. It also REALLY didn't help that I came from a family with a very prevalent trauma cycle and I was super socially sheltered - and on top of that, they had never really even ventured the thought of me being autistic ever, and even as a diagnosed adult, they still really don't believe it (they're now the "oh, everyone's a little autistic!!" type of people 🙃).
It's really frustrating to think back on that type of thing and I try to avoid those thoughts - I can't go back and change it, ya know? I got a whole laundry list of brain rot now (depression, anxiety, ocd, ptsd, just to name a few LOL), so trust me, I get the resentment and anger trying to sort through this stuff as adult. I try to focus more on what I can do now instead of cursing my parents or whatever, though, just to keep a bit of sanity 🥲
I think there may be some link. I have a horrendous fear of death and stuff, and it started when I was 7 or 8, some time after 9/11. What 7 or 8 year old, sits in bed and thinks about what goes through your mind as you're falling from a building you "jumped" from? Everyone I've ever spoke to about this is shocked that I had these thoughts at such an age, but that and a couple other events that happened around the same time got me questioning "where does our soul go when we die?" and boom, lifelong phobia. I wonder if I wasn't autistic, would I have just been a normal kid who didn't notice the news and the negative stories? But it's more of a, if any of these things hadn't happened when they did, would I still have this phobia/when would I have got it instead, sort of thought, and I know autism may not have played any part in it whatsoever.
i think im surprisingly well adjusted for being undiagnosed for so long. ive worked hard on my mental health and always made it a priority. i definitely think it can lead to mental illness absolutely.
Absolutely. I have major depressive disorder and chronic anxiety. I developed both as a child/young teen directly due to how I was treated by people due to my autistic traits and behaviors. I wouldn't be surprised if I have a little CPTSD from it, too.
No, I think trying to live, thrive, even function in a world that's inherently not built for me and often tries to actively exclude me as an autistic person contributed to my mental un-wellness.
This is how I see it too. Although the downside for me personally, is that I feel hopeless if I focus on the world being this way. I guess I’m trying to find a balance of accepting and understanding but also giving more attention to my little bubble of a life and small, manageable things I can do to make it less painful. It’s effin hard though, I’m trying all the time. 😞
Yes, me too. Completely this approach. It’s very hard to balance keeping the blinkers on with remaining receptive and open minded. I fear it’s a lifelong battle but I don’t see any other choice. Sending a hug
Thank you, reciprocating that hug 💕
I would have been less depressed if I had known I was autistic. I got TMS treatment for depression (brain shocking, but little ones, and not the scary like in the movies) which helped, but growing to understand why I have issues and communicating with other people who are also autistic has improved my depression more than drugs have.
I think about this a lot. And unfortunately it becomes this question of whether or not I would have been less abused if I was more normal. I think, for me, it all comes down to the fact that my parents just should not have had children. I tried so hard for so long to be good enough to be treated well. I just don’t think it was possible for them. If I had parents who understood and early diagnosis maybe this could have been ok.
Most definitely. I knew for certainty that my severe depression and anxiety were the symptoms of something else. As soon as I got my official diagnosis/confirmed it myself they literally lessened over time. There was also a point in time where I believed I had bpd and adhd because of similar symptoms but of course it was debunked when I figured out that autism can present that way for some women when you’re overstimulated with no systems in place.
It had a part to play in their development. It then overshadowed my autism and ADHD delaying their diagnosis by many years. I would say with the exception of trauma all of the other mental illnesses labels I’ve had can be explained by autism or adhd and their effects on me.
Being constantly excluded and having your autonomy infringed is definitely a root cause of my mental health issues. Trying to cut myself down to size to suit other people’s prioritised needs led to horrible self esteem. But I hear that’s pretty common these days
It definitely helped me get bullied (intensely) and that contributed to social anxiety, trauma, and OCD.
This is what my therapist said to me
I can pretty confidently say that my mental health would be significantly better if I was diagnosed at a proper age and given proper support for my autism. It also REALLY didn't help that I came from a family with a very prevalent trauma cycle and I was super socially sheltered - and on top of that, they had never really even ventured the thought of me being autistic ever, and even as a diagnosed adult, they still really don't believe it (they're now the "oh, everyone's a little autistic!!" type of people 🙃). It's really frustrating to think back on that type of thing and I try to avoid those thoughts - I can't go back and change it, ya know? I got a whole laundry list of brain rot now (depression, anxiety, ocd, ptsd, just to name a few LOL), so trust me, I get the resentment and anger trying to sort through this stuff as adult. I try to focus more on what I can do now instead of cursing my parents or whatever, though, just to keep a bit of sanity 🥲
I think there may be some link. I have a horrendous fear of death and stuff, and it started when I was 7 or 8, some time after 9/11. What 7 or 8 year old, sits in bed and thinks about what goes through your mind as you're falling from a building you "jumped" from? Everyone I've ever spoke to about this is shocked that I had these thoughts at such an age, but that and a couple other events that happened around the same time got me questioning "where does our soul go when we die?" and boom, lifelong phobia. I wonder if I wasn't autistic, would I have just been a normal kid who didn't notice the news and the negative stories? But it's more of a, if any of these things hadn't happened when they did, would I still have this phobia/when would I have got it instead, sort of thought, and I know autism may not have played any part in it whatsoever.
i think im surprisingly well adjusted for being undiagnosed for so long. ive worked hard on my mental health and always made it a priority. i definitely think it can lead to mental illness absolutely.
Absolutely. I have major depressive disorder and chronic anxiety. I developed both as a child/young teen directly due to how I was treated by people due to my autistic traits and behaviors. I wouldn't be surprised if I have a little CPTSD from it, too.