Diagnosed with autism 26/10/23

bluefox

Hello all,

It came as a surprise to me but I had a Psychiatry-UK assessment for autism and I was diagnosed yesterday! I’m still processing the diagnosis. 

It definitely explains the extreme anxiety I have faced throughout my life. Collecting every single anxiety diagnosis there is. 

Bettahm

bluefox said:

Hello all,

It came as a surprise to me but I had a Psychiatry-UK assessment for autism and I was diagnosed yesterday! I’m still processing the diagnosis. 

It definitely explains the extreme anxiety I have faced throughout my life. Collecting every single anxiety diagnosis there is. 

With you
I had a late diagnosis kind of out of nowhere after getting diagnosed with depression and anxiety then Steps 2 Change asked if I'd ever considered an autism diagnosis...
Yes, lifelong extreme anxiety from living on an alien planet.
I'm still processing stuff and finding out stuff.

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @bluefox

Is it strange to say congratulations? What I mean is, I am glad to hear that there is a diagnosis from the assessment for you. I hope the diagnosis has given you more answers and the community can continue to be a support for you

Albus_Scope

Hey there @bluefox, my first thought was to say congratulations as well. 
   I was diagnosed ASD on my 44th birthday and I can understand the mixed emotions completely.  Allow yourself all the time you need to process things, late diagnosed autistic people often describe a period of mourning, which I also got.  But now I'm loads happier as a human, because I know myself better and why I react as I do to situations.  

Just take your time and be gentle with yourself.  We're all here to help you learn. I have lots of links to good youtube channels if you want any.  

bluefox

Albus_Scope said:

Hey there @bluefox, my first thought was to say congratulations as well. 
   I was diagnosed ASD on my 44th birthday and I can understand the mixed emotions completely.  Allow yourself all the time you need to process things, late diagnosed autistic people often describe a period of mourning, which I also got.  But now I'm loads happier as a human, because I know myself better and why I react as I do to situations.  

Just take your time and be gentle with yourself.  We're all here to help you learn. I have lots of links to good youtube channels if you want any.  

Absolutely.

My life makes sense now too. My friends, well the virtual ones, call me Mr Know It All and say I am obsessed with football statistics and I found this:

"Whilst her diagnosis was late, she already knew she was different, and her process was a positive one. She said, “They gave examples of people in the sports world who also have autism, for example the lead statistical analysts for Manchester United football club has autism and because of the way his brain works, he is amazing at his job.”

Albus_Scope

Hah, yeah knowing EVERYTHING about your special interests is a huge thing.  But as the special interests change, the previous knowledge gets lost for me.  I used to be able to name nearly every species of praying mantis by its Latin name, now I struggle to name five of them.   

Another common autistic trait is pattern recognition, so the stats part really makes sense. It can be stupidly useful too!

and15

Hi @bluefox can I ask how long did you have to wait for your letter?I've been waiting 4 weeks now thanks 

bluefox

and15 said:

Hi @bluefox can I ask how long did you have to wait for your letter?I've been waiting 4 weeks now thanks 

If its Psychiatry-UK 

My letter was produced within a week. 

and15

Thank you @bluefox I got mine today