Hey WP,
My name is James and l am 28. I was recently assessed by a doctor with experience diagnosing adults on the spectrum and l am currently waiting for the results. l was 22 the first time anyone suggested l may have Aspergers.While l have always felt like l was on a foreign planet and never really fell in line with society, a meltdown when l was 24 finally convinced me l needed to seek help. Doctors have labeled me, yet never formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. Does that even make sense? I hope so. Some symptoms were clearly there, but were almost completely circumstantial, l did not meet all of the criteria, and symptoms were not consistent. Still, l was prescribed nearly two dozen antidepressants, anti psychotics, and anti-anxiety medications that took my life from slamming on the brakes to a complete disaster.
I admitted myself to a 72 hour hold in 2015 after l had alienated my family and made my stepmother and stepsister feel unwelcome in their own home; always offending them and coming across hostile. This completely baffled me. I also had found myself in charge of way more than l should have been working at shady multi level marketing company. The walls closed in fast. Once there, the psychiatrist became the first to listen to how l experienced the world. He gave me a provisional diagnosis of PDD-NOS. As he was not my regular doctor, he said that it would be the starting point for me. Two years later it is finally working out. Shortly after, l moved back to Texas and life sped up again. I held on for awhile, but l have felt for a long time like the floor was going to fall out from underneath for 8th time in four years.
Whew, that was a lot. l am working to start a career in IT after nearly a dozen years working in retail (What was l thinking?!). I have read the forums now for a few years, and after my assessment everything has become so very real, very fast. I need community, and l think l have finally found my planet.
03 Aug 2017, 4:45 am
