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Apologies for the new account - I (intentionally) lost access to my old one several months ago, because I was having trouble with psychosis at the time, and didn't trust myself to post responsibly.

In the meantime, I've been in therapy, and my official diagnosis has been re-assessed as ASD, PTSD, and Major Depressive Disorder with Psychotic Features. (Surprisingly, not Bipolar Disorder, which was previously suspected.)

But my therapist wants me to seek outside social connection at this point, and not just isolate, so here I am, giving it another try. My track record at interacting with other humanoids is not stellar, but we'll see how this goes.

Progress I've made in my recent therapy:

• Getting an official ASD diagnosis, which had only been an informal assessment previously. This has helped me with the nagging uncertainty I felt before, that perhaps I was wrong, and didn't belong here.

• Trying several medications, all resulting in adverse effects, as has been my lifelong experience - reconfirming my confidence that I am handling my symptoms as best I can, and that meds unfortunately don't work for everyone.

• Learning (to my complete surprise) that I also have childhood-onset PTSD, due to being raised in an atmosphere of psychological abuse, neglect, and gaslighting, resulting in severe distrust, paranoia, and psychosis.

So that's what's changed, since I was last here. The tricky thing is that I'm still living with my parents (I'm 47, they're 74), which is not the healthiest situation imaginable, but I'm trying to do the compassionate thing, and support them in their retirement. But if their behavior crosses a line, I'm prepared to move out - though that requires moving out of state, since I can't afford to live in this area on my own. (Nor can they, though they're in stubborn denial on that point.)

Anyway, in terms of ASD issues, it has always been my pattern to isolate. I have no friends, no social activities, no job (I have chronic illness due to Lyme disease) - and the only people I talk to are my parents, who are senile and delusional. I realize that's not the ideal situation, so here I am trying to interact with others, as per my therapist's advice.

Hello to all, and I hope I can offer support to others who are dealing with similar challenges.

Welcome back!

It's heartening to hear about the progress you've made despite the difficulties of your situation. I hope that we can also offer you some support to help with your challenges!

Welcome back to Wrong Planet!

Welcome back! I remember you. You were kind and helpful.

Welcome back. What was your previous username? Many of the problems that Aspies deal with are stress related and this stress and trauma can build up over time and cause things like PTSD. One of the best books I read on helping resolve PTSD is by Peter A. Levine called "In an Unspoken Voice".

Thanks everyone - it's nice to be back (and yes, my previous name was Ashariel). I tend to be a sporadic poster, and go through phases of feeling more social, vs. needing to isolate, but I really appreciate having a place to talk about stuff I'm dealing with, and people who understand what it's like.

Jimmy m - thanks for the PTSD book recommendation, I will check that out!