Female Asperger video

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I attempted to make a video about being a female with Asperger Syndrome today. Much of what I talk about relates to struggles with employment, but it's basically a broad overview of some struggles, especially related to my own situation (I realize it is a spectrum and not everyone has all the same struggles or symptoms).

Here it is:

http://youtu.be/ifMcTaw8ep0

Thoughts?

I can relate.
I was only diagnosed 4 weeks ago.
I'm 41.
I self diagnosed some years ago, but someone mentioned to me they thought I was on the spectrum before I was ready to hear it, and it really upset me.
I was incorrectly diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was 17, and was sectioned to hospital by my parents.
I was medicated to the eyeballs, and sent home off my gourd on prescription drugs.
I didn't work for quite some time, as my medication made me unable to do anything.
My parents decided I must have been to blame, as at the time teenage onset schizophrenia was being linked to cannabis use, and like most I had done my share of experimenting.
Because of my families attitude I was labelled as having a psychotic illness, and this prevented any real work being done to properly diagnose or treat the underlying cause.
This lead to increasingly bad anxiety and depression, some traumatic experiences cased PTSD, then OCD kicked in a bit.
I had a failed suicide attempt, which was seen as a stupid drunken act of irresponsible immaturity.
I lost my first marriage, and have little contact with my now 13 year old daughter.

I do have a happy second marriage, and I am working through my difficulties now I have been diagnosed.
In my case, my family are too toxic for me, at least at present.
I'd ceased contact some time ago, but sent my parents a letter saying I had been diagnosed, that I didn't blame them for my autism, but I did blame them for the way they treated me.
My parents have previously said they will not adjust their attitude or the way they interact with me.
The problem is, that their treatment of me only triggers and worsens my anxiety and therefore my autistic behaviour.

Anyway, you are younger than me, you have the opportunity to get diagnosed and avoid the pitfalls I have been victim to.
Do what you can to make things better in your life.
Autism is not a disease, does not mean something is wrong with you, and is not a bad thing.
It just means you process information differently.
For that reason it also means some will discriminate against you, and nothing much can be done.
The good thing though, is it means you prefer good honest people, and if you can find people like that and surround yourself with them, your life will be a lot better, regardless of autism, or diagnosis or not.

It's interesting how you say you weren't diagnosed yet still consider yourself as having Asperger's. Will you seek diagnosis to confirm your belief one day?

Considering how subjective and unreliable past visits and diagnoses have been, no. I do believe, and have researched, neuroscientific bases for this condition, and that is where I base my diagnosis. I like to do my own research and come to my own conclusions, not rely only on opinions of experts, who often conflict with one another in their views anyway.

If you have more objective criteria of your own, and think this self-diagnosis is inaccurate, I would be more than happy to hear it, however. I have found very few people who excel in academia only to experience constant frustration in the working world. If I was not concrete or specific enough in my video with my struggles, I will try to be more so. We should always try to base our decisions on the best empirical evidence available.

I was reluctant to post on WP until I believed I "belonged" here. For my own self I needed validation of my Asperger's suspicions. I figured no one, including my family, would believe me unless a licensed clinical psychologist said so. If the diagnostician said I wasn't autistic, I would've accepted that. Luckily, she did confirm my suspicions.

In case you're interested, I found my diagnostician through Psychology Today. It seems like the average price is between $95 - $150.

http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/r ... TherapistA

Good job with the video.

Women commonly drift from job to job in life, in particular, it is difficult due to our going undiagnosed commonly and not understanding why this happens or the root causes. This effects our income and outcomes.

You are correct, when women commonly try to get diagnoses they directed to something else which if you reflect on it says something about the diagnoses system and its treatment / perspective toward women symptomology.

More social services need to be aware of women's symptoms though.

Here are some other links which may help to inform also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft4331uZyv8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXIpnrPW26M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8IsOfumiC8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa_V8v7Eqrk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIgsJ6uSgMo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNFLe2FLKj4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwjNcYemGV0