Attitudes in Scandanavian/Northern European Countries

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Hello,

I am a science graduate in the UK who has a little work experience and is fortunate enough to be currently employed in the area I want to work in, albeit on a short term contract. My field has attracted a lot of interest and funding in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Germany, and I am seriously considering pursuing a position in one of these countries (probably Denmark). I have access to a large number of contacts there, so if there are jobs going I'd be in with a good chance. The work situation in the UK for people in my field is bad and unlikely to improve any time soon. I have spoken to friends and collegues in my field and they agree that my career opportunities would be better abroad. I have also heard that on the continent quality of like is much better for scientists than it is here, and that the quality of life for everyone is better in the Scandinavian countries. I am perfectly willing to pay a high tax rate if it's being used to support a decent welfare state, rather than to bail out banks and bomb brown people. I am also perfectly willing to learn the local language, and my family would only be a ferry ride away.

What I would like to know more about is the attitudes of people in these counties towards people on the spectrum, especially those at the higher functioning end. I was diagnosed with high functioning autism last year as part of my attempts to get help with ongoing problems with depression. I didn't get any help and my problems with depression got worse. I now know that I am never going to be happy or able to see myself as a worthwhile person, but I am able to survive and work. My mental health problems have never prevented me working. I am able to hide most of my traits. I don't stim, I keep my obsessions in check, I am able to engage my collegues with small talk and have never been the focus of any hostility at work. I also have a social circle outside work, although I don't think any of them would really consider me to be a close friend. I think being a physically attractive female helps in this respect, and I have spent most of my life perfecting social and coping strategies. I still find social situations a lot of work and don't get a lot out of most of them, but it's worth it to be seen as normal and treated as such. Nobody at work and very few of my friends know that I'm on the spectrum, and I'd like to keep it this way. So far my experiences dealing with professionals such as doctors and the people at an autism support centre I was referred to in my hometown haven't been great. They speak to me and treat me like I'm ret*d even although I have both a BSc and PhD. I find this very distressing since I try so hard to behave properly and do what I'm good at, and have succeeded very well in at least one of these areas. I want the same respect as any other person, nobody is born flawless! I didn't choose to be autistic!

What are people's attitudes in Northern Europe towards socially reserved and eccentric people like? Would I have to work as hard to hide my traits, or would they be tolerated more than in the UK? When I was diagnosed I was told that high functioning autistics often found things easier in other countries because their shortcomings were perceived as a result of their being foreign and were tolerated more than they were in their native countries. Has anyone had any experience of this? How much do people generally know about Aspergers/HFA? Are people happy to hire or socialise with people they know to be on the spectrum? Also what are the support structures for people with mental health issues like? Would I be likely to be able to get help if I needed it, and would my diagnosis be as big a hinderance as it has been here in the UK (I've been told I need to get help from someone who specialises in people on the spectrum, but I'd probably need to go private to get this and can't afford it). Would I be able to get help without waiting years or going private and without my work finding out? Would they be likely to sack me if they did find out? Are there any organisations in any of these countries that would be worth contacting for advice?

I don't expect anyone to be able to give definitive answers to all these questions, but if anyone's got any experience of life on the spectrum in these countries, either as a native or an immigrant, I'd be very grateful for your response.

Thank you.

When I first moved to Sweden people believed my eccentricities were a result of me being a foreigner, but now that I've lived here so many years, I don't get away with it anymore, lol. But seriously, the majority of people here are pretty tolerant. And there is help to get from the state when you have a diagnosis.
One of the biggest problems right now is unemployment, especially among young people. But it might help if you have a degree.

hi ES.

now i probably wont be able to answer a lot of questions as i just recently got my diagnosis, but im willing to try at the very least.
another thing is i am most certainly biased as i have been living here most of my life.

when it comes to living with AS i suppose it depends on what you like to do and what people you find yourself with.
i cycled trough 3 schools, mind i didnt know i had AS at the time but i had a lot of social issues, the fourth shcool was perfect and i spent 6 years there without any major difficulties at all, i would still act a bit odd but the teachers would simply apreciate the difference.

but i digress, the point is, denmark is in my eyes a very segmented society where the social norms and values are apreciated within the group and the mutual respect between the groups consists of a dont ask dont tell kinda thing.
that is as long as the group as a whole is accepted, some groups have been fighting for this for a long time, like the sex trade employees.
not that i think about it that could just be humans in general really.

dont get me wrong you will still find a lot of bigotry and closed mindedness, especially in the more conservative parts of the country.
the modern tendency doesnt look good either as people are becoming more and more afraid of change, terrorism and economic difficulties only compound that.

it is a very hard thing for me to explain as it can vary greatly from place to place, just look at the ramblings above.

move to denmark its the greatest country in the world

Hello! I'm from the U.S. but I lived in Germany for a few years as an adult. This was prior to my diagnosis ( I'd never even heard of Aspergers at this point) but I've always known I was a bit "different." Anyways, I loved it there. My German was just sub-conversationally fluent but it was enough to get along and probably contributed to my acceptance by most of the locals since it showed I was trying and any slip-ups on my part socially could be contributed to the fact that I was a foreigner. If I recall correctly, I believe Tony Atwood addresses this topic in his Complete Guide to AS... and I completely agree with him. I've done extensive traveling and out of all the European countries I've been to, I think I felt the most awkward in England because of the mutual language. lol Anyways, my grandparents emigrated to the States from Norway and now it is my wish to settle back there once I retire. From what I've read, Scandinavian temperament/personality as a collective is more Aspergian than most other countries and cultures. Hopefully, I'll fit right in. Anyways, I would suggest doing some traveling to whichever country you're most likely looking to move to and seeing firsthand how people treat one another and you there. Stay away from the touristy areas as, from my experience, that's not a good representation of the local populace.

Thanks everyone,

Sorry that this reply has taken so long but things have been a bit busy for me lately, I do appreciate your advice.

Kiran, I'm glad to hear you've settled well in Sweden, and I'd be interested to hear what help's available. Unemployment's a serious issue everywhere now. If I moved it would be to take up a position rather than to find work.

Oodain, I'm glad to hear you found an education that suited you, and it sounds like you have an interesting perspective on the situation. What do you mean by a segmented society? Do you mean in terms of class (i.e. the rich don't want to associate with the poor, or the educated with the uneducated, and vice versa) or is it segmented more along the lines of race or political leanings. I think it is pretty normal for groups to form within society like you described. Humans have an inherent tendency to see others as being like them (part of the "in group" or not like them (part of the "out group"). When a stigma is assigned to a given group by society things can turn very nasty, especially when outside factors such as economic hardships cause tensions to run high.

Mikey, thanks for the good advice. I fully intend to do some travelling, but only once I know a bit more about employment opportunities. I don't know if there's anything particularly "Aspergian" about the Scandinavians, I lived with a Finnish guy for a year once and he seemed pretty normal (although he'd occasionally monologue about his time in National Service, but I've heard all Finnish guys are like to talk about their time in the army lol). You sure you're not picking up on someone elses racist stereotyping? The Scots have a reputation in the UK for stinginess, for example, but if you look at the actual statistics for the amount of money donated to charity per capita, it's the English who are the least generous!