Hi - I'm new.
Wrote the following on the introductory thread, but was told to ask my highly diluted question over here.
"My name is Nathan. I recently spent two weeks in a mental health unit for self harming and was given a diagnosis of Bipolar type II and Autism Spectrum Disorder - High Functioning. Given that my limited reading has revealed that Aspergers is not a diagnosis in the DSM V, I assume that the recent revelation to me by the psychiatrist and his team is a round about way of saying I am an aspie. Would this be true, or is there a distinction between the two diagnoses?
"In any case, I am hugely relieved if, in fact, I have Aspergers Syndrome or whatever name it is called by now (A rose by any other name would be as sweet). It explains why I have never fitted in, why I have never had more than one friend at a time, why I become obsessed with things, why I have meltdowns and so many other things. I am not abnormal, just "other normal".
"My problem at the moment is that my Bipolar has been getting worse over the past few years, which stresses me and seems to exacerbate my aspie (hope that is not a derogatory term) traits. I have been unemployed for over a year as a result of my mental health issues.
"I was wondering if anyone had career ideas. I have a BMus and am a qualified high school music teacher. I hate teaching. I loathe being in the spotlight in a situation I can neither understand or control. Almost killed myself. Worked in an office admin job for seven years. Couldn't stand that either. It was boring and I can only do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is a special kind of hell for me.
"What do I do? The psychiatrist suggested I work in a field I love and that I be self employed. My bipolar means that I can only work about six months a year and I can never predict when those six months will be. Have a young family to try and support, but I'm not doing well in this role at all. HELP. I just want to find my place in the world (assuming there is one for me)."
07 Jul 2015, 3:18 am
