not taken seriously because you brought up your interest?

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If I look back, it might explain what had happened to me, and why no one helped me.

My story is this: I left school because I had a meltdown during class (there was a math class, and at least three classes were brought to attend it in the same room). I went downstairs and cried for some time. Leaving school caused me a lot of trouble, including knowing I'm being treated as psychotic (though I wasn't told as much) by a psychiatrist, even though a moment before I was an acclaimed student that used to converse a lot with the teachers and feel esteemed and definitely wasn't considered to have social dysfunction by anyone but my family.

So back to the day I had a meltdown in class, I was taken in by some school counsellor to her office. I didn't know her, she wasn't the same counsellor that was assigned for everyone in my year. Bizarrely, she knew some things about me I consider rather private, maybe counsellors and teachers don't keep secrets between them in the way doctors are sworn to secrecy. She asked what was wrong, I think that at first I honestly said I can't come up with something to say. Now, just so you'll understand, I used to be very idealogical since primary school, and a lot of my opinions used to be different to my parents', so I didn't 'get' it from them. I even dated someone who was a political activist when I was 10 and he was maybe 16, but I felt perfectly alright talking to him. So I told the counsellor I don't understand if I'm right-wing or left-wing anymore, and I feel like I'm kind of 'hanging' (it was during the time of the 2nd Intifada in Israel, if anyone would like to research it). She replied to me dismissively, something along the lines of 'come on...' as if THAT can't possibly be troubling to me. It feels like it was such an error of judgement, like someone should have seen how important it was to me, and if I was just validated and talked to about something that was important to me, I wouldn't have ended up in a psychiatrist's office in the first place. But since she didn't believe me, I spouted back existentialist stuff at her, which in hindsight, I regret getting into. I exaggerated my ideology and philosophy even more by the time I got taken to an evaluation and talked to a psychiatrist, and I guess if you talk about politics to someone who can't even form a grammatically correct sentence (took me years to even understand something she said to me), she'll suspect you of making it all up, AKA being delusional.

Did anyone else find themselves talking to the wrong person about their special interest as a defence from a stressful situation?

I obsess over things, but not special interests. I have a couple of special interests, but I don't obsess over them. I hope that makes sense.

So, I've been obsessing about my daughter's situation at school. It has completely taken over my thoughts. Thankfully, WP has a great parents forum.

There was an incident at school, which I would call covert bullying. I wrote a letter to the teachers, explaining my daughter's side of the story, as I wanted them to know first thing the next day and parents are discouraged from speaking to the teachers, at the start of the day. The depute head called me into her office. After speaking about the letter/incident for a few minutes and it becoming clear that she didn't believe me or didn't regard the issue as a big deal, I became really stressed and started going on about the other stuff (unrelated to the incident) that I've been obsessing about and the tone of my voice changed. This is all real stuff, I'm not paranoid or delusional. Before I knew it, I'd mentioned a child whom I have real concerns about. I even went as far as to tell her I knew about some really serious stuff, which isn't common knowledge, but the school knows about it (the parents of two of his victims told me). She could tell I was angry and was really taken aback at the revelation that I knew the big secret. But, I wanted her to know that I knew this child was dangerous and that any time a child reports him for doing something bad should be taken seriously, which doesn't appear to be happening.

But, then I was in tears and she thinks I'm an emotional wreck, fit to be patronised. She doesn't know me at all, although the outburst gave her a small insight.

Sorry to hear. I understand your emotional reaction, considering you're connected to your daughter. I think your posts reflect well on you, and the bond you two have. From what little I know, I wish you to not change an ounce, just be strong on your way.

Bun: I don't think she was as dismissive of your special interest as it simply didn't really address her question. She didn't mean to ask what was bugging you about life in general -- political idealism -- as what was causing your meltdown right at that moment -- too many unfamiliar people in class. She may have been trying to get you to verbalize the immediate cause, although admittedly going about it badly.

Due to family pressure, I went to see psychiatrist for some months, and he did not take seriously what I was talking about, for example sound difficulties, or atheism importance to me. I felt that I was not taken seriously. In fact, I conclude that he did not know anything about Asperger.

Well I'm in France, where most psychiatrists and psychologists ignore everything about autism. To say everything, I even told him that I defined myself as autistic, even not being really autistic. This should ring the bell of any psychatrist I guess.

Bun,

I've run into that just trying to work through my thoughts out loud with people I thought were friends. They didn't understand where I was coming from and took everything I said to be set in stone regarding my feelings, which wasn't the case. I've learned that when I'm working through a cognitive dilemma that I should be very careful who is around to hear, if anyone. If someone asks what's wrong, I will say, "I'm trying to work something out in my head," or simply, "I'm just thinking about something. Nothing really concerning you." I've also learned how to put those thoughts on hold so that I'll stop causing other people angst because of my actions, behaviors, or facial features while working something out, and instead wait to think about it once I'm away from others.