With Asperger's Syndrome I often feel that people in everyday situations are expecting
responses that I cannot give them. The more they react to my non-response then the
less comfortable I feel and the more alienated I feel.
I would say there is a general withdrawal at play in both conditions. Someone with autism,
is withdrawing from others, whereas from what I know about people with depersonalization disorder
I would say the withdrawal is more internal.
One thing I would say is that in my Asperger's Syndrome there are safe places and safe routines
and safe interests. This means that in my retreat I have somewhere to retreat to, although most often
my interests are solitary. I don't want to be too harsh on myself but I sometimes feel that although
I intend to relate to others the many differences in my hard-wiring sometimes makes me unacceptable or
confusing.
It may be that some form of safe activity or interest could help with depersonalization disorder also.
For instance on this forum in the past I have often sung the praises of hand lino-printing, even though I don't often make prints myself these days. Hand print-making is mainly about physical, tactile actions and less about an internal process or concerns about the wider anxieties of life, mainly because it is a very focusing thing to do. What I mean is that it is very grounding.
There may be depersonalization present as a part of autism, but depersonalization is not the main thing that is going on. I think with both conditions good advice from professionals or from groups is important. I was diagnosed late, yet even though I am an old now I have learned a great deal in the past fifteen or so years.
24 Aug 2018, 7:20 am
