DanielW wrote:
Mona Pereth wrote:
DanielW wrote:
It may help with peace of mind (In my own case it did not - it made me feel worse, "this is permanent - theres's no fixing this")
For me, it was just putting a label on aspects of myself that I had already recognized and accepted as mostly un-"fix"-able.
The label was important to me, though, mainly for the purpose of deciding which subculture(s) might be worth building my (and my partner's) social life around. Since then, I've been doing what I can to help build the autistic community (as an organized subculture) around here.
Yes, I can certainly understand that point of view. In fact most people I have talked with about getting a diagnosis can feel a lot of validation. Personally, it just felt like the worst day of my life. While I don't regret knowing, It took me a long time to recover.
I am glad you recovered. I understand why getting a diagnosis as a child or even as a young adult can be depressing. One has been disabused of the notion that one will ever be "normal". It can feel like a lifelong sentence. People running around saying their diagnosis was a gift seems offensive. This understanding is not the result of any great empathy or theory of mind ability, it comes from reading posts here for over 9 years.
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Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
02 Dec 2022, 10:13 am
