Can autism get worse or did I catch a mental illness?

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Here's the full story on how ended up with a diagnosis: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=305816

Sitting unemployed at home was financially unpleasant but manageable. I slept well, I managed to keep myself busy and eat healthily.

I'm now attempting work again for the third time in two years. I was excited to get started again, to make money again, learn new things and I even get to slowly build up my working hours so as not to burn out again. 2 x 4 hours a week, it's not a whole lot.

But just like the previous two attempts at working, after the first day of work, just four hours, I become sleepless, I constantly feel overstimulated and on the edge of a meltdown. Thanks to my diagnosis, I am more aware of overstimulation and I can avoid the meltdown. But I am tired yet I can't sleep. I'm quite sure being tired makes me even more irritable. If I do eventually fall asleep, I sleep through all four of my alarms because I'm so tired.

To get to work, I have to participate in traffic, and I really don't like doing that when I'm feeling so tired.

Yet before I was able to work 40 hours a week no problem. I didn't know I was autistic at the time. It's like my autism got worse in the past few years, when normally you get better at dealing with it as you get older. I fear that I may have quit my previous job too late and it did permanent damage.

Does anyone else recognize this? What happened to you? Did you find a way to deal with it?

It sounds like you need a relaxing hobby to unwind after work.

If my mind gets into a loop I have trouble sleeping--so I have some non-stimulating hobby activities I used to change my thought patterns.

Your autism cannot get worse, but your symptoms can "sensory overload" over time. You need stimming, if you are not doing this, your symptoms will get worse. Stim for about 15 minutes before heading back to work.

There may be factors you are not considering. Is it the same kind of work and work environment as when you worked 40 hours a week? It's not only the number of hours, but how stressful the work and environment are. Also, do you have less support now than then? I mean, are meals being prepared for you and were they before? What is your living situation like?

Relevant to sleep, are you getting enough exercise?

Could you add something like yoga, deep breathing, meditation to your week?

I have this problem with socializing. I get all buzzy from over stimulation and I can't sleep, even though I'm so tired. I'm just now recovering from attending a sleepover event in Syracus last weekend.

Some things that help - I take herbs in the nervine class. They sooth the nervous system. Right now, I'm using passion flower, catnip, and milky oat. But I've rotated to others as well.

I use a weighted blanket. I use obsessive TV watching. (Similar to the advice to still on purpose for 15 minutes.) I meditate.

I gotta tell you though. I'm still having this problem.

I don't live in an area where pot is legal, but I'm going to try a hemp oil trial next week.

I'm very interested to hear what other people do. Its a real problem.

As for having less stamina than you used to, I think this is a combination of getting older and needing to build up your metaphorical muscles. I'm guessing that you will feel better after work if you simply push through for a while.

Also, watch what you eat while you are working. I have a history of compulsive overeating. When I do that, I feel like crap afterwards.

Unfortunately, yes, it can get worse. It's called Autistic Regression and it's just what it sounds like: where you revert to a previous state of mental development. So, on top of everything else, we can literally lose our minds. I certainly hope this isn't what is happening to you though. Even so, you might want to go see a nueropsychologist and get a professional diagnosis as opposed to listening to some bitter slob from the internet

I've heard of Autistic Regression" but unless I'm mistaken this reversal only occurs in the first 3 years of life and then the child develops some minor form of regression, but it is rare. Unless there's another article out there that says otherwise, after the adult brain is fully developed autistic regression cannot occur.

Do you mind if I ask who in this thread is the bitter slob?

LOL. Yah. "Autistic Regression" is what happens to some autistic people in the first three years of life. It is NOT happening to the OP.

If you are going to pick at other posters, it's often helpful to check your facts first.

Q) Can autism get worse or did I catch a mental illness?

A) No. Autism doesn't get worse over time, but as your personal circumstances change they may exacerbate your existing symptoms. You can't "catch" mental illnesses.

What do you mean by OP *needing* stimming? What kind of stimming do you recommend he do?

I thought stimming was an automatic response , I didn't think you could just make up a stim

I was referring to myself.



I've heard reports of it happening in mid-life or during times of great stress.

Any stimming that is comforting and soothing to relieve stress and anxiety. and "automatic response" is quite a stretch. It's not like it's tourettes but rather something that occurs naturally after it becomes a habit.

Where have you heard these reports?

Thanks everyone for your replies!

Yeah I used to game with some people but they've all moved onto other games I can't afford and/or don't enjoy. Also currently I can't afford TV or Netflix.


It certainly feels that way, but can you be overstimulated right after waking up?


Supposedly it's a special autism-friendly workplace, but with every passing day I'm there it seems those are mostly empty promises. Every day a new excuse. There's a shortage of software developers; I think my employer just said yes because they don't stand to lose much if this doesn't work out.

It's exactly the same work I did before at my old job. There's no pressure at all, so that I can gradually get used to working again. Yet despite that I feel burnt out again almost immediately. My private life is unchanged, I live on my own and cook my own healthy meals.

I try to get some exercise every day, I usually go for an hour long brisk walk, ideally not too close before bedtime.

I sleep through my alarm and wake up late almost every time (despite even setting the alarm to go off extra early), which means that I have to skip something in the morning: shower, breakfast or mindfulness meditation. I always end up skipping the meditation.


It's legal here. Pot certainly works with helping me sleep, but it's currently too expensive and the side effects are too great. It makes me really hungry and lazy, not to mention smoking isn't exactly good for you either. I haven't touched the stuff in years now.

Yeah I hope things will get better once the novelty of it all wears off. This feels so awfully like deja-vu from the last two times I slowly attempted to get back into work, maybe I'm too eager to get going again, but the opportunities present themselves so very infrequently. The last attempt at working was a year ago. There's a lot of bureaucracy involved, which I expected to be slow, but not this slow.

Thankfully I have my diet under control. I've actually lost some weight too, I think I actually feel better because of that. Certainly my trousers don't feel tight anymore



Yeah I've heard of that condition too, and it sounds quite terrifying. But I assure you, I'm well beyond 3 years old



The autism is something I was born with, and that's never going away. I don't want it to go away either because I've never known life without it. But I'm afraid I've gotten an anxiety disorder on top of my autism, from staying too long in a toxic work environment. The anxiety disorder is something that wasn't there before. That's what I mean with "catching" a mental illness. I know what life was without it. But I do not know what life is like without autism.

The management always made it seem like all the problems were my fault, not theirs. I'd never worked anywhere else before, so I thought it was normal for a workplace to be like that. And the workplace wasn't toxic at first. That changed gradually over the years.



Love your avatar btw.

I tend to chew my fingers. I'm trying to use a tangle or pen to fidget with instead, but most of the time I don't notice that I've started chewing my fingers. It only happens when I have a free hand available, I touch-type with both hands most of the time so there's nothing left to stim with.

I think I definitely had a burnout, but I didn't quit my job as soon as I did, instead I kept working.

However the only diagnosis I got was ASD/Asperger's, since at the time of my diagnosis I was not under any stress. Sitting at home unemployed is remarkably stress-free, but financially unpleasant. I can meet all basic needs (housing, food, medical expenses) whilst eating good healthy foods but after that there isn't a lot of money left.