u/LowZookeepergame3763

I went through the whole DSM. It was BPD, then it was bipolar, then schizoaffective, then schizophrenic.

I was complaining to the psychiatrist nurse about my struggles with socializing several times and she brushed it off saying I looked normal to her. I have this friend who is autistic and he told me "hey, I tell you this with a lot of love but you should get tested for autism and giftdness, I don't think you're bipolar".

I thought about it a lot, and then I decided "why not". Turns out my friend was 100% right. I scored 140 on the WAIS and I am, indeed, autistic. It explains why I am so sensitive. My friend who's been diagnosed for a while told me he recognized himself in me and his brother who is highly gifted and I am forever thankful for his advice. No wonder I kept telling the psychiatrist I didn't match the symptoms of BPD which she seemed to agree with.

I was wondering how common it is for autistic folks to be diagnosed with a myriad of other mental illnesses?

The max dose is 20mg fyi. I was put on 30mg by an awful psychiatrist and now I am slowly tapering off my meds and I don't know if I will ever be able to heal from this dosage. I went through the whole DSM. They thought I was BPD, then bipolar, then schizophrenic and schizoaffective.

In the mean time I met a highly qualified neuroscientific (I don't know the exact name in English, sorry) I passed an IQ test and I was diagnosed with autism and high giftedness.

I could've done so many things with my life if I weren't medicated in the first place. Now I am on disability, obese no matter what I eat, and struggle with avolition. They broke my beautiful neurodivergent brain.

This has happened to me with three different therapists. I have childhood trauma, and my old psychiatrist told me to look for therapists who specialize in EMDR. But we always end up just doing talk therapy, and it leads nowhere. I am currently questioning whether psychiatry or therapy is helpful at all. I've been put on antipsychotics for PTSD in the first place, it's gross, now I can't handle the withdrawal. I don't enjoy mental health care. I've seen way more progress from writing about my experience and deeply reflecting on it with meditation. I am now able to put up boundaries, and I learned that on my own.

I stopped caffeine about a month ago but those last few days I had to wake up earlier than usual to study so I drank an espresso here and there. Then it turned into binge drinking caffeine again, I am talking several cup of coffee and tea a day. The adrenaline made my hunger go away, I lost a shit ton of weight, I was not eating anymore or even drinking water so I became highly dehydrated and I was weak. I don't know how to stop myself when I start drinking coffee. Plus it makes me anxious, the tiredness made me think I got cancer or something terrible. That's how bad the fatigue was.

Hello,

​I am autistic and highly gifted. I also need to heal from past trauma. I have seen several trauma-informed therapists, but I end up getting bored with all of them. They all end up calling me a difficult patient. They give me methods I’ve already tried, and we just end up talking in circles about the same things.

I am tired of hearing "I hear you," "yes, that must be tough," etc. I don't want a therapist who acts like a parrot and validates everything I say. I need to be challenged.

​I am starting to lose patience.

I’ve been spinning in circles for about four sessions with my current therapist. I told her that I suffer from avolition and that I am forcing myself as much as I can to keep up with my studies despite it. She keeps telling me to ask my psychiatrist if I really have avolition. However, I already told her that I discussed it with my psychiatrist and he confirmed it.

​Is therapy actually useful for neurodivergent people? I am starting to wonder.

​So, a bit of my story. I am autistic and I have severe anxiety around special events. I was supposed to go to the MAYHEM Ball with friends and family, but when I logged into Ticketmaster, there was only one ticket left. I bought it, absolutely scared of going alone to another city that I had never been to. Well, I went, and you were all amazing. I got to sing with a Little Monster in the queue before entering the arena, and when I found my seat, I was next to some lovely people. My autism makes it hard for me to create bonds with others, but the night of the MAYHEM Ball, thanks to the Little Monsters there, I felt totally connected and loved and nobody gave me a hard time about my weirdness. My biggest regret is not asking for their numbers, but you were all perfectly adorable. For the first time, I didn't feel weird and out of place. Gaga really created a safe community. So, thank you ❤️

Hello,

I was diagnosed as autistic and highly gifted. I am currently studying a double major, it's a lot of work but it's so worth it. I also got accepted for an internship. Lately I've been wondering why God made me this way. I spend a lot of my time alone, reading books and studying. I guess I am trying to understand why God gave me intelligence, but left me unable to form close bonds with others as I lack the social skills most people have. I had to learn to mask the hard way so I don't come off as rude but I am only human, I can't control my reactions 24/7.

I am writing this post because while I excel in my college career, I am deeply lonely. I've been bullied a lot for my differences and sometimes I think I deserve it because I am, indeed, odd. I don't communicate the same way others do.

Since rediscovering my faith God has been good to me. I am forever grateful to have a roof over my head, I have enough to eat, I have enough money to survive, I can always count on my family. I am truly blessed. But I am just suffering from loneliness. It has always been this way since I was a child. It's tough to deal with, you know?

I also worry about the youth because I am not sure only my autism comes at play here. I've seen an increase of loneliness in the younger generation.

Just ruminating... I am joining a new church on Sunday, hopefully people will be more accepting of my weirdness.