New elephant on the block

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Hi everyone,

I'm a 44 year old guy living in Surrey, England. I work as an Information analyst for the National Health Service.

I suspect that I have Aspergers but I have not been formally diagnosed. I am under treatment for Social Anxiety and depression. I've tried a number of the online Aspie tests and I always come out with a result that suggests that I am an Aspie.

I've been reading posts on this forum for a couple of weeks and the more I read the more similarities to myself I see.

The aspects of my personality which seem Aspergers-like are these:

-I like routine, doing tasks in the exact same order and doing them at the same time each time
-I have a few intense interests (mainly Science Fiction and railways) and I am completely indifferent to many other things. I have no interest in sports
-I feel very uncomfortable in social situations and will "shut down" when under a lot of social stress (like at a party, a gathering in a pub or when being criticised)
-I speak in a slightly, awkward academic (?) way (people have said I speak like I'm reading out of a book) and will forget my words or use the wrong words when anxious. My voice doesn't vary much and I can't do accents or impressions
-I don't understand certain social conventions like gossip, banter and play-fighting. This has been commented on.
-I am easily unsettled by loud sounds like sirens or shouting
-I have awful problems remembering faces and sometimes have problems decyphering speech (although this may just be due to my hearing being on the way out )

A few things don't match though:
-I make good eye contact with people. In fact I probably make too much eye contact. I think I'm looking at people's eyes for signs of approval/disapproval. Sometimes if I'm deep in thought I can stare directly at someone (even though I'm not thinking about them at all). This is clearly not polite.
-I have a good sense of humour, although I will admit that my humour tends towards the abstract and absurd, rather than the interpersonal
-I don't think I'm impolite/say in inappropriate things but I do devote a lot of energy to monitoring what I say and do. This can be exhausting

Sorry for rambling on. I would be interested to hear from anyone as to whether they think I am an Aspie or not.

I hope to get to know some of you through the forums.

Thanks for listening and best wishes to all.

Welcome to WrongPlanet

Well, it certainly sounds like AS may be a possibility. Obviously nobody can be sure over the internet.
Hope you enjoy your time here

Welcome to the herd, brother.

You certainly sound aspie-ish

Welcome to WP, I hope you find it as useful as I have. Evidently, some professionals won't attempt to diagnose anyone past their adolescence due to the number of coping strategies people develop over the years. Even so, if you gain clarity from the discussions here, and learn to improve your coping skills, the label hardly seems important by comparison, eh?

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

To WrongPlanet!! !

Welcome!

Welkome to WrongPlanet.

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