Hi, I'm Mist, or Elly, as I'm called IRL.
I am 16, and was officially diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when I was 12. All my life, I have been one of the "strange" kids. I had a really hard time making friends with kids my own age, and favoured friendships with adults instead. I was bullied relentlessly for my love of anime. I was always the quiet kid on the playground, absorbed in the latest Pokemon handbook or homemade anime scrapbook. The other children saw this as ammunition I suppose, and I was soon tormented for something I could not control. I hid my suffering from my parents, but it eventually grew too strong, and I tried to take my own life. My parents, rather than trying to ignore it like many parents do, got me psychiatric help immediately. There, the psychiatrist suspected AS right away. I was diagnosed a few months later.
I find it kind of hard in my case because I appear "normal" to most people, and they write it off as "teenage angst." It's only when people really get to know me or when they look for the signs that they notice them. They'll see that I tend to avoid eye contact or if I do make it, I slink back a bit. They notice that I can't understand basic humour or sarcasm, and that I take things literally. But the most obvious sign is my infatuation with anime.
I have been intrigued by anime since I was 4, Sailor Moon being my first. Since then, each of my "obsessions" as I call them, have been a different anime series. They are as follows: Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Digimon, Yugioh, Megaman(all series), Naruto, and now Kingdom Hearts. Also, sometimes within an Obsession is a "secondary obsession", in which I am obsessed with two series at once. Examples of series that have been my secondary obsessions are Final Fantasy VII, The Slayers, Inuyasha, and Full Metal Alchemist. In the last few years, I have been able to map out the length of each of my obsessions. Each lasts roughly 3 years, and then I am onto the next one, despite how much I loved the last one. I have tried to stay with one obsession for longer, but I can't control it.
Along with my AS, I also have Clinical Depression, for which I take anti-depressants. I find that the combination of the two mental illnesses sometimes leads me to show bi-polar like symptoms sometimes. I also have some OCD-like tendencies, but I have been told that it's also because of my AS. Lastly, I suffer from anxiety disorders, again a branch out from AS. Mostly, they are due to sudden changes in routine. For example, I was once on a group trip to Vancouver, and some of our luggage got lost. Well, I was hysterical. I started crying and hyperventilating almost immediately. Needless to say, this freaked everyone out, sans my mom and support worker, who are used to my little "episodes"
Okay, enough of the technicals now, sorry bout that. ^^;
I love art, especially drawing. At the moment, I can only really draw in anime/manga style, but I'm working on that. I also enjoy writing poetry, usually related to my Aspergers or Depression. Like I mentioned before, I am addicted to anime, Kingdom Hearts mainly at the moment. I love learning new facts about it online, and I talk about it all the time in real life, much to the chagrin of others.
Now that I'm in high school, I've finally found some friends who accept me for who I am. Also, I am no longer bullied now that I have developed more self confidence. No one bullies me because they know it doesn't phase me.
My future ambition is to become a Pediatrician, so that I may help diagnose mental illnesses in children at an early age. I feel that many physicians don't take parents seriously when they present concerns in their children's behavior. This was the case with my parents, as well as many parents I know.
Sorry if my intro was too long, I can get carried away sometimes. ^^;
-Mist
28 Dec 2007, 1:57 pm
