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1982 I was in 8th Grade, listening to OZZY and going to my first concerts (Van Halen, RUSH, Aerosmith).

I was cool af for that year but it all fell apart by summer because of Kristy.


Teaching - NEVER again.

same q

No, should have bailed out circa 1995, then I might have had fewer regrets.

Who was Kristy?

No.

I did consider doing a PGCE after obtaining my undergrad' degree, but ended up doing something else for postgraduate education. I don't think I'd be able to handle the stress of being a teacher.

Do you own any antique items?

A lot of Victorian postage stamps and some coins from the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries. My oldest coin is a Henry VIII Groat.

Do you own any such items?

Kristy was my best friend.
My only "best friend" in my life really.
We had a devastating falling-out.
I'm still not healed from it.
It changed the course of my life that summer.


Antique - Yes, quite a few things.
Mostly furniture but also picture frames and doo-dads.
Some vintage books.
My great grandmother's sterling silver tea service.
Jewellery.
My brother has the antique tools.


Are you interested in genealogy?

*I should have bailed in 1995 too*

Not so much... like, apparently one side of my family can be traced back to the Mayflower, and I do have access to the entire family tree for the other side of the family that some distant cousin banged up... but I haven't really looked into either one.

First record you bought?

'Electric Warrior', an LP by T Rex in early 1972.

Do you prefer dates or figs?

Girl, I'm just a jeepster for your love...

I prefer figs over dates. As a little boy, we had a fig tree in our yard. My father would cover it up in the fall so it would survive the winter. We'd harvest them in the late summer. Haven't had figs in a long time now.

How old were you when you were diagnosed with Autism (or Asperger's or whatever)?

I'm not sure about the first record but it would have been 1973, likely The Lion Sleeps Tonight (a 45).

I prefer figs.

I was one month shy of 50. Diagnosed ASD2. Then two years later also ADHD-C.

same q

I have never been 'diagnosed' with autism and almost certainly never will be. The British National Health Service currently has a waiting list of over 7 million people, but I don't have much confidence in the whole psychiatric 'profession'. I remember a former WP moderator saying that the professional who 'diagnosed' her had to look up Asperger Syndrome in a textbook. I once had a face-to-face meeting with a man who is now a world authority on autism (Baron-Cohen) and I wouldn't trust him to run a whelk stall.

LOL, do you have a therapist?

I don't like B-C either. Moron.

That being said, I was dx by a very kind and informed PhD Neuropsychologist who specialises in ASD research, teaches Uni courses on it, and works at the children's autism centre. She knew her shite.

I have a trauma therapist.

I had ASD therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and the whole nine yards a couple years ago.

same q

I come from a working-class background which has no time for that sort of thing, and I suppose it has rubbed off on me. For my mother and father, psychiatrists were 'trick cyclists' and it would never have occurred to them to consult one. I don't think I've ever met a person who's seen a psychiatrist or a therapist, but one never knows....

Do you subscribe to any of the streaming services?

Maybe if you'd been violently sexually assaulted to the point of needing reconstructive surgery and organ removal you'd think otherwise about "that sort of thing", like trauma therapy.

I pay for streaming for my kids but don't know how to use it and I'm not interested.


How would you rate your level of empathy from 0 -10?

Maybe 5. It wasn't a personally directed reply, just an off the cuff general observation.

Really sorry.


I was asked what I assumed was a straightforward no-strings general question, and gave a straightforward general reply that was not intended to refer to the situation of any particular WP member, yourself included.

And here I sit, wondering what the problem is with a clinician looking up a diagnosis. We can't exactly be expected to have a perfect knowledge about everything all at once, especially if it concerns something that falls outside of our usual scope of practice. I consult the DSM regularly when diagnosing when I run into those cases, and commit myself to learning best practices on the fly.

Anyway, answering the last asked question, I'd rate my empathy about an 8 or 9. One of the reasons I get exhausted around people is because I invest way too much of myself in their wellbeing. People pleasing!


What was your happiest memory about elementary school? Can be anything at all.

In 5th Grade my teacher made yellow bristol board bookmarks using the paper cutter, and gave them to anyone who graduated from using pencil to using pen. I was the first person to get a bookmark and it had a big sticker of a lion on it. I was also given a yellow pen with the name of the school board on the side. I felt soooo grown up.

Question: Since you work in mental health. I have $1500 of psychology insurance money to use between now and when I retire on January 31st. I want to use it for an assessment of some sort since my insurance won't cover as much when I retire. I already have ASD and ADHD assessments. What else is there that would be done by a psychologist? I was thinking Tourette's but I don't think there's an assessment for that. I've already done Psychiatric stuff like GAD, MDD, PTSD, too.