Do you hide your disorders?

Post Reply New Topic

I only reveal it to the people that need to know (i.e. for accomodations, friends close enough to me). But most of the time, I tend to hide my disorder (given that my diagnosis on the autism spectrum is accurate).

It's nearly impossible for me to hide it with the panic attacks and eyes rolling around in my head. I try though. I feel as if my current shelter depends on it so it's a must. I just accept the term freak and go on about it. Some people get it, some don't. Up til now I've gone through friends like socks.

I never hide my conditions. They are part of who I am and if people don't like that it is their problem not mine. I used to try and hide, but that only brought bullying and people treating me like I was thick. I especially decided to 'come out' when my Tourettes became uncontrollable because I wanted people to realise that I wasn't some mad rabbit lady, I had a neurological condition. A lot of people spot my AS in about 20 seconds even when I try not to show it!

Yay for replying to old posts !

I tell alot of people, I probably shouldn't, but my mom says I am allowed to.theese are all the people I have told and why

Esme:
She is my Bff, and we hang out alot. When I go over to her house, I may take something literally and get her or her parents mad. . I don't want to listen to explain it to them right at that time, so it's better off if she knows. Also, I want her to know not to yell. She was loud before I told her

Marley
She bugs the heck out of me by joking about brain disorders so i told her. She has Aspergers too, so I didn't mind telling her at all. I only told her I have a disorder, I didn't say aspergers specifically.

Julia
One word:LOUD. She is the loudest person ever! It's better off if she knows so she will shut up. Also, she always finds out everything. I was gonna wait to tell her if she didnt ask me what me and Marley were talking about. I replied "Marley said a joke about brain disorders so I told her I had one (which i do) to make her stop doing it,". She then said "Really?" What do you have" my thoughts: thanks. I was only going to tell you I have a disorder. "I have Asperger's syndrome" she was very confused after I said that. "What's that?" I was annoyed that she didn't know, but at her age, why would she? I replied "it's a form of autism" she says "oh. I'm sorry!" I believe she meant 'sorry that you have a disorder'. I was pretty annoyed that she said that so I shut up. I was gonna tell her anyway like I said,so I didn't mind telling her.

Hailey:
Good friend of mine who wondered why I kept drawing in class. I finally decided to tell her when she asked why I was making an acrostic poem in class using the word "Aspie"
Artistic
Super
Perfect
Intelligent
Extremely awesome
(Note that the first letter of every word spells out "Aspie"

Trinity:
Plays on my basketball team and sits at my table. I cry alot in basketball, which annoys her, and I sometimes give her mean looks, so I planned on telling her. At my table, we had a conversation like this.
"Hailey: I have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). It's hard to make friends.
Trinity: I didn't know that. You do?
Hailey: (nods)
Me: I have aspergers, and I also find it hard to make friends
Trinity:(stares at me)"
That's when she found out.Also, I don't think OCD will make it that hard to make friends. In fact, I don't think it will make it harder at all. I don't know that for sure, though. However, I know Aspergers definitely will make it harder to make friends, though.

Isabel:
My sister's best friend, age 8 or 9. She has been coming over to my house since she was 6. She often got very mad at me, called me weird and other names, wouldn't let me hang out with them and lots of other things. The worst part is, she would scream. ALOT. I liked her though, so I told her and explained alot about it to her. Now she never screams and any of that other stuff. She even lets me play with her!

Katrina:
An awesome friend, second best. (However, she never talks to me anymore ) i have been over to her house, and did very weird and annoying things that I didn't know we're bothering her. I told her cause she was starting to get very mad at me. I had planned on telling her for a while, though, for lots of reasons.



There are also three people in my science group who know I have some sort of autism spectrum disorder cuz I accidentally blurted it out. I planned on telling them anyways though, so that makes it ok.it happened like this:

Guy 1:Ok, you two will do Rock Paper Scissors for who has do do this with her. (Points to me)
Guy 2: ok
Guy 3: ok
Guy 2 and 3: Rock Paper Scissors shoot!
Guy 2: I win!
Guy 3: best out of 3! Best out of 3!
Guy 2 and 3: Rock Paper Scissors shoot!
Guy 2: ha! I win again!
Guy 3! Ah!! Darn it!! No fair!
Me: do you really hate me that much?
Guy 3: do you know what I have to go through?
Me: do you know what I have to go through? (Thinking about being an aspie and having almost no friends for 4 years)
Guy 3: I have to go through more!
Me: (Without thinking) oh yeah? Well your not autistic?
Guy 3: wait what?
Guy 2: why would you admit that?!?!
Me: cause I can!
Guy 2: you just called yourself autistic!
Me: I am autistic!

Oops.

Well that's all I can remember. My familly and teachers already knew. I'll edit this comment if I can think of more!

I don't tell anyone i'm an aspie, don't feel like explaining it to everyone. I think Mom tells my friends and others behind my back anyway so thats a job for her if she wants it.

I quit trying to mask over the effects of it though, everyone saw through anyway, too much work and I can't be someone i'm not, learned that the hard way. If people got a problem they can deal with it themselves, I can't be sorry for something I did not create.

This holds true for me too.

Never (no idea how I'd go about that; hiding it that is)

Still took me 25 years of living to get hit with OCD and ASD

Though yeah, everyone I know knows I have such (which is...less than a handful of fingers).

I got my diagnosis just a few years ago, a few decades after earning an MSEE in Electrical Engineering. It's because of the contempt and hostility against people with ASD's from people who are ignorant about ASDs that I keep my ASD a secret.

I can't really hide it. One of the biggest problems for me is I am 100% mentally blind to reading non verbal social cues. I am 41 years old and I have only known about this for the last 4 months now. anytime I enter into a social situation, It doesn't take long for the other person to figure out that something is wrong.

^^ Not necessarily wrong, just different. Since my diagnosis, this has become the way I think of myself.

Don't let the trolls convince you otherwise.

I'm one of those lucky people who don't care what others say* and think (also lucky in that I don't care to know anyone if the trouble isn't worth it). Must be hard for people who lack the rock head of me, especially with self-doubt and self-esteem problems, especially when combined with problems of perspective taking, which will mean it's hard to understand why people say the ignorant [and often mean] things they do -- enter bother and pain for them.

*Though I care if I'm close to someone

Unfortunately, many of those ignorant people I mentioned are often in charge of hiring and firing.

You could probably file for unfair dismissal if it's related to symptoms of a recognized disability, but that'd be a bother and a half itself (easier to just look for another job there).

And that's the very reason I can't get a employable job is because is because I can't get pass the interview and resume process. not only are they ignorant, but they are very NT biased as well.

After having worked in three union jobs, I know how easy it is to get around those anti-discrimination laws. They just have to convince a few people to file enough complaints against you over a short enough period of time, and you're outta there!

I don't hide it, because I can't.
Even if I try, I can't change the way my brain processes reality, so I just can't.
Or, did you mean "hiding" as "not telling it to people"?
I see no point in telling it to people, unless they're close to me or they are someone who should know it.