Things my therapist said today, part 2

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"I definitely see signs of high-functioning autism."

"How did you not get evaluated for this in school?"

"I saw a movie you might like - Temple Grandin."

"You seem to have muted affect."

I'm not sure what changed her mind between this visit and the last one, but she didn't even remember saying "I don't see it" last time. I am relieved a lot (and happy) because it's good to have someone tell me face to face she sees these things now, and having a mental health professional say so is also a good thing.

aaah bipolar therapists. Gotta catch them on the flip side & have them sign that diagnosis lol.

Haha that's happened to me before, i know it sounds like everything everyone says once happened to me but it's true, and i know what happened in the meanwhile: she took an accelerated course on autism, educated herself, and changed her mind!
edited 3TIMES for orthograph, oh god, it's 1:30 am, if there's more they will stay.

She doesn't do diagnoses, but I can get a referral for further testing. I am thus worried about the psych I will be referred to.



Bolded part: Really? I feel that way too sometimes.

And yeah, I think she read up on it and did some other homework on account of watching Temple Grandin during her break.

oh i had missed how you bolded "temple grandin" in your first post (or the cue went above my head)
side note: who on earth names their child "temple" ....

That's great that she can see it in you now. Indeed, it does make you wonder why no one was paying attention earlier. From all you've described, your symptoms seem pretty clear.

I think it just confirms my suspicion that people only care about mental illness when it directly affects them. As in, people will care much more about the little boy who can't stay in his seat and is generally disruptive to the class more than the quiet, awkward little girl who just can't seem to make friends. It could just be the level of visibility too. Quiet people tend to melt into the background, where you can't really ignore someone racing around at mach speed.

It's good to know that you are making some progress.

The whole diagnostic procedure for AS is just so subjective right now. People see what they expect to see. There are some classic psych experiments that show that psychologists, like most people, see what they expect to see, even when diagnosing patients.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenhan_experiment

Richard Grandin and Eustacia Culter name their child "Temple."

Oh, the bolded part I meant in my reply was your comment about how you say these things happen to you too, but they really do. Same for me.

I bolded the movie name because it's a grammatical standard to bold titles.



Yeah, there was a combination of factors - in school I was treated as if my difficulties with schoolwork were personal flaws, whereas at home I was treated the same way (and abused for it) and I wasn't allowed to see medical professionals for anything like psychological problems because I might reveal the abuse. My mother's ex is a terrible human being.

And yes, while I was somewhat hyper as a child, it was more impulsiveness and risk-taking and less running around. Mostly, I was very quiet and seen as "shy."



This doesn't surprise me in the least. I've been watching one person actually do this with a particular cluster of mental disorders.

Nice to get some confirmation.

How do you do that in script? (in France they're supposed to be underlined) There are special grammatical standards for typed texts now?

This is how I was taught when I learned typing.

Actually, the standard I was taught was either underlining or bold, but I dislike underlining outside of links.

I believe in handwriting it is always supposed to be underlined. I try to avoid handwriting as much as possible, though. I believe I have the dysgraphia on account of it looking horrible and hurting (not muscle cramps or whatever) whenever I try to write more than two sentences.

What is interesting to me is that she felt compelled to do some research. That means that she is interested in learning and not always convinced of her correctness. It is a sign of a potentially good therapist. Even more interesting is that she saw something in YOU that made her want to learn more. You stuck with her after your session. Sometime I swear therapists don't think of a client until 5 minutes before a session, do a quick review of their notes, and then don't think about it again afterward until 5 minutes before the next session. You motivated her.

Yeah, I think she's expressed some fascination with me because I:

* Know tons of medical and psychological terminology and use it correctly
* Can describe my symptoms and experiences in explicit, detailed terms
* Have worked out some CBT-like coping mechanisms on my own for dealing with anxiety, panic attacks, depressive episodes, and suicidal ideation
* Have engaged in detailed introspection, which informs our therapy sessions rather significantly

I don't think any of this makes me unique, but she seems to find all of that very interesting.

If anything, I think participating here has shaped a lot of that (although I'd done a lot before then, too).

Let's hope that the Psych is a good one who doesn't use Rain Man as a measure.

She and I both agreed that Temple Grandin is much better than Rain Man.

syrella

The first time I saw the guy I'm seeing he told me I'd have gotten help if I had caused problems. But apparently teachers appreciate kids who don't talk much. He has experience with autistics and learning disabilities.
One of the biggest regrets I have is that I was accepted into this alternative school (not for delinquents) for kids of all backgrounds who don't do well in regular school for various reasons. It was small classes for individualized teaching in classrooms but also in a sort of home like setting with a kitchen that looked like a home kitchen and they cooked lunches for you. You may have helped out too, can't remember. And couches in a living room or "main area" possibly with games. It was a lot more low key, small school with a lot less kids.
But I was too afraid to take the real bus downtown, and also fear of change, I guess. I sometimes feel really bad that my life may have been a little bit better if I had gone. All because of the fear of taking the real bus downtown and change. And regular school made me so anxious my stomach hurt and was nauseated often. I'd cry over homework because I couldn't understand what I was reading or being asked sometimes. I ended up not being able to keep going and did a correspondence course.
I don't understand why no teachers couldn't have just helped me do that or just help. My mom was trying to help me do that.
Maybe no one noticed because I've been told that there can be a storm going on inside me but on the outside I can sometimes look calm. I don't think I even thought of telling people what was inside me and how I felt.
I keep regretting this.
There's not too much help for adults it seems but I'm currently a part of this one social group/club for those on the spectrum. It's not exactly a support group, which I wouldn't like.