Greetings from the North

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Joined: 5 May 2011
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Posts: 1

06 May 2011, 12:47 pm

Hello

I suppose I should begin my journey here with an introduction- easier said than done. My name is Stefanie, and I am from Britain but live in Canada. I'm sixteen years old and have been formally diagnosed with agoraphobia, anxiety disorders and depression, but I have come to believe that at the base of my 'problems' lies Asperger's Syndrome. The psychiatrist I have dealt with in the past was very brash, and I very timid- I feel misdiagnosis was likely in said situation. As such, I would like to hear the opinions of others on this board regarding my symptoms.

As said, I am 16 years old and in the middle (or rather a standstill) of my high school years. I've been forced by my anxiety to arrange part-time, homeschooling classes at the moment. I am quite intelligent, as recognized since I was young, and have always excelled in my school work- up til now. My anxiety has overpowered my life since I began high school, and as a result, I've fallen into a depression. The only light in my life at the moment is my animals.

I am also completely consumed by what has come to be known as my 'obsession'- my 'special topic', if you will. For me, this is breeds of horses and dogs. By the time I was three, I could, alphabetically, recite the names, standards and typical traits of over 100 different breeds of dogs. It has since progressed to horses and additional work in colour-genetics.

I have no one (besides my parents) whom I would consider friends. I have a strong distaste towards social gatherings and the responsibility that comes with relationships. I am completely asexual and aromantic. Even as a child, I would lose myself in a fantasy world rather than play with other children. I have terrible motor skills when it comes to sports, and am not the least bit athletic. I also despise competitive activities such as games or contests. I am routine based to the minute- I wake up at 6:18 am and have my daily preparations planned out just as precisely. I become a wreck when my schedule is disrupted without notice, and I hate having spontaneous activities/day-trips planned for me.

I also have some odd habits which I have picked up over the years- I obsessively chew items such as plastic bottle tops, straws and the necklines of shirts. I also tend to be extremely sensitive to loud noises and bright colours.

...So, does this sound anything like AS to anyone? Or is it perhaps something else? Either way, I appreciate the time and effort everyone puts into their posts here. I'm certain I will enjoy my stay here in the Wrong Planet online community.

TenPencePiece
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06 May 2011, 1:19 pm

Welcome to WrongPlanet!

Quote:

I've been forced by my anxiety to arrange part-time, homeschooling classes at the moment. I am quite intelligent, as recognized since I was young, and have always excelled in my school work- up til now. My anxiety has overpowered my life since I began high school, and as a result, I've fallen into a depression.

That sounds similar to me two years ago.

As to the rest of your post, it may be possible that you have AS, but of course, nobody can say for certain over the internet (and I hopelessly lack the ability to advise you properly on that

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Brainfre3ze_93
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07 May 2011, 9:01 am

Welcome!

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owlyellow
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Joined: 5 May 2011
Age: 39
Gender: Female
Posts: 74

07 May 2011, 9:33 am

Welcome!

You sound like you might very well have AS. I am undiagnosed myself, but I strongly suspect I have it, as my dad does. Similar to your knowledge of horses, I was obsessed with dinosaurs as a kid, and I had all of the species and their traits all memorized as a kid. I can relate to you on the anxiety part- I had it pretty bad as a kid, but I've noticed it has started to lessen as I've learned various coping mechanisms, though mine is mainly related to social anxiety. Anxiety is no fun.

There's a pretty decent online quiz that takes an inventory of your aspie traits and NT traits and gives you a score:

http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

There's also a thread in the members only discussion where people have been posting their scores. I found it very interesting to read through them. I myself got 136 aspie and 77 NT.