Introducing myself

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Hi! This is my first post to this forum. It's been recommended to me in therapy that I get into contact with other people on the spectrum, and this is a forum I found when searching.

I'm 47. I took a neuropsychological evaluation last year, where I was diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. None of that was a surprise; I've pretty much known or suspected for years that I had all those things (and I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid, back in the '80s). My therapist has suggested I might also have OCD, though I haven't had an official diagnosis for that yet. I suffer from intrusive thoughts of terrible things happening to myself and other people. I also suffer from something called maladaptive daydreaming--somewhat of an experimental construct that hasn't yet been recognized by the mental-health field as a distinct disorder. It basically means that I fall into a daydreaming state very easily, and remain in it for a great deal of my waking life. I participated in a study on it a few months ago. So I'm still in the process of trying to get a fuller picture of myself in terms of my mental health. One of my reasons for wanting to learn more about autism is to help me look for ways to improve my interpersonal skills, and I think some of my difficulties in that area don't just stem from autism, but from certain past traumas that have led me to become emotionally distant.

That's what I have for now. I wish everyone a good week.

Welcome to Wrong Planet! I hope you find it helpful.

welcome, glad you found us. There are many late diagnosed adults here. For me diagnosis explained a lot about my past and my struggles, why I seemed to do so poorly when it looked so easy for others to do the things we have to "in real life". It answered so many "whys". I was diagnosed at age 68, almost 4 years ago. Do your best self care and take your time sorting it all. Diagnosis gives us a new perspective on almost everything we thought we knew, understood and believed all those years "before". You are not alone!

Welcome to Wrong Planet.

You wrote that you also suffer from maladaptive daydreaming. I looked that condition up.

Maladaptive daydreaming, also called excessive daydreaming, is when an individual experiences excessive daydreaming that interferes with daily life. It is a proposed diagnosis of a disordered form of dissociative absorption, associated with excessive fantasy that is not recognized by any major medical or psychological criteria. Maladaptive daydreaming can result in distress, can replace human interaction and may interfere with normal functioning such as social life or work.

O.K. I think I understand. Let me explain this from my experience. When I was around 20 years old, I was driving late at night in Texas where the roads go on for miles and miles in a straight line. It was around 1 A.M. and I was tired, very tired. While driving down the road, I fell asleep at the wheel. I woke up 2 hours later. I was totally asleep for 2 hours but I was driving and driving. But then I hit a split in the road. I had come across a Y split in the road and there were two different directions I could go in. I immediately pulled to the side of the road and then told my dad, I could not drive anymore.

This condition is fairly easy to explain if you look a little deeper. We have multiple brains. One exist in the daytime and the other exist during REM and deep NREM sleep at night. When I fell asleep at the wheel, it was very much like young kids sleep walking. They can get up, leave their home, walk around their neighborhood and when they finally wake up, they do not know where they are, what they have done. That is because during sleep walking, it is their other brain that is going for a Joy Ride.

So what you have relayed here is that you can move quickly between your daytime and night time brain. I am not sure but perhaps getting a little bit more deep, very deep sleep at night might be beneficial.

You wrote, "I think some of my difficulties in that area don't just stem from autism, but from certain past traumas that have led me to become emotionally distant." Yes, I think that may be the root cause.

But just being different does not make you broken. It provides you with some skills that other NTs (neurotypicals) do not possess.

Welcome to Wrong Planet!

Hi.

Welcome to WP! I hope you like the company here.

...and, as far as improving your interpersonal skills...well...I'm ASD-1. I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask.

A few things I've figured out:
►They're not interested. The less you talk, probably the better.
►When I got into my 40s I gave up on ever getting married. I stopped thinking of women as candidates for marriage. I just thought of them as people. I married in my 40s!
►When possible, I would help people I knew (for instance, moving) seeking nothing in return other than a smile. The gal I ended up marrying was delighted I could loan her a bunch of empty boxes from my stash and help her move.
►Work on amusing people. They probably already think you are "funny", try to be funny in a positive way: humor. (A dry sense of humor is what I try to use.)

►Be nice to everyone. If, like me, you have face-blindness then, for all you know, they are someone you know!

Welcome to WP