A new, and pretty confused member!

[muddled]

Hello

I'm a 28 year old guy living in England, currently undergoing the diagnosis process for ASD. I'm also bipolar, so I'm not exactly neurotypical

I've always had issues with social interaction (very, very few friends; none of which lasted very long) and preferred my own company. I find it difficult to understand social situations, and to "read" people's emotions - e.g. I become very confused and anxious when people are being passive aggressive, as I can't understand what they mean or want me to do! I take things fairly literally. I survive social encounters by being observant and analytical.

I also have some pretty unusual interests/obsessions - these include very abstract areas of psychology, along with Soviet era politics, fish-keeping, and astronomy. I pursue these with more than just "interest" Much to the bafflement of others.

And my behaviour is pretty rigid, which has improved since I first met my fiancé.

My psychiatrist and I think I have Aspergers, and so the process of diagnosis begins.

I wouldn't be going for diagnosis if I hadn't been having such huge issues since starting work last August. I'm a doctor, so poor social interaction is causing problems; to the extent that I'm being pretty much harassed out of my job.

Sorry for such a long post - I just have a lot to get get off my chest, and life kind of sucks right now!

 

[Sev]

Welcome to the forums!
Feel free to get stuff off your chest, many of us "vent" our problems on here and more often then not we can solve our problems doing so, thanks to the vast number of nice people on here. There are some excellent resources
here --> Asperger's & Autism Resources | AspiesCentral.com if you want to check it out. They might be of assistance in the diagnosis journey.
Hope you feel at home.

 

[Ereth]

No need to apologize! We specialize in long posts here at AspiesCentral. Feel free to say as much or as little as you want.

 

[Vanilla]

Welcome Doctor

You're most welcome here. We are a friendly and supportive community here, so I hope that you are able to feel quite comfortable here.

Are you a doctor of medicine? A fair few of us, including myself, possess a keen interest in psychology; it would make for some interesting conversations if you would like to share some of your interests with us some time.

In the meantime, feel free to take a look around, ask questions, and share your experiences.

 

[muddled]

Thanks for the warm welcomes

Yes, I'm a medical doctor. Before that I was a scientist (a geneticist... a very ASD friendly job!).

My interests in psychology are rather obsessive - up until recently I was running two research projects, one of which was more mainstream (Bipolar screening in the community) while the other was more unusual (testing my theory that paranormal experiences can be used as a model for understanding hallucinations and delusions in Schizophrenia). But the research was taking up too much time... I tend to get hooked on a really strange idea, then pursue it relentlessly until it creates a huge project, which other people get interested in and make it even bigger; then I loose interest or run out of time.

 

[Vanilla]

Ooh, genetics does sound like an interesting subject

If you do decide to start a new post on the subject, in the 'Obsessions' section of our forums, I'll be sure to drop in for a bit.

 

[Warwick C]

Welcome Muddled (doctor). You have found a good place here, in time you wont be as muddled in time.

 

[Salmongirl17]

Welcome, Muddled!

 

[arthousesalem]

Hello and welcome

 

[I am that which I am]

Hello,

I am also a new member. I majored in psychology and did my honours in medicine and now do research in neuroscience and am working on a masters in that subject. I also have a few research ideas but when I tried to get them going with some resources I was often told that I need to get funding and have not been successful in getting that funding. I sort of hate this era of science as it seems that scientists spend more time trying to get funding and waiting to get nothing than actually advancing on any research project. Or at least that is how it seems to be in Canada under Harper, who cut funding in half a couple years ago. I should probably pick things that cost less to do other than my time... I also dislike how in neuroscience a great majority of funding is going towards age related disorders rather than the typical mental health ones. I have a new theory for Alzheimers but I will never speak of it since it is a sure way to commit academic suicide.

 

[Turk]

Hi muddled, and welcome,
Many come here and apologize, for their existence. Since I've been here, I've come to realize, ive spent enough of my life apologizing, for what I am. Forgiving your self, is the only real freedom.
Cheers
Turk

 

[Wintertime]

muddled, I can appreciate your position. I have a good friend who is also a physician, and she is also... not exactly neurotypical (although not perhaps an aspie, something different but that's her story and not mine to tell). I have been the witness to her struggles and supported her in them, and I understand what you're describing (as well as I can without being directly involved). I think that you've done the right thing for yourself to come here. Birds of a feather need to flock together to be that which makes sense in what can often be a confusing world. I wish you the best and that you find what you need here. I think you will.