I got recently diagnosed...

[LoneWolf]

It's funny to see that I used to be part of these forums years ago, questioning if I was autistic and turns out that... Yes, I am. I got recently diagnosed and I wasn't even looking for it. I was lucky because my mental health was declining so bad and the psychiatrist noticed that I had autistic traits. I just wish it didn't take so long. I'm having some trouble with work and college. Now I have to manage my mental health issues.

So... Did anyone else here get diagnosed later as an adult? I'm currently in my early 20s, but wouldn't mind the perspective of others who got a diagnosis with other ages.

 

[tree]

Being Diagnosed Later in Life
How it feels to be diagnosed with autism later in life
Those of you who were diagnosed for Autism later in life
Were you diagnosed early or later in life?
Older Adults and Autism Spectrum Conditions: An Introduction and Guide
A scientific journal article about autistic adults and how therapists deal with autism

 

[Darkkin]

Something that is immensely common among later diagnosed autistics: "Well that explains a lot.'

I was diagnosed in college and having information, a correct perspective really help make sense of things. It help us identify issues like sensory overload as the root cause of my migraines.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I was diagnosed at 60. My spouse pegged me earlier than that, but until PTSD from earlier social isolation would be triggered and social conflict resulted, I did not seek a diagnosis. I was so socially avoidant as a teen and young adult that I was probably mentally ill then. It was the '60s and '70s and not a lot was known of ASD. I had to find ways to help myself because I still had normal needs and desires. It was a rough climb out of that pit and only now CPT has helped me recover from PTSD when I started with a skilled therapist.

 

[VictorR]

Welcome back. I think the majority of the community here at this time were diagnosed or identified as adults.

 

[Richelle-H]

I received my official diagnosis through outside stimuli. Surprise, I never knew, and secondarily it had no immediate effect on me. I was still the same person after as I was before. Nothing altered within my head, so it was nothing more than a piece of paper somewhere that indicated I had Asperger's.

I was already quite social in that moment of time and gave no indication of being otherwise to anyone other than those very close to me. I was not the least bit interested in finding out more. Perhaps that is my arrogance showing. I rarely air it in public, but I can be as disdainful as anyone when the situation warrants it (I always try to come off as polite and well-bred but... dash it all, I am more human than I wish to admit).

Subsequently, I have become a bit more self-aware which I attribute more to growing older and experiencing life a little more intensely than in my youth (although that had its own interesting moments). We build our lives from moment to moment and what we hold onto and nourish says more about us than what we present to the rest of the world.

 

[Crossbreed]

So... Did anyone else here get diagnosed later as an adult?

I was diagnosed at 45.

 

[Binary_Bark]

My diagnoses were last year, in early 30's

 

[clg114]

I was diagnosed when I was 62 (I'm 76 now). I found the diagnosis very enlighting. I always knew that I was different from everyone around me, I just did not know how or why. The diagnosis answered a lot of questions that I had about myself.

 

[Raggamuffin]

I'm waiting on mine currently (1 year and counting). Brother has waited for his over 2 years.

All hail the NHS.

Ed

 

[BNeg01]

It's funny to see that I used to be part of these forums years ago, questioning if I was autistic and turns out that... Yes, I am. I got recently diagnosed and I wasn't even looking for it. I was lucky because my mental health was declining so bad and the psychiatrist noticed that I had autistic traits. I just wish it didn't take so long. I'm having some trouble with work and college. Now I have to manage my mental health issues.

So... Did anyone else here get diagnosed later as an adult? I'm currently in my early 20s, but wouldn't mind the perspective of others who got a diagnosis with other ages.

Diagnosis at 20