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Im not sure how long i can keep going. Can someone please give me advice

S

Shaun-Junior Bishop

Well-Known Member
Im not really sure how to ask what i want to. I am a 22 year old male that lives in the UK and believes he has autism and has been on the waiting list for nearly 8 months.

For nearly all my life ive suffered from depression and sucidal thoughts but over the past 8 months it has got to the point im just not sure how long i can cope. I never want to leave my room, i get so much anxiety that just makes me isolate myself and when i go see my GP or try out a therapust they just say i have to wait for my diagnoses for the right help.

Im not sure what type of stuff you allow on here but i just have no one to go to and i just feel like i cant keep living this way. Its getting to the point where i have developed an addiction and i just dont know what to do.

Is there anything i can do to speed up my diagnoses so i can get the right help?
 
:) Welcome to the site , Shaun.​

Unfortunately I don’t know much about the laws in the UK.

I’m just curious what you think a diagnosis will do for you vs not having the diagnosis?

For me, even when I got the diagnosis, I still felt the same way... depressed and lonely/ suicidal. Knowing that I was different didn’t really change anything, because I knew I was different from the start....

Typically therapists will work to treat symptoms of a disorder or diagnosis, that won’t make those feelings go away, but will try to minimize them.

My suggestion would be to research autism/the things you struggle with and try to work on the situations that cause your anxiety to minimize those feelings.

Breathing exercises, lists, create structure in your day. Try not to think about the things that make you sad.

Talk to your therapist about your struggles and anxiety and see if the two of you can devise a strategy to alleviate the anxiety.

We are all here for you, please don’t self harm. There are definitely people who care about you and will miss you if you are gone.

Reach out to a suicide hotline if you are in crisis.
 
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There is no reason you should have to wait to seek treatment for Anxiety and Depression. Many people both with and without autism get those and the treatment is basically the same. There is no medication for autism anyway, just forms of therapy, coming to understand it, perhaps learning coping skills. I would suggest you go back to your GP (or if possible a different one, as your current one does not sound very helpful) and try and get treatment now from the GP or a specialist. Both anxiety and depression are btw extremely common conditions that autistics develop. Really I think its a rare bird that doesn't experience those.
 
What you need to do is contact youre doctor and inform about youre current situation. The evaluation is something else its another case so to say. Its true the Gp and therapist really cant give you diagnose thats what the evaluation is fore . BUT you should most defenetly be able to get help for youre current other problems . And as Tom says if any of this two persons wont try to help you with this current problems change them.

Above all DONT give up and DONT take that final step its not will not have not ever be`n the right step to take ( ive been highly sucidal all my life (recently upgraded to SEVERLY from some BS in life ) Lone wolf my self so belive me i know ) & drugs or boose will NOT help you what it does is making things 100 times worse then before & if you whant to talk my Pm is right there youre NO longer all alone.
 
Hi Shaun. I agree with what everyone else is saying here. Get the treatment for your anxiety and depression. If you're looking for acceptance of your autism you can find it here. We have many who are self diagnosed. You know if you fit, whether anyone else does or not. And the treatment you receive before and after a diagnosis is not going to really vary. Even coping skills - sounds like you have social anxiety, which so many of us do, and you can be taught coping skills for that. It's the co-morbid conditions that are treated, not autism itself.
Hang in there and don't give up.
 
You're on the right path and you're getting there so try not to lose sight of your goal. Instead of thinking about 8 months in front of you, try to think about how strong you've been to get through your life and specifically the last 8 months, you're very strong to get through it! So now all you have to do is hang on because it will get better and in the meantime try to do as the other posters have mentioned and try to get help now for the depression and anxiety either through your current dr or a new one if need be. You can get there!
 
In the UK a lot of ordinary counsellors still don't understand autism and Aspergers, and aren't really competent to help you around those areas, however as people are saying, help for anxiety and depression can be accessed, although I expect you may be thinking, well my anxieties and depression stem from my autism?

I think that some reading around anxiety and depression for people with autistic traits or Aspergers would help, try googling those areas, also try looking at books on offer from Jessica Kingsley publishers who have specific helpful books for people on the autistic spectrum who need help and strategies.

Well done for realising that you have autistic traits, I see you have done some tests, and that's enough to know that ideas and strategies recommended by others on the spectrum or helpers, may work for you. There are some good threads to read on this forum too, take care of yourself and keep reading and posting here.
 
Thank you so much for all the support guys, it has helped me souch. This forum has made me feel not so alone anymore. I feel like i know where i belong and its such a good feeling

Good news as well, i finally told my mum how low i had got and she immediately got on the phone to the assessment clinic and they confirmed they had already sent a letter out... my assessment is on the 14th November. I honestly cant believe it, it has been such a long and painful wait but thank you guys for being there. I have never felt so welcomed
 
Shaun-Junior Bishop said:
Thank you so much for all the support guys, it has helped me souch. This forum has made me feel not so alone anymore. I feel like i know where i belong and its such a good feeling

Good news as well, i finally told my mum how low i had got and she immediately got on the phone to the assessment clinic and they confirmed they had already sent a letter out... my assessment is on the 14th November. I honestly cant believe it, it has been such a long and painful wait but thank you guys for being there. I have never felt so welcomed
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So glad things are looking good for you.
 
That sounds like progress, I hope you find the diagnosis process helpful. There's support here from people who understand the issues you are experiencing, it's great that you are here.
 
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