And was often left undiagnosed in the past. I know I probably have it hard and somewhere on the autism spectrum. (My estranged father, sister and nephew all have been diagnosed at varying degrees/combinations). But I can't even get a appointment at my doctors office, there is never availability and I tend to stop trying after a few times until it bugs me again. It's like the system here is made to weed out people like me.

It's kind of nice to know why I felt/feel so inadequate. But it also hurt to know I will never feel normal. At 46 I feel so at a lost at a chance of a better future. I fucked it up so often, have no savings, have to work two jobs to barely get by (keep on doing bad financial decisions) etc... I always hope to win the lottery (I almost never play it) just to not have the stress of life catching up to me and going back on the streets.

[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

There is no such thing as "normal", just "rejected". Society needs to adjust because autism ain't going away.

To get a diagnosis, you need to see a psychologist through a therapist, afaik doctors don't ~~usually~~ hand out autism diagnoses. Seek psych clinics that specialize in neurodivergence.

[–] Chewget@lemm.ee 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Doctors can't, it takes a several appointments with a psychologist (or psyc through therapist) to be sure before making a diagnosis. You don't need to go to a specialist either

[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You don't need to go to a specialist, but it definitely helps. I've had therapists deny my childhood autism diagnosis because they have no clue what to look for in a masking individual.

Psych through a therapist is cheaper and easier in my experience.

[–] Chewget@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago

Totally agree

[–] Chewget@lemm.ee 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Medicated ADHD can be close to normal. It definitely makes everything easier to do. For many like me it's night and day, it becomes easy to focus and get tasks done. Seriously life changing.

[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You need to find the right medication though. When I was younger, I had Concerta, and it made me hyper focus but made me emotionless.

I've been without meds for about 5 years now, but life is catching up to me, so I'm looking into trying some different ADHD meds.

[–] Chewget@lemm.ee 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I had/did the same. Switched to adderall and found out Concerta is trash(Ritalin). I found out that they went with Concerta because time release is easier to give to children and most of all, the manufacturer gave them kickbacks when it was still legal.

[–] Chewget@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Plus with primarily hyperactive and combined, often parents take their kids in because they can't handle them acting up. With Ritalin, when the personality is gone, there's no more acting up.. they choose that and go "wow, they're so normal now", not knowing the damage they're doing to their childhood.

[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 months ago

That makes sense, it's exactly what happened to me but I got the generic version of Concerta instead.

It kept me shut up, and it kept my conservative parents happy that they no longer had to deal with an autistic child, then wondered why I never developed as a person until I was out of the house.