I was recently diagnosed* with mild Asperger's Syndrome. I've known others with autism spectrum disorders, but they were all much younger, I don't know any adults with it and I'm not really sure what it means for me. I suspect it has something to do with my lack of a romantic life, and I know it means some degree of difficulty in social interaction (definitely true), but I don't know much about how it's treated in adults, what areas of my life can be affected, or what it means it terms of my having a second (and third, and fourth :icon_wink) shot at a romantic situation (if definitely feels like I need a mentor more than a boyfriend. I couldn't tell that my last one was hitting on me until he'd been doing it nonstop for over a week!). Sorry if this is disorganized, it's been a rough two weeks. *To be clear, this was not a self-diagnosis or an internet test. This was a trained psychiatrist who was evaluating my mental health after I almost tried to kill myself.
The main symptoms of Asperger's manifest themselves with problems in communication. The person typically has problems empathizing with others, and also may not understand social cues (for example, they may talk on and on about subjects that are of interest to them without realizing the person they are talking to is bored). Sometimes the person forms very intense interests and stereotyped behavior. They also sometimes has a very advanced vocabulary, may be socially "awkward" and have a very blunt way of communicating. Did your psychiatrist diagnose you solely with this disorder, or did he think there was some other manifestation that caused your suicidal thoughts? I ask this because there other psychiatric disorders that appear commonly with Autistic-Spectrum disorders, and I wasn't sure if he noticed comorbidity.
I have some sort of anxiety disorder (nothing specific), that's the primary diagnosis. Asperger's just explains some loose ends. It's something of a relief and a burden at the same time. I have a better idea of why I feel so out of place in the gay community, but I also know it'll be really hard to start feeling in place.
I also have Asperger's (clinically diagnosed), so I can relate to what you wrote. In regards to what it means for you, it means you can now approach the issues it presents you more effectively, since you know what is causing them. Swamp56 hit the nail on the head in terms of what you'll be dealing with, but I would advise you to not approach your AS with too much compliance. AS can manifest itself in different ways, so don't start telling yourself that you have a symptom of it unless past experience has shown that you do. How to deal with it? Learning to socialize will probably be the biggest obstacle you face, so the best advice I can offer is to approach socializing like you would approach any skill you are trying to learn. Try noticing the patterns in how other people do it; eavesdropping in a public place is great for this purpose, just don't give any indication that you are listening. Read up on etiquette guides and guides on how to have a conversation, meet other people, etc; the internet is a great place to look for those kinds of things. I especially want to emphasize reading up on etiquette, since when I was a kid, my parents got me an etiquette book, and after reading it, it was like a whole aspect of socializing was completely demystified for me. That's the closest you'll generally find to any sort of "treatment" of AS. Because it's a disorder of the basic way the brain is wired, if it is "treated" in adults, it's usually just by helping them cope with the symptoms and helping them learn to coexist with neurotypicals (people without an autism spectrum disorder). As for a relationship? All I can say is give it time; once socialization is less demystified for you, relationships will follow. However, I would suggest taking the same approach to relationships that I recommended taking to socializing: don't jump in blindly. Try to observe how others do it; failing that, look up guides on how to do it. Trust me; that strategy has helped me A LOT in navigating the great tangled web that is social interactions. I also recommend that you be honest with your future partners and let them know that you have AS once you have gotten to know them well enough that it won't scare them away. It will probably save you from a lot of misunderstandings. If you are looking for more information on AS, this page gives a very accurate and concise overview of it without the fluff you'll find on many other pages. If you have more specific questions about living with AS, feel free to PM me, and I'll answer them as best I can.
Oh, I forgot to mention that a lot of the socialization problems that are caused by Asperger's can be helped with psychotherapy. There is no real medication that can be used to help with the symptoms.
Message me here on EC. I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 2005. I'm 22 now so pretty sure that qualifies me as being not younger than you . Hope to hear from you soon. The info pages can only give you so much. And people who don't have it, no offense guys!, don't know really what it's like....so hopefully I can answer questions you might have.
You know, I just realized that absurdity of what I wrote, considering that you can't PM me since you aren't a full member (that is how it works, right?), so feel free to write on my wall.
I was diagnosed with autism (clinically) (Btw Asperger's Syndrome is a type of autism, were I have it so mild that it is unclassifiable but it is still there.) when ! was in year 6 That is about 6 years ago, but It did not change me I just made me more self aware and longing to be "normal" but there aint no such thing. trust me it aint going to change you and like the fact that your gay or bi (you did not say which, I am covering my ass for a correctness point of view) you are I control of who you tell and don't.
Same here B_L. It's quite mild for me myself but I have experienced loss of friends and such in high school because of things that I did due to my autism. And like Gamer said, I too realized you can't PM me Liam, so write on my wall as well if you want to chat. Sorry about that...
I was diagnosed with mild Asperger's when I was younger too (seems to be a trend here ). No one ever told me to do anything to treat it just that I should try and get out to socialize more. Of course with my weird fixations (obsessions) and higher than normal IQ(135)(side affect of Asperger's) it has been hard but I've managed.
Autism is greatly over-diagnosed. The completely ignore the personality factor. I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome too. I just don't like being around people and I am a little spazzy, some weird obsessions, but that's just who I am. I can control it, hide it, that's because I don't actually have Aspergers.. My doctor just wanted money from the medication I don't need. Or was an idiot. Not saying that all people don't need medication, or don't have it, I am just saying I didn't.
I have done lots of research on AS and maybe this website will help you connect and get answers from others www.wrongplanet.net
