hauchvonstaub

PossiblyAutistic , 4 days ago to actuallyautistic

Took the referral from the company psychlogist recommending diagnosis for ADHD and ASD to my GP, got a referral to a psychiatrist and a name, called that one today, and surprisingly have an appointment in 1.5 weeks ... 😯

Any advice?

@actuallyautistic

hauchvonstaub , 4 days ago

@PossiblyAutistic @actuallyautistic They usually want to see your elementary school and kindergarten reports, so you should probably bring a copy of those, if you still have them.
You could also look up the psychiatrist and see, if there are complaints about them.

chevalier26 , 10 days ago to actuallyautistic

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic Do y'all know if it's an autistic trait to be super skeptical of stuff? Like, for example, my parents watch some questionable "health" people on YouTube, and when they show me a video from said people, I can tell IMMEDIATELY that they are grifters in it for money. Idk what gives it away but it's like a flashing warning sign in my brain.

I wonder if it has to do with social influence and the effects of charisma/agreeableness that NDs might not fall for.

hauchvonstaub , 10 days ago

@chevalier26 @actuallyautistic In my case I can say that I've been pretty naive, when I was younger, both when it came to people and ads.
It was probably a mix of growing up with narcissistic parents, so not questioning others was a behavior I was taught early and seeing red flags, but rationalising them away immediately or not knowing or being sure, what they mean.
I think growing up in the countryside, where people were less competitive(and less hostile) also played a role.

1/2

hauchvonstaub , 10 days ago

@chevalier26 @actuallyautistic For me being sceptical seems to be a learned behavior.
It's like sometimes I'm really sceptical by default and sometimes I have to remind myself to be more sceptical, but when I can hear someone talk and see how they behave, I usually immediately see if they're dishonest.
I think one reason for me to ignore red flags in the past was the disconnect between what people said and what they showed and over time I realised, I should listen to what they show.

2/2

chevalier26 , 28 days ago to actuallyautistic

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic Any tips on how to deal with imposter syndrome? 😅 It's really been affecting me lately, and I'm not sure why.

I feel like I can never quite be certain that the things I KNOW are true about myself are actually true, like my brain is willingly playing tricks on itself.

hauchvonstaub , 27 days ago

@chevalier26 @actuallyautistic I think for me imposter syndrom has a lot to do with not considering informations, while strongly focusing on other informations.
For example when I hear or read very pathologising, stereotypical and outdated descriptions of autism, it reminds me, that there are probably professionals today, who wouldn't diagnose me.
It's like for a moment I've forgotten everything I've learned about the topic, or at least fail to take it into account.

hauchvonstaub , 27 days ago

@chevalier26 @actuallyautistic For me it's helpful to immediately recognise, that it's just imposter syndrom.
That way I remember that I've gone through it before and have a shortcut to get out of it.
Nowadays I usually only get imposter syndrom, when I'm in a phase, where my memory problems get worse, but even then, remembering that it's just imposter syndrom and that I'll remember, why my current thoughts are inappropriate, helps for the feeling to not become as strong and wear of quicker.

chevalier26 , 1 month ago to actuallyautistic

@actuallyautistic #actuallyautistic
What kind of music do y’all like?

I’ve found that my music taste sometimes mimics that of my friends, but generally I listen to completely different stuff than most people. I love heavy metal, folk/bluegrass, anything indie, 50’s-80’s music, and a lot of traditional songs from the Renaissance, Middle Ages, and earlier. I also like Christian hymns but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

Would love to expand my own tastes by hearing from y’all!

hauchvonstaub , 1 month ago

@chevalier26 @actuallyautistic Mostly chillwave nowadays, sometimes videogame soundtracks.
Currently I'm tempted to listen to what's already out from the soundtrack of Angeline Era.

chevalier26 , 1 month ago to actuallyautistic

What are your thoughts on self-diagnosis being belittled by many in the autistic community?

For clarity, I’m not asking to start a debate, just a genuine discussion. I currently don’t have the option to get a diagnosis, but feel fairly confident that the research I’ve done over the past year and a half has been legitimate and credible.

I don’t feel comfortable saying that I am definitively autistic, but I am ok with saying I’m “self-suspecting.” #actuallyautistic @actuallyautistic

hauchvonstaub , 1 month ago

@chevalier26 @actuallyautistic
I've barely seen any negative reaction on here for self-diagnosis and personally haven't gotten any negative responses.
My first assessment will probably be in a year from now and if it wouldn't potentially have an impact on my level of disability, I probably wouldn't bother getting an official diagnosis, especially because of all the negative experiences I've heard about the diagnostic process here in germany.

theaardvark , 2 months ago to actuallyadhd

#Autism #ADHD #AuDHD #ActuallyAutistic
How does everyone know how, when and how much they're masking?
As a late-diagnosed #AuDHD, I struggle to differentiate between "me but masking" and "me but in a diff situation".
Now that I know I'm autistic, I even miss the person I used to be in some situations before I knew.
I used to call myself a "social chameleon" - I just changed automatically to suit the circumstances.
But who actually am I and what is just a mask?
@actuallyautistic
@actuallyadhd

hauchvonstaub , 2 months ago

@theaardvark @actuallyautistic @actuallyadhd
Before realising that I'm autistic, I realised that the more time I spend alone(up to a certain point), the less I am like others and the more I am like myself.
There were times, when I didn't even talk to people online, barely left the house and at least for a while, I prefered and enjoyed that.
I think I'm more the way I have been as a child, when I'm not adjusting my behavior to others.

rebekka_m , 3 months ago to actuallyautistic

Hypothesis to be discussed with the @actuallyautistic:

The high prevalence of #ADHD in Autistics might be just the symptoms of an overstimulated life, misunderstood communications and lots of trauma that led to cPTSD.

Would also explain why ADHD meds very often don't work for Autistics - but certain antidepressants do.

What do you think?

hauchvonstaub , 3 months ago

@rebekka_m

I find that unlikely, especially since we already know, that there is a genetic overlap between autism and ADHD.
It just sounds like the "ADHD isn't real/overdiagnosed"-discussion, except for misunderstood communication.
I think that both in allistic and autistic people ADHD is exacerbated, but not caused by the environment and someones history.

@actuallyautistic

hauchvonstaub , 3 months ago

@rebekka_m

The question is, how you want to define ADHD and according to what symptoms.
If you'd diagnose lactose intolerance like ADHD, a person that had a vegan diet couldn't be lactose intolerant, because they don't have any symptoms.
I find it more helpful to see ADHD as a neurotype, with a higher susceptibility for certain problems, that can often be adressed before they cause a person to suffer and seem obvious enough for a doctor to recognise them as impairing.

@actuallyautistic

hauchvonstaub , 3 months ago

@rebekka_m

I also think that this is similar to the "can autism be cured"-discussion, where certain adults don't reacht the diagnostic threshold for ASD anymore, so depending on who you ask, they're officially "cured from autism".
Same with people who get diagnosed later in life, who officially only had "autistic traits" or no diagnosis at all until they reach burnout and suddenly have enough symptoms to be diagnosed according to current diagnostic criteria.

@actuallyautistic

hauchvonstaub , 3 months ago

@rebekka_m

From what I know, ADHD meds often help autistic people with ADHD, just that they usually need a lower dose and they can have additional negative effects.
The first antidepressant I found, that is used to treat ADHD is Bupropion, which is basically an amphetamin.
Some non-autistic people with ADHD also claim that 5-HTP is enough to deal with their ADHD, so just increasing serotonin.
ADHD is more complex than just a lack of dopamin/noadrenalin.

@actuallyautistic

hauchvonstaub , 3 months ago

@rebekka_m

I think it just means that ADHD and autism as a neurotype can both lead to similar promlems in some areas and can both have a synergy effect.
You can have lactose intolerance, but still get digestion problems from milk without lactose.
This is the case for me, milk leads to digestion problems for me, but it can become really painful without lactase pills, so it's lactose intolerance, but not only lactose intolerance.

@actuallyautistic

autism101 , 4 months ago to actuallyautistic

Watching the same show over-and-over again is one way I regulate the autistic side of my brain. But the ADHD side sure gets bored sometimes.

Do you watch any shows on repeat?

#AskingAutistics #AskADHD #ActuallyAutistic @actuallyautistic

image: @NoNonsenseND

hauchvonstaub , 4 months ago

@autism101

I don't rewatch movies or shows regularly.
Even today with my memory problems, I rarely watch something more than once.
It's different with music or video games.
With video games the problem is, that at some point I'm reminded, that my lifetime is finite and that I also want to experience other games, otherwise I'd probably replay some games over and over again.
I don't know how often I've restarted games like Stardew Valley or Links Awakening.

@actuallyautistic

hauchvonstaub , 4 months ago

@autism101

I think I don't like to rewatch movies or shows, because how my memory works.
When I watch something for the first time, I know what happened, but the more often I watch it, the more it feels like an "inflation of informations", like informations lose value and I remember less, the more often I watch something.
I want to keep the memory of something I watched, not lose it more and more, everytime I rewatch something.

@actuallyautistic