My therapist has officially diagnosed me as autistic at the age of 27. I'm not exactly sure where I fall on the spectrum, but that's irrelevant. I'm just wondering if anyone else has been through something similar, and how it affected your mental health.

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I haven't got the diagnosis yet, but I'm starting the struggle to get NHS appointments to get referred to a therapist or psychologist. From watching others go through the process and hearing about their experiences, if I were to explain the process in simple terms, I'd say that the stage before receiving the diagnosis is like looking for a map so that you can start to travel in the right direction, the diagnosis is the map, and after receiving your diagnosis you actually start travelling down the right route towards the treasure of being able to live a more fulfilling life with a greater awareness of the things you need in order to do so. Of course, that journey isn't easy for anyone and there's a ton of monsters and rough terrain to deal with - triggers to emotional reactions, ableists, learning to unmask etc - but every step you take is still in the right direction towards the end goal.

Sometimes, people's mental health can go downhill after receiving a diagnosis of ADHD, ASD or other neurodivergencies, because for some people it's quite a shock and there's a bit of "why me"-ing. (In truth, the answer to the question of "why me" is probably "why not me." It's luck of the draw, and actually, being told you're neurodivergent isn't that terrible a diagnosis.) However, it can also bring a lot of explanations as to why you are a certain way, and just having those answers can be a huge relief, which boosts people's mental health, too. The diagnosis doesn't have to change the way you live your whole life if you don't want it to. Or, if you do want change, you can research all of the things that were indicators/symptoms that showed you had ASD, and find ways that other people on the spectrum manage specific struggles that you relate to. This is probably not that helpful, but it sort of depends on how you look at it - whether the glass of water is half empty or half full and all of that.

Hopefully, some part of my ramblings was useful to you, but if not then feel free to ignore it. After all, there isn't a right or wrong way to be autistic. You just live your life how it's best for you.

7844358 You want to be normal?

There is no normal.

There's not a single normal human alive.

You deal with the cards you were dealt. Make the best of it. Some cards are good in one situation, others in other situations. Some tasks may be hard while others will be easy. Don't close yourself in. All doors are open to you, regardless of which drawer your shrink files you under.

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I was about 12 when I learned I had it; it did help explain certain parts of my behavior.

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As someone who was never diagnosed but who most likely is somewhere in the autistic spectrum (judging by the diagnosis my nephew got recently and striking similarities between how we both behave), I think... I would be relieved . Knowing is always better than not knowing.

If you fear the 'stigma' for being 'abby normal' ... don't. People learn they are on the spectrum all the time. Heck, Elon Musk has Asperger's, but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the most influential people of our times . Plus, while such a diagnosis may suck, it is the first step in finding a cure and/or adjusting your life to get some relief, and that's A LOT (ask anyone who suffers from a hard-to-diagnose disease).

When in doubt, remember - once you hit bottom, the only way is up

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Yeah, but Elon Musk is a dickhead. Not because he has Asperger's, he's just a dickhead.

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Well, whether you think he is a dickhead or not, the point is, he is still one of the most successful people of our times, and his Asperger's didn't stop him in that in the slightest. To me, it shows that (outside the extreme cases) autism doesn't have to define what you can or cannot do. So, IMHO, at this point, getting a solid diagnosis can only help you move in the right direction .

I was just shy of 20 at mine... though my mother insisted I was since a year and a half old.