stabilator wrote:
I was very fortunate to get my ASD/Asperger diagnosis.
I was recently diagnosed after only about a year of being aware I might have autism. I spent about 39 years being unaware my condition was autism, and struggling in my life all the time because I couldn't fit in with anybody and people frequently got angry at me because of my oddness.
When I was a teen and struggling with strong anxiety and depression, my parents took me to a shrink, who hastily said I probably had schizophrenia and instantly he wanted to do the band-aid treatment of all sorts of medications. He seemed so half-hearted about it all. I don't think he gave a damn. He seemed to think I was just some crazy hysterical teenage girl loaded with puberty hormones and having PMS. None of the meds did any help and give me awful side effects. I felt so manipulated by him. I insisted on ending visits with that guy. Later, another shrink said I had anxiety disorder and didn't think I had schizophrenia, but back then there was little knowledge on how to treat anxiety and I was sick of meds and didn't want them to experiment on me.
I continued with my life and refused to see any more phychiatrists. I went to college some, had a few small short jobs that college friend found for me (I can't get jobs for the life of me on my own, with the exception of the interest of military recruiters). Then did an eight year service in the U.S. Army. I ended up getting a head injury, which caused debilitating neurologic migraines and neuralgia type nerve problems in my body, but they were never successfully identified so the doctors kept thinking I was malingering to get out of work. NO! I had real intense pain and I actually wanted them to help me so I could get back to work, and I don't like hanging out in hospitals and clinics, and they smell awful. The untreated pain eventually had me decide to separate from the Army because I was beginning to have difficulty doing my work and was now frequently making mistakes while in pain, and I began dreading causing any accidents after I almost had an accident while on one of my regular driving duties, but this time having a horrible migraine that blurred my vision out.
After I was discharged I began doing visits with the local Veterans Affairs clinics to help me get fixed up and treated so I can be well enough return to college or start getting back into the work force. They began working on helping me with these, and then they tried to help me get treatment for possible PTSD and 'adjustment disorder'. The adjustment disorder had been documented because I had had an angry meltdown during a long argument and interrogation by my sergeants about my behavior and issues some co-workers had with me. Some of the co workers were often irritated with me because of my eccentricity and weirdness, and some of the superiors often hazed me and others below them as a way to deal with their own stress. Some of it was sexual harassment, reprimands and punishments, threats, and marginalizing directed at me and I acted out against it sometimes. Anyway because of this adjustment disorder, the local VA decided to help me with in this psych area. My psych case person decided to help me look into an autism diagnosis because I had recently found out about Asperger Syndrome and had begun doing intense internet research and found it totally described myself and my problems.
It took time, and this case person got connected with the regional center and argued with them because they didn't want to diagnose and adult. (They denied me when I tried to contact them on my own). She battled with them and finally got them to diagnose me, and now she is helping me get with get set up with local agencies that help autistics and other developmentally disabled people get housing and jobs. It is slowly in the beginnings and I have to apply for SSI and other things for poor and jobless people because I still am too disabled to work for now. I thank my VA case person so much for this help because I doubt I ever would have gotten help or a diagnosis on my own or with help from anyone I know. Also I was finally seen by a neurologist and she is starting to work on a treatment to help get my pain under control.
Wow! Someone else on the spectrum who served in the Army! I did a three year stint in the Army. When I processed in at the MEPS I disclosed to the doctor that I had be diagnosed with autism as a toddler. He was nonplussed and simply wrote it down in his notes. I got the feeling he didn't know what autism was. Anyway, when I was serving I was under extreme stress often times not getting adequate rest. I had outbursts and problems that led up multiple write ups and eventually an Article 15. I challenged it and it got reduced to a suspension, but no reduction in rank or monetary punishment. I missed a chance to see President Clinton in South Korea, because my sergeants didn't think I was "fit" to go. The chaplain even offered up his spot. He was the only one there who was on my side. He was the main reason my Article 15 got changed to a warning (I can't think of the actual word).
Anyway, I have a question for you. Will the VA run tests for autism? I am currently being treated at the VA for bipolar disorder. However I don't think those two diagnoses are counter to each other.
Thanks for posting this.
06 Feb 2015, 1:16 pm
