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Hi, I am rubbish at these introductions but here goes:
I'm 24 and female, I've had mental health problems and have been misdiagnosed with a mixed personality disorder (Borderline traits and Avoidant traits) by a psychiatrist who had only seen me for 5 mins but in the last year it's become clear that I'm on the Autism Spectrum. My therapist who worked with people with Autism and their families in the past has been helping me a lot to begin to understand this. Due to the way the adult mental health system works in the UK we have to wait 14 months for an official assessment. My team who have been working with me for quite a while are pretty much sure it's ASD, as are the staff at the home I live in (a supported home for people with mental illness and/or learning disabilities). My parent believe it to be so and it's been unofficially verified by a psychiatrist (he's a locum so it couldn't be official but he has in the past diagnosed people with ASD).
As for me, it's been the best thing that's ever happened to me, for the first time ever my life makes sense and I am begining to understand that there are actually words for the things that I've never been able to verbalise before. There are people who have similar experiences as me, I don't feel like a freak and I don't hate myself like I always have.
Anyway, I've been lurking for a good few months but after being told the 'professionals' are fairly certain I thought I'd better join up so I can actually find out a bit more.
Thankyou.

Hi Rattus, welcome to Wrong Planet

I'm glad the pieces are falling into place for you. I'm sure you'll find lots of support here. What I love about Wrong Planet is that I don't feel so completely alone, just knowing that there are other people in the world like me is a very comforting thought.

Nice name Rattus!

But Yep, I can relate to that discovery. My differentness was all a mystery to me since childhood. Since the more recent publizing and spread of info on Aspergers however, many internal worries and external conflicts have diminished for me. I don't have a diagnosis, but inside know I am on the spectrum and have not kept it secret from my family and close friends. Most NTs don't really understand it, never having experienced it, but none close to me has changed how they act or feel about me so maybe knowing helps them a little bit too.

Welcome to Wp

Welcome to WP Rattus. Hope you like it here. See you're from the UK as well. There's quite a decent number of us UK folks on here.

Thankyou for all the replies.
It's good to know other people have had similar eperiences, I wish so much I could have had this answer years ago but I am so glad to have it. I've been so much more stable the last 6 months than I've been in 15 years. I feel like I've come 'home' if that makes any sense.
Rattus because I LOVE rats, one of my special interests. I've kept them for over 4 years now. I keep Rattus norvegicus which is the Brown rat, I have 5 (2 seperate groups: 3 bucks in one cage and 2 does in another cage). I also have 3 which I am looking after for my friend until she gets her housing situation sorted which consist of a neutered buck and two does.
x

I really like animals in general but to be honest do have a fear or aversion to some. But even those I still respect and think they have as much right to live there lives as anything else. I understand rats to be very intelligent and have heard that they can be raised to be quite interactive and friendly with their owners. I guess it comes down to understanding the nature of the animal you wish to keep.

I have overcome an aversion to snakes to an extent. When we moved to where I live now which is a very natural setting I at first was quite frightened of the snakes I saw around the house and sometimes in the garage. I was mostly frightened for the safety of my children, having heard there are poisoness snakes in this area and I confess, not knowing what else to do I felt compelled to destroy them. But it felt horrible doing it and I doubted it was necessary. So I talked to people about snakes and especially read up on them and how to identify them on the internet. But it was a little difficult at first because there are many that look similiar & when I would see one I would run inside and quick try to look it up and hope the snake would not be gone in case it was dangerous. It turns out that all that I see are harmless and even benefical in keeping the bug populations down and that the three poisoness types are both rare and actually quite easy to recognize.

So I have never had to harm one since and try not to disturb those I see, even living right up to the house. If one comes in (which is rare) I catch it in a net and move it outside. I actually think the small ones are kind of cute but still am squeemish about picking them up or holding them.

Here's a pic of one that quite startled me. I was trimming a bush in front of the house and turning suddenly saw this snake sitting 4 feet up in the bush and only a few inches away. I didn't expect to see a snake hanging out in a bush! But he was just a harmless Ribbon snake sunning himself on a chill morning. And I found that Ribbons do like hanging out in bushes.

That is a beautiful snake, I really like snakes. As I child I was quite knowlegable about them but I remember little of it unfortunantly. My mum really disliked rats and I wasn't allowed them when I lived at home, snakes and rats were the two pets we weren't allowed. However, since I have kept them my mum has come round to them and now refers to them as her 'grandrats', se'll even hold them which is amazing given she used to not even allow them in her house. A lot of people dislike rats until the actually get the chance to meet them. They are highly intelligent animals, they are also very affectionate. Their social groupings are similar in complexity to the dog family. They have a highly complex sense of smell. Their tails are used in thermoregulation. They are truly amazing animals.

Grandrats!

Nice to hear how she came around. Yes, I have heard they can be affectionate, but that was hard for me to fathom. But now that you point out their similiarity to dog social behavior it makes sense. By lucky chance people and wolves had an unusual compatibility... so far the best match known in nature I guess. Dogs being the result of selective breeding since, and what true and loyal friends they can be. If rats have similiar potenial who knows what might happen in time.

Welkome to WP

Mick