Autistic Hedgehog
RSSPosts tagged with "social anxiety"
I know this has been asked before.... But do you think it's wrong of me to self identify on the autistic spectrum without a diagnosis? I've already got an autoimmune disease (which effects me neurologically) and I don't want to get this diagnosed and have doctors not take me seriously. I just find that I identify so much with this blog. Like you, my interest is in writing, but when I try to speak the words get caught in my throat and I panic. So thanks for writing that. Cont.
Anonymous
But sometimes I think that I just have social anxiety, but I’m still neurotypical. And then I think the opposite. I’m so full of self doubt and I don’t want to offend anyone, but this blog just seems to click with me.
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I don’t really see why the answer should be any different in your case than it is in anyone else’s. It sounds like you have a legitimate reason to not want an official diagnosis, and that’s fine. There are all sorts of reasons to be wary of being officially diagnosed. Just, as I always say, do your research. There’s various reasons for this, and perhaps one of the most important is ensuring that you’re identifying in a way that you feel comfortable and confident in.
Though to be completely frank, you don’t have to be autistic, officially diagnosed or not, to relate to this blog. If it resonates with you, that’s all that matters. Even if “all” you have is social anxiety, that can be very difficult to deal with, and it’s no small wonder you relate to things on this blog. Even if, in the end, you decide that social anxiety is a better fit for you than autism, you’re always welcome here.
Dear Autistic Hedgehog, I have many issues that at first I thought were social anxiety, but my chemistry teacher thinks may be autism. I am overstimulated by lights and sounds around me and can't follow conversations without taking time to process them in my head. everything is sharp and loud and I don't like being touched by people because it feels like I'm on fire. I have mild OCD and try to withdraw by stimming. My mom doesn't think I'm autistic. But I wonder if I should see someone about it?
Anonymous
Autism has a range of symptoms, including the ones you’ve described, and not every autistic person has all of them. But there are also other disorders that can have very similar symptoms.
While I’m not in any way, shape or form a doctor and maybe not the person to be giving out medical advice, it does sound like your symptoms are extreme and disruptive enough that you should talk to someone about it. Even if it’s not autism, it might be something else that you could get treatment and/or support for. It sounds bad enough that I don’t think you should write it off as social anxiety.
You may also want to try doing some reading, checking out some blogs of autistic people here on tumblr.
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