About stress and Asperger’s Syndrome

In 1980, when I was six years old, I got a MBD diagnosis. MBD = Minimal Brain Dysfunction. I got my Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis 2000. A doctor have told me my MBD diagnosis is the same as my Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis. I’m very glad to know what’s wrong with me.

I have been burned out. My first crash was in summer 2001. In my papers my doctor have wrote my symtomps is “high stress”, and the diagnosis is Asperger’s Syndrome, but I think myself I have had all symptoms of burnout.

Since 6 June 2002 I didn’t work. I maybe never work again. One part of it is the burnout, the other is my Asperger’s Syndrome.

When you are burned out, you got help to get better again. Your doctor put you on the sick list, and totally you’re off from work maybe 2 or 3 years. Maybe you can go a stress course when you’re on the sick list, and when you feel better you can try working a few hours a week.

I have never got that help. I have high stress in combination with Asperger’s Syndrome. The help I have got is talking with a person who said I should buy a CD who help me relax. I couldn’t work 4 hours a day, so my doctor told me I can not work anymore.

Very often I have been sad. I can put on a happy face, but when I come home I can express my feelings and start crying. I feel sad mostly every week, and I have learned its ok to cry. When I am sad, I am soon happy again. I have not a depression anymore.

I need to have a life I can control by myself. I must have time both to do housekeeping and fun things. When I am tired I must take a nap, or else I will crash again. If I’m out doing fun things for a whole day, or if I’m on a trip for some days, I must have the time to sleep when I am back home. I can work, but I can’t give it a try. I have a stamp in my forehead who says: “You have Asperger’s Syndrome and high stress, that means you cannot work anymore”.

I am much happier when I can start over in Ludvika. It makes me feel good. When working I have been so burned so I don’t want to work anymore, I can’t handle it.