Not like everybody else, does anybody recognise?

[sirenity]

I posted this topic in the Other Disorders topic, because I don not know wich disorder it is that sets me apart from the rest of humankind. Maybe it is not even a disorder, but I sure as hell know I am not like anybody else.

As a child I never had the feeling I was a kid just like the other kids. I just thought of the other kids.. well.. as kids. Kids are cute, but not the people to have interesting conversations with. I as a kid, found my peers childish and preferred to hang out with adults. I always was aware of the social ills of the world. I connected the image of tanks with oppression, with the troubles at Tiananmen Square. My classmates tought that tanks were pretty cool, like all the other army stuff.
At age ten, I had the puberty thing, I dressed like a band member of the Sex Pistols. At age twelve, I tought dressing up like every other punker on the planet to express non-conformity was actually pretty lame. Mayby it was unhealthy for me to try to be like an adult, as a pedantic little professor. Mayby I am autistic. I have the superb memory some autists have. And I was a little professsor, reading my new schoolbooks before the semester began. After that, I lost interest in them. At least that I had in common with the rest: I was lazy. I absolutely hated school. My mother said that I was very eager to learn, and that my questions drove her crazy, but I hated school.

Can being to serious be a disorder? People tell me it is my seriousness that sets me apart from the rest. They say I don't like smalltalk, but I do! Only, when I am chit-chatting about a topic that interests me, the tune out and ask me why I always talk about Life, The Universe and Everything. But that's interesting, right? Why does smalltalk always have to be about sports, the neighbour's cat and celebrities? Do people really like to discuss where someone got her new drapes, of is it just a pretend game?

Yep, I am not like anybody else. Most people can be entertained by a youtube-movie of a clown playing the piano by throwing balls at it, but I just think, wow, impressive skill, and that's it. I dont have the attention to watch the whole five-minute-movie- ADHD?

Anybody here recognise this? Anyone here have a clue why I am different? does anyone know some websites that might be of some interest to me?
You can PM me if you like, but if you post any info in this thread, it might be of some use to others.

 

[ThatLady]

I'll answer by saying you sound a lot like me, and I don't think of myself as out of step with others, really. I may be different than some in my ways of thinking, or doing things, but they're also different than I am. I wonder if they feel different, too, when confronted with the likes of me.

It takes all kinds of people to build a world, and it takes all kinds of people to make that world work. We all bring our goods and bads to the worktable. If we look around, we'll find there's something to appreciate in almost everyone.

So, sirenity, you ARE somewhat like somebody else, and you and I are probably somewhat like many others. There will be differences and similarities. That's a good thing. It keeps us from being so bored we fall asleep in our dinner plates.

 

[sirenity]

Thank you for your kind words, ThatLady!
I am only wondering when being different stops just being different and starts having a name.. Someone could be more active than most people, bunt when do you call it ADHD?

Happy holidays to you all!

 

[Halo]

Hi Sirenity,

I read your post and wanted to respond to your question about when being different stops just being different and starts having a name. I am going to quote something that Dr. Baxter said on another thread that may help:

That's why I always try to emphasize that most "disorders" like ADHD, OCD, etc., even learning disabilities, are not truly categorical but more of a continuum. I think most people have some ADD or OCD tendencies but we don't diagnose them as such until those traits reach a point where they are seriously impairing the individual's ability to function in his or her world.

Hope this is helpful.

Take care

 

[Miette]

I identify with everything you say, but I always thought I tended towards having a serious/thoughtful personality type. I work (and go to school) at a university, so my daily environment is chock-full of people like you and me.

I like Dr. Baxter's quote about the continuum. My psychiatrist said he sees a lot of people in the academic environment that are just shy of an asperger's diagnosis, but still highly functioning (not quite those words, but I don't remember exactly what he said). He doesn't think I have aspergers or autism, even though my whole life I have acted somewhat like a "little professor." The key is that my functioning is not affected (by these traits, at least). You mention that you feel your attention span is short... is that just for things that don't interest you? Can you maintain interest in a topic you find fascinating? It sounds to me like you are highly intelligent and therefore bored by discussions of curtains and the like... that's very understandable!

 

[ThatLady]

Thank you for your kind words, ThatLady!
I am only wondering when being different stops just being different and starts having a name.. Someone could be more active than most people, bunt when do you call it ADHD?

Happy holidays to you all!

I agree that such behaviors don't qualify as a disorder unless (and until) they're interfering with your daily life in a way that impacts your productivity in a negative way. If you're going along, doing your thing, and doing it reasonably well without too much hardship, you're probably just a person like the rest of us, with some odd traits, but mostly just people being people.

 

[comfortzone]

Sirenity,

Sounds like you enjoy the extraordinary versus the mundane things in life. I agree with TL and David. It seems we humans are skillful at keeping ourselves at a distance from one another in one way or another.

What did you hate about school?

you sound like an interesting person. Take care!