TeenHelp - Triggering: Overstimmed

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- - Triggering: Overstimmed (http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f14-mental-health/t165551-overstimmed/)

Okay, I have a issue.

I get overstimmed really easily, more easily then my friends who are diagnosed with ADHD.

My doctor thinks I have Autism or ADHD apparently.

But yesterday I got so overstimulated I didn't really know how to talk properly and I got really nauseous. Is that normal?

I have a fidget necklace that helps calm me down sometimes.

Yesterday when I was overstimmed my friend kept asking me if I was okay and I kept saying no and at one point he looked me dead in the face and said "Are you crying?" and though my eyes were tearing up I said no.

I also get really overstimulated when it comes to food.

The textures drive me crazy, so I've developed an ED because of it, and even though I don't exactly know when I'm hungry, I'm okay with that.

People think I'm just trying to starve myself, but I'm not, it's just I don't know when I'm hungry and even if I eat I can't deal with the textures.

I don't know whether I should talk to my teacher who supported me yesterday about it or not. Just that issue alone made me gain a lot of trust in her.

I also can't read big paragraphs so I wrote this the way I did.

If I wrote it like a normal person did I would get really overwhelmed and start crying because of it because I physically couldn't read it.

Should I talk to a teacher/Guidance counselor about this?

I don't like my guidance counselors so I'd rather speak to the teacher who assisted me yesterday when I got overstimulated

Definitely get overstimulated to the point of having physical symptoms. I'm glad you have a fidget necklace. Maybe you can find other fidget toys you can use as well so you have a variety of options. Another thing I do is the five senses where you list five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste (it might help to have candy or gum with you for this one). If you're at home you can also try holding an ice pack or putting it to your neck or chest to get the sensation.

I know you're not trying to starve yourself either. Some people, especially those with ASD, have "safe foods" that they have a very difficult time deviating from, so that may be what's happening to you. It may help you to have some of these safe foods in your house so you have something you're able to eat. If they require cooking it may help to learn how to prepare them. I'm not saying never try any other foods ever, though. At least try a few bites and then if you can't handle it, that's okay as long as there's something else you can eat, because fed is best. If you are able to drink some nutrition shakes like Ensure it may help you to make up some of the nutrients you may not be getting from regular food.

Big walls of texts are super overwhelming so it makes sense that you can't read big paragraphs.

I think it's worth talking to a teacher, especially since you're not fond of talking to your guidance counselors. Maybe you can kind of tell them in kind of the same way you told us.

well, my fidget necklace broke today so my anxiety got really bad today and I almost completely shut down.

Yeah, the only foods I really feel I can eat is pizza rolls, hot dog curls, and mac n' cheese.

Hello, I am sorry about what you have been going through and hope you will be okay soon.

Hi there! I'm not sure if you've been able to talk to your teacher yet and I know it's the holiday break right now. But I would suggest pulling them aside after you return to school in January and let them know how you've been feeling. How you've been getting overstimulated and find certain foods difficult to eat. Make note of what gets you overstimulated and what type of food you can't tolerate having.

You said you might have an Autism diagnosis and I want to let you know: there's nothing wrong with having Autism! It's 2025, we don't like in the 1930s and 1940s anymore. We're long past the era of where such diagnosis meant you got sent to live with some obscure aunt on her rural farm or to a state hospital. Disability rights have come so far since 1973 and we now have the Americans with Disabilities act, enforced in the 1990s.

If your parents react negatively to this piece of information, then that's on them. Your having Autism should have absolutely no negative impact on them and if they treat you differently, then that's their problem. You're still a wonderful human being who deserves to live a life just like anyone else.

Wishing you the best of luck. :hug:

Wow yeah that does sound like it could be autism (or an autism adjacent condition like sensory processing disorder or something). I was diagnosed with Aspergers in 2012 under DSM IV(would be level 1 autism without developmental ,speech,or cognitive delays or impairment under DSM V). I get overstimulated more easily than most and avoid certain food textures and certain environments that drive me crazy. The sight of spaghetti with ground beef or a cooked egg(Ill actually eat a raw one though) makes me physically gag. I sometimes dont feel hunger and have lost weight as a result and some people have suspected I had an eating disorder. Sometimes overstimulation makes me unable to eat or function socially. But even then I would say that your overstimulation is worse. If you are on ADHD meds, they can worsen overstimulation and social stiffness in some people with autism. Autism is frequently misdiagnosed as ADHD as well and because the medication works differently in people without ADHD, this can cause problems. For example, I was treated with ADHD meds for many years and the evaluation that diagnosed Aspergers and ruled that I was likely misdiagnosed with ADHD didnt happen until I was in university. I became addicted to Adderall and started to seemingly involuntarily go into a binge whenever I took it and stay up for days with no food. And because I didnt have ADHD, the side effects like loss of appetite and redosing compulsion hit me way harder than someone who actually has the condition. I had to discontinue the Adderall.

There isnt much your guidance counselor can do diagnostically as they dont diagnose or treat, but they can talk to your teachers and come up with a plan. It would need to be medically documented and recommended for you to get 504/ADA or IEP accommodations that address the overstimulation though. But perhaps the counselor can calm you down. However, they cannot professionally treat you or provide anything that would qualify as therapy or treatment. You should see a psychologist for evaluation and relay that to your psychiatrist if you see one. Try to see a specialist in autism,adhd, and social interaction problems.