SPD Support Forum

I haven't pursued a diagnosis yet. I'm 33 years old and have been diagnosed with depression (at 19) and anxiety (just recently). I thought I had ADD, but I tried several classes of ADD meds and none of them worked, so I've abandoned that idea.

I've always had sensory issues, except that I didn't call them that; they were just quirks.
-- I always hated wearing tights and turtleneck shirts. My mother let me stop wearing tights every day when I was around 8, but I wore turtlenecks to school every day until some point in high school, when I finally told her that I hated wearing them.
-- I didn't like wet foods and dry foods together as a young child. I never had cereal with milk, dressing on salad, or sauce on pasta. I still don't eat cereal with milk or cookies with milk, and would never dress a salad voluntarily, but I'll eat that if someone else serves it and I'll put sauce on my pasta. But there are some combinations that really bother me. Notably, cut tomatoes in a green salad and any kind of fruit at all in a vegetable salad. I don't love fruit salad, either, especially if there are hard things and soft things together.
-- I really, really hate it when I come home and a roommate has been cooking. The smell makes me nauseated. If it's my own cooking or my mother's or sister's and I know it's happening and am looking forward to the meal, the smell doesn't bother me at all.
-- Tight clothes and shoes, tags and seams have always bothered me.
-- I startle easily.
-- I have a hard time with right and left.
-- I never learned to swim or drive or ice skate.
-- Rocking helps me sleep, even now, as an adult.
-- I've always bumped into things and dropped things.
-- I startle very easily.
-- I can't stand the smell of perfume and cologne.

Anyway, that's me. I have no idea how to go about seeking a diagnosis. I am in graduate school and have pretty crappy health insurance. I'm going to bring it up with my psychiatrist (a resident) and maybe my therapist at some point soonish and see if they have any ideas. I'm pretty sure that my dad is on the autism spectrum and other things in various checklists sounded a lot like him and various other family members. My brother can't use mint toothpaste or shampoo/soap with any smell at all, and the smell of moisturizer always made him gag.

Thank you for listening!

Hi there, and welcome to the site.

I would say it certainly sounds like you have quite a few hypersensitivities, and I'd say they're most likely significant enough to assume you have SPD. I can certainly relate to all of that, plus the motor/coordination issues you mentioned.

I like your idea of talking to your psychiatrist and therapist about it. The therapist that is recommended by far the most for SPD is an occupational therapist, as I'm sure you may have seen mentioned other places. It can be difficult to find one that is willing and able to work with an adult, and yet another challenge to find one that is able to work with insurance. I get a 50% return on mine, and that's better than what some people get.

As for the family thing, well, it has been found that a lot of people with SPD have at least one parent with the disorder. It tends to run in families, or so it would seem, so it's quite likely that others in your family do in fact have it, even if it's not as severe.

I hope you are able to get the best support therapeutically as you can. Likewise, it can be beneficial to be active on a site like this and interact with others who have been through a lot of similar experiences.
Best wishes, and I hope you get what you need out of this site.

Thank you for your welcome. I will bring it up with my "people" whenever I see each of them next.

I felt a little less alone after I started reading Rachel's blog, here: http://comingtosenses.blogspot.com/

Rachel, it's great!

What do you all know about getting a diagnosis? I think that only neurologists can diagnose it. Is that true? I thought about paying for a neurological screening when I felt crazy last spring, but they cost about $2000 and aren't covered by insurance. I might be able to ask my primary care physician for a referral to a neurologist, though, for sensory issues. I guess I'll see what I can do.

Borei

(04-14-2013, 01:57 PM)boreihoshech Wrote: [ -> ]I felt a little less alone after I started reading Rachel's blog, here: http://comingtosenses.blogspot.com/

Yeah, gotta love Rachel's blog. I met her a couple years ago, and she's great.

boreihoshech Wrote:What do you all know about getting a diagnosis? I think that only neurologists can diagnose it. Is that true?

Hmmm, not so sure about neurologists. In fact, I've heard horror stories of some people's neurologists just dismissing their concerns.

Occupational therapy (OT) is the official treatment/diagnosis specialist to go to, as prescribed by the research that has been conducted on the disorder. You can try to find one on the SPD Foundation's website here:
http://spdfoundation.net/directory/index.html

That's how I found the one I go to currently, and it's been a really awesome 5 years since we started. Good luck on your own search for treatment!