I've only been diagnosed with SPD for a couple of years. In my 41 years, that's not much time. The question I have for other adults or parents with older children is if you or your child suffer from severe fear and anxiety. I'm highly sensory defensive and tend to get overwhelmed easily every day. When I get overwhelmed or tired, I get scared. Sometimes I think the sensations are going to kill me. Is that even remotely normal? Usually by the end of the day, when I'm so tired and keyed up, I feel a sense of fear. I'm not really afraid of anything, just feel scared. It worries me and is something I've been dealing with my whole life. Does anyone relate?

I'm not confirmed but I ping lots of symptoms.

I would guess I'm on the defensive spectrum, and yes, I'm anxious (hubby says paranoid), react badly to unexpected events, don't like touch much, really hate it with people I don't really know.

I think part of my problem is that my imagination is in permanent hyperdrive. I simply cannot watch horrors or thrillers. Mild suspense often gives me nightmares.

I'm starting to think that, with SPD, "normal" doesn't really compute. There's a big range here, I think as wide and complicated as the autism spectrum, so this could be "normal" for your range, but not for someone on the other end/side of the spectrum... if that makes sense?

Are you working on sensory integration with an OT? TT has some great posts and advice on putting together a sensory toolkit to keep with you at all times, filled with things you know can help you in bad moments.

Hang in there... you're not alone.

I'm always worried/fearful/anxious about things, more than the normal person, as far back as I can remember. My brain jumps to worse-case-scenario almost every time.

My husband sounds like you. We may split up because we are so different and it has us so frustrated. Our daughter has spd, but luckily its the sensation seeking type. She is in a good mood most of the time. I think the hypersensitive type is harder to manage and be around for the person who has it and their family. he hates being touched (its a miracle we have 2 kids). He is paranoid and fearful, and we sleep in separate rooms. So far nothing he has done has helped. He is on antidepressants and antianxiety meds. Neither work.


I would tell you that medication doesn't seem to work for spd. It seeps like spd'ers can have the same symptoms as other disorders but they don't get better on meds. Ot works, exercise works. Let me know what works for you and I will try to get my husband to try it. Paranoia is really destructive to your life and the lives of the people around you. Fearful people are dangerous people, because they always feel under attack, and it makes them want to defend themselves, even when the threat is not real. Im not saying you are a violent person or anything, but its more like, you might overreact to someone cutting you off on the road and swerve into another car-things like that.

Even all my professionals say medication doesn't work. My parents won't listen though. They want to try to just medicate it away. They don't want to listen to the fact that there's something that I need to deal with that can't just get fixed with meds.

Of course. I'm autistic too. So...

Benzodiazapenes work to take the edge off. But you all are correct; I've found no medication that makes it better. Time off from work and a lot of downtime in a quiet, restful room with the lights down low helps. So does a lot of sleep over a period of time. I usually get so overwhelmed about twice a year I have to take a week off from work to settle back down so that I don't jump at every touch, sound, smell, etc and end up either shut down or melted down and crying all the time. It's horrible.