Psychiatrist says I'm hypersensitive?
Hey and sorry for the long post.
I (AFAB, early 30s, Europe) visited a psychiatrist and therapist for depression and PTSD (they are experts for those) due to things happening in the childhood and more recent past. One big factor had been my family, one other factor that contributed, had been how my environment treated neurodivergent kids.
For example, I have dyspraxia and a sports teacher made fun of me in the worst way. Also a teacher made fun of me, my interests weren't girly enough and too strong. I always had strong interests. She also got angry by my behavior to fidget with my jewelry or hair ties, when I've been in thoughts.
Classmates bullied me, because something about me had been off-putting for them. I had some kids I got along with, but those mainly had been other "excentric" kids, and I made my first female friend in late teenage life.
To understand them, I've written in a diary, analyzing their behavior. That's also how I learned to read facial expressions and non-verbal communication pretty well. Never had been bad at it, but I got much better through that approach and I also love to write fantasy.
One time I told my psychiatrist and therapist I believe to be autistic, then we talked about it for some time. I started to talk quite late as a toddler, but had an above-average vocabulary as soon as I started talking and I started to read at 3 1/2 year old and became fluent fast.
I don't seek out a diagnosis per se, since I enjoy the strong sensory input and feelings things deeply. Since I got out of school, the bullying stopped too and I found my friend circle.
Both took their time thinking about it and both seperately came to the conclusion that I'm hypersensitive (HSP) and highly gifted. I know the second one, but I don't care much. It's not like I could have graduate from university with my prefered degree anyway, I had to give up on biology due my dyspraxia made it impossible to work in the lab. :/
HSP doesn't sit right with me tho. My therapist said she knows that female assigned people, who are "not struggling enough", are called HSP instead of autistic, when they don't struggle in daily life due their autistic traits, but for me it seems to fit well.
I never had social or generalized anxiety and my struggles come from depression and ptsd. For example, my sensory processing is very deep, but it rarely caused me distress, and I get along with most people in daily life, yet I never felt connected to most of people from work etc., only with a rather small friend group. I feel quite detached and cosplaying outside my friend circle lol.
So they said they had been honest and said they don't know either. They would send me to a specialist, but that costs 1.000 € + going through the whole process, and I don't know what for.
Calling nd women by default HSP, when they are "not suffering enough" doesn't sit right with me. Some of the traits don't fit me (for example disliking violence in media, I only dislike hyperviolent and gorey media movies like Saw etc., but I have some "macrabe" interests too and don't mind most portrayal of violence). Lot other criterias fit well.
So I just don't know myself.