Expert: Trey McGowan - 3/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: dear trey,

    my name is ruth and i am 37 years old.i have been in therapy off and on most of my life and i always feel like no one is listening.i feel in my heart the drs are wrong abouy my diagnoses.i have been doing alot of research my self and i just need to talk to someone who under stands what im going through.can you please point me in the right direction on who to talk to on high functioning autism.i have not been able to go to stores for most my life and i said it was the lights and everyone told me it was anxiety.i feel like punching things if i hear noises sometimes the sound of someones voice.i have days where i sit and rock on my bed deathly afraid and cry until i am exausted i cant change a subject and not only am i this way but most my family is medicated for something.i do believe that it is from fillings most my family has bad teeth.i think certain things make it worse at times.i need help so i can help my son.

ANSWER: Hello, Ruth!

First off, you say that you believe it is from fillings. I have to scratch my head about that comment; fillings do not cause autism, nor do they cause any mental illnesses that I know of, unless you have a fear of dentists.

You ask me to tell you who to talk to about the situation. However, I don't know if I will be able to help much with that. You see, you don't mention at all where you are for me to be able to direct you to anyone, so all I can do is point toward some online sites and forums, many of which you would also be able to find with checking Google for 'high-functioning autism forums'. With how many of these there are, I can only give you a tiny sampling of high-traffic forums:

http://autismforum.net/forums/forum.php (at the time of this writing, the homepage is down, but the forums are alive and well; expect the homepage to be back soon)
http://www.wrongplanet.net/
http://www.aspennj.org/

I wish I could be of more help than this, but without a more direct location, I can't help find a more 'local' bit of aid. And I don't know whether you are looking for doctor's support, or just a group of people to talk to, either. Hopefully, though, those forums will be a start for you and, if it's not enough information, you can give me a follow-up and let me know a little more specifically what you're looking for.

All the best! Feedback, comments, and the like are welcome as well!

Trey


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: what i meant and you have to forgive me ..the way that question sounded really sounds stupid...i had someone tell me recently that mercury poisoning can cause autism...i had eight fillings done at a young age..i was trying to make a connection between my behaivior and something physical myself..after i contacted you i called a proffesional anxiety institute and i am going to be evaluated for ocd first...im sorry i didnt make sence at the time..thats another part of my illness   thank you,
         ruth king

Answer
Hi there, Ruth!

There's no need to worry! The question doesn't sound stupid. It simply sounds uninformed. And while that might sound like a very bad thing, trust me: being uninformed (or badly informed) is a very common thing. And is not something to be ashamed of.

Mercury poisoning can cause a great many effects, including mental disturbance. However, 'mental disturbance' and 'autism' are two enormously different things. Essentially, what is more common with mercury poisoning is confusion, shaking, neurological problems, et cetera. Long-term, the more 'visible' of these effects can mimic autism (the lack of coordination, potential mental retardation or learning deficiencies, confusion, et cetera), but it would not have the same effect as autism in everything (social difficulties, obsessions, et cetera).

I'm no doctor, so I can't be sure which of these it is, if either. It is also possible, very definitely, that you've got some anxiety, OCD, or the like. Thus, I'm very happy that you've found some real experts (instead of just this AllExpert!) to go to! I wish you all the luck and a speedy diagnosis. My thoughts go out to you!

Feel free to continue with feedback, follow-ups, additional questions and comments if you feel the need in the future!

Trey