I was formally diagnosed with Aspergers (back when that was a thing) when I was 19. It honestly hurt me emotionally and made me feel "othered", but this was at a time that autism spectrum was more stigmatized and equated to having intellectual disability but with extra features. I didnt feel comfortable talking about it. I still dont exactly...at least not to everyone, but there is more acceptance. I have some in-real-life friends that I feel comfortable talking about it with, but only if they bring it up first. I know of other people that simply lack the understanding of the condition and believe stereotypes...those people I dont talk to about it. Pica can be serious depending on what you are eating that isnt food. I dont have experience with that. What are you eating? It occurs in autism often as a sensory issue. It also appears in people who are iron deficient...which can come from ARFID(avoidant restrictive food intake disorder...essentially clinically significant picky eating that occurs in many autistics). Now, just as it can deliver iron to the body as a last resort, it can also deliver heavy metals. So be careful.
For any other Americans reading this thread: EUPD is the European term for what we call BPD.
For what it's worth: I had a roommate in 2014 that I immediately recognized as autistic. He somehow wasnt diagnosed until 2023 despite "symptoms"(in quotes because I dont think of all cases of autism as having a disorder) that I thought were very obvious. He started a comedy thing in Las Vegas.... he wasnt that good at first...his jokes got better...through trial and error as he had the confidence to not give a shit about making "error" in front of a crowd... he is living a very good life now in one of the most booming cities in the country.
Anyways, autism is a particular neurological difference. It tends to manifest in everything we do (don't be ashamed...but it is true). Ive received comments from friends about small things that I dont even notice, like sitting on my knees in a chair (apparantly that is atypical?). It causes problems understanding non-verbal social cues and can affect your desire to actively socialize (ie. many autistics like to be around people but without much active interaction (in children this is called parallel play)). It can also make you super interested in particular topics that change at different stages of your life. Just because you are autistic does not mean that "thats what it all was all along" though, because dual diagnosis and substance abuse is very common on the spectrum.
BTW: your username seems very familiar to me. Im not sure when we last interacted here or what about...or even if it was amicable or not...but I know it has been a minute....welcome back!
Edit: nevermind, you are palmolive. I totally remember you
