I'm 22 years old (female), and I've struggled in various ways since I was a teenager. I have mental symptoms that are really hard to explain fully because they've changed overtime. I can't talk to people normally because of intrusive thoughts and intrusive emotions that make me lose control and do inappropriate things (like getting overly excited and talking in a really weird pitch or getting a facial spasm that looks like a creepy leer). Normally I feel like I'm not really thinking with my own brain -- when I "think" it's typically me subconsciously imagining someone else commenting on me and saying something really trite, like I'm thinking through a Reddit post (internet overuse does also play a role ...). I have ADHD, social phobia, and have been diagnosed with dysthymia. Some of my issues/experiences have made me think I might be on the spectrum. I had anorexia when I was 14 (which was the onset of some dysfunctional behavior/thought patterns), and selective mutism when I was 6-7 years old.
I've been considering a lot why I currently have these problems. I've had pretty bad IBS in the past, so it could be a gut issue. I also have posture issues (forward head, mild scoliosis, pain and tension when I try to stand straight ...). I guess the list could go on. But there are two possibilities that I think play a big role and one of them is my past use of Ritalin. When I was 11 or so my father started giving me Ritalin. I don't remember very clearly, but I think at one point he was giving me 3 (or maybe 4) pills a day. The pills weren't prescribed to me, but from a large stash that were meant for my brother, who refused to take them. I think I took them for a year or more but I don't remember exactly.
The other possible cause is that my maternal grandmother smoked through her pregnancies. My mom has some issues that are like mine, and my aunt has ADHD. My brother has ADHD, like me. If all my grandparents' descendants have this problem, there should be a connection, I think.
Some of what @Diokine has written here, especially about posture/nerves/inflammation makes me feel like there could be a connection ... Though I'm kind of all over the place since I don't really know what the cause is.
I've been considering a lot why I currently have these problems. I've had pretty bad IBS in the past, so it could be a gut issue. I also have posture issues (forward head, mild scoliosis, pain and tension when I try to stand straight ...). I guess the list could go on. But there are two possibilities that I think play a big role and one of them is my past use of Ritalin. When I was 11 or so my father started giving me Ritalin. I don't remember very clearly, but I think at one point he was giving me 3 (or maybe 4) pills a day. The pills weren't prescribed to me, but from a large stash that were meant for my brother, who refused to take them. I think I took them for a year or more but I don't remember exactly.
The other possible cause is that my maternal grandmother smoked through her pregnancies. My mom has some issues that are like mine, and my aunt has ADHD. My brother has ADHD, like me. If all my grandparents' descendants have this problem, there should be a connection, I think.
Some of what @Diokine has written here, especially about posture/nerves/inflammation makes me feel like there could be a connection ... Though I'm kind of all over the place since I don't really know what the cause is.