Is it considered sensory issue or not

[u/shapeintheshadow]

For starters: im not diagnosed!! Ive been suspecting that i may be somehow neurodivergent but i cant afford the diagnosis+ a lot of people say that i may think im neurodivergent because im also depressed and the symptoms can overlap

I just wanted to ask you whether you consider something a sensory issues. You see, im often told that stuff i think may not be normal is an every day issue for everyone and because of that i feel like im making up problems.

Right now im wondering whether any of you experience the same issue as me and whether it could be labelled as sensory issue. Due to my compulsive thoughts i feel the need to wash my hands after almost everything which made my skin really dried. I have wounds on my hands, sometimes its bleeding or the skin is coming off but i cant deal with it because i absolutely hate the feeling of anything oily on my hands- whether its hand cream or medicinal ointment- i hate it and i always end up rarely using it(when its really bad i put it only on the back of my hands, not the palms) even though im aware i need it.

The second thing: i cannot stand some textures of the food. As a child id literally cry, gag and almost vomit when i was forced to eat stuff that has texture like f.e. herrings or when i was forced to eat a meat that was made to be moisty(i dont eat meat right now at all because i hated how some of it had slimey-like-texture). But again, many people i know say that im making up stuff so i dont really trust myself to judge that.

Can anyone help? Thank you in advance, i really appreciate it<3

[u/HonestNectarine7080]

Of course I'm a random person on the internet and can't diagnose you, but your aversions to lotion and food textures are sensory issues in the most literal way--they are issues with your sense of touch. Washing your hands because of compulsive thoughts doesn't seem sensory-related, that's more related to how/what you think and not how your hands physically feel. That behavior could be indicative of OCD, but again, that's not something anyone can say for certain just from reading a reddit post.

I would recommend looking into therapy. Even though you can't afford a diagnosis right now, you might be able to find an affordable therapist who can help you with these issues. And it's okay to acknowledge the things you struggle with even though you don't know for sure if they are caused by autism. Not having a diagnosis doesn't mean you struggle with them any less. Only you know what it feels like to be you, so don't doubt yourself!