I’m not certain if it used to be the same in my country (CH), but I was diagnosed with ADHD at 30 years old and ASD at 44.
I can relate to your frustration.
Diagnosis isn’t everything, but if it’s incomplete, it simply doesn’t help me understand myself as it should.
I am dual.
That paradox of requiring predictability/routine and novelty equally has brought up some funny traits in me during the approximately statistical half-life I’ve spent.
I have revolving daily things, like toothpaste for example:
There are no duplicates within the two dozen toothpastes. When I brush teeth, I take the first one on the right side, and place it on the left side afterwards. When the tubes have no more room on the left side, I shift all of them to the right side, maintaining the order. The order is maintained, but it’s not the point. As long as it doesn’t change all the time, reorders are fine. It’s all about the impossible thing: predictable novelty.
It’s ridiculous, I know.
But somehow it makes me calm to maintain my little toothpaste
revolver, and knowing that I’ll only use the same make again
after 12 days.
I’m glad to be able to let go of this quirk when I’m not at home, because I’m travelling. Carrying 24 tubes, 10 pairs of shoes plus 72 t-shirts along would be a bit of a burden, wouldn’t it? 😆
Just syrups come to mind.
If this expands too much it might presumably turn into OCP. It’s fine as it is now, but a life built entirely on revolving staples would lack novelty 😜.