What is mental illness

this is an all-too-common experience.
It's hard to know whether people are deliberately ignoring what you're telling them, or they just don't understand.
i think it's often a mixture of both.
people just don't like thinking that somebody might know more than them, especially when it pertains to the area in which they work.
honestly, people with lived experience generally know far more about their conditions, than "experts".
experts can be useful in helping identify issues and point you in the right direction towards recovery, however they tend not to keep you in the discussion process, so you have no idea what road they are travelling down towards your dx, or assertion that there's nothing wrong with you.

@Questions-- little tip, if you want other members to be notified that you've responded, you can tag them using the @ symbol, then selecting (or typing if they aren't in the drop down menu) their username so it shows up in blue, like this: @unreal @ipanda 😊

Also sounds like you've copped the whole spectrum of stigma and misinformation, I am sorry that you've been navigating all of these awful comments and rigid ideas @Questions-- that is super frustrating. Glad you found this space where you can chat to others who know what that's like. Pretty sure the reason most autistic people make eye contact is because they were socialised into prioritising the 'social rules' and not being 'rude' over their own sense of safety and comfort.

I'm in the process of getting diagnosed with the 'tism myself, and I can tell you now, I do make eye contact. Do I like doing so? Not usually. But I am capable.

Welcome to late diagnosis club 😋