Gary Numan wishes he could tell his teenage self that he has Asperger's Syndrome.
Gary Numan wishes he could tell his teenage self that he has Asperger's Syndrome
The 64-year-old musician struggled during his teen years because of the then undiagnosed developmental disorder, which is a form of Autism Spectrum Disorder where people can have a difficult time relating to others socially.
He said: "I wish I could go back and explain to my teenage self that he has Asperger's and what that really means. I think it would have helped me understand why I had problems. Instead I just felt that I was unlikeable. I was sent to a doctor in London when I was 14, my regret is that I wasn't interested in anything he said.
"I didn't think there was anything wrong with me. I thought the whole world was wrong and I was right."
Gary revealed that he was not treated for Asperger's as a teenager because his mother was unhappy with the diagnosis.
He told The Big Issue: "I remember the Asperger's thing being mentioned then and I have a vague memory of my mum being unhappy with that. She thought it was a reflection of her parenting. So we pretty much stopped going. They put me on Valium for a year, and when that finished we never went back.
“In hindsight, I wish I'd had some understanding at the time of what was wrong. But them that feeling of being unlikeable and alone and misunderstood shaped my writing. If I'd understood myself better, I might not have written that stuff and I might not have had the career I've had."
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