I have my first (ever) psych appointment on friday

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ok...

Out of all the qustions that are running through my mind... the one I need to ask first is...

what the heck do I wear? Do I go comfy? or do I dress like a job interview? what?

Cause I know I am going to spend about 2 hours that morning changing clothes.


Next question would be...

Do I do the nutty AS thing and hand her my notebook of AS tendencies (that I have been building for the past four months) or do I keep hold of it and just talk to her, referencing the notebook as I go?

Another question would be...

Should I bring my annotated Asperger's Syndrome, A guide for parents and professionals by Tony Atwood, or leave it home?

Another...

Now, the appointment is written down to ask about AS, can I ask her about a formal Dx for the GAD, and other questions like quizing her about NVLD and such? Or would that be too much for the session. I don't even know how long the session lasts. It is through the VA.

Another...

Should I bring old school records, like test grades (SAT, ACT) , and performance reports?

And finally does anyone have any advice (that I might not have thought of)?

I never did this; I just brought myself along for the ride. I wore what I always wear (it's an autistic thing to wear what you want to wear, who cares what anyone else thinks).

I'm sure the psychic/psycho will ask you questions about your development, your experiences throughout the school years, the problems you're facing with the symptoms you experience, as well as observing how you interact.

I never had any "test", nor did I write anything (I was supposed to, but I didn't do it); some around here have said they had to do a written screening test for various mental disorders.

Just act like yourself and wear what you normally wear

See I have different clothes for different types of activities... (i work retail... and have a wall of clothes)

so If you look at how i am dressed... you can almost certainly predict where I am going/what I am doing that day

this is a new activity... and it is almost ritual that new activities get me anxious enough that I end up with clothes strewn across my room... looking for the right combination....

Look for the 'meeting a new friend that no one seems to know much about' outfit. Since you will probably be seeing this guy more than once, may as well think of him as a friend.

Wear clothing that makes you feel comfortable around somebody you're just meeting. So don't wear a t-shirt with holes in it, sweat pants, and stinky shoes. At the same time, don't dress up so much that you feel inhibited, like at an interview. A good therapist would want you to dress so that you feel comfortable, and so your clothing doesn't distract you from the session itself. If you have notebooks, etc. that could help the therapist gain insight into your situation, bring them or mention them.

Don't worry so much about what you'll talk about. You seem quite knowledgeable and eager to help, but let the therapist do his/her job! You might bring up that you feel anxious about the session itself, and not sure what to say or do. A good therapist will walk you through it and tailor the session to your specific needs.

The only advice I'd have is this: speak honestly with your therapist. Like any relationship, there may be things that are too private to share right away. That's to be expected. But if you do share something, share it honestly. If you try to make yourself look good, your therapist won't be able to do his/her job.

Just relax. ^_^

Don't bring any of the other stuff, like SAT scores or your annotated Complete Guide to AS (LOL!). She will ask you to bring what she needs. As for the quoted question, I would hesitate to do so. I am currently going through the diagnostic process, and my doctor required me, amongst other things, to bring in a "narrative history of your illness." Now, I went nuts with this and wrote 17 pages detailing most (but certainly not all) of my AS symptoms and ostensibly AS-related struggles. I believe that it has actually been, counterintuitively, a major hindrance to my receiving a diagnosis. She has said a couple of times that she thinks I could be one of those people who knows so much about AS that he is able to interpret almost all of his actions and his past through that lens. Basically, she thinks that I am exaggerating my AS symptoms, especially because I'm relatively socially capable one-on-one. So, use your judgment here... your doctor might just think that you are hell-bent on a diagnosis and therefore be less likely to give you one, as I believe is the case with me.

Why would someone actually WANT to have AS? Sheesh. If anything else your obsessive note keeping should be a sign of AS, not a sign of "faking"..

in my experiance, most shrinks have personaltiy problems of their own- sitting in silence until you talk is not 'challenging'- its just damn bad manners.
but i assume your one will be nice and better than that as they are for a/s- rather than trying to literally psych you out. if they are used to dealing with autistics, they will have seen it all before, so any behaviour you may worry abuot -tapping your foot, staringat the floor, or something- wont worry them too much


and why not wear fancy dress? it would be a GREAT ice breaker!! (seriously- dont, though).

As a rule, therapists try to remain skeptical when someone comes in off the street who seems to be "shopping" for a diagnosis - no matter how beneficial the diagnosis might be. People are very good at jumping to conclusions, accepting clinical labels prematurely, and even subconsciously develop the symptoms they read about - it's just human nature. A good therapist weighs the severity of each symptom carefully, and considers possible alternative diagnoses, and is likely to err on the side of a more conservative diagnosis when in doubt. It is by no means a perfect process.

I would advise against going with the intention of "getting a diagnosis." Let the professional help you make this evaluation.

Like I said before, HONESTY. Dress, act, and speak as comes most naturally to you. If you are concerned about something, express your concerns. If you suspect you are Aspie, explain why you might be, and let your therapist explore the possibility with you. Be prepared to explore alternative diagnoses without getting defensive; a good therapist explores possible alternatives so that they can eliminate them from consideration - not to show you up as a faker.

In any case, trying to trick your therapist into a diagnosis will almost certainly work against you. If your therapist suspects you are trying to get a particular diagnosis, he/she will be especially conservative with your diagnosis.

My notebook has stuff in it that during my counselor sessions at school, she'd talk to me and like ask a question, but I wouldn't be able to answer, then something like 2 days later, I'd come up with an answer, then write it down so I would remember it later. but this is an actual doc without access to the information of the counselor, so I think I'll bring it with me, so that If she asks a question that I know is in there, but I can't remember. I have it with me at least.

It also has a lot of the You might be an Aspie If jokes (I thought they were funny).

And the DSM-IV Self-Dx of myself (that's a lil overboard isn't it?)

And stories from my childhood (because we are doing this without the help of my mother, thank you very much)

I started writing in my notebook about 2 weeks before I came across someone else's mention that their psych told them they knew they had AS because in their first session they handed the psych their notebook and said something to the effect of "I have AS."

I've not had any actual contact with the psych...

so I don't have a list of helpful things to bring with me... maybe I should call them and ask...

I had the appointment generated by my neurologist... who I think thinks I am bipolar... he keeps mentioning that my seizure medication regulates moods, and I keep trying to figure out why he's mentioned it multiple times in both sessions... but I've only seen him twice, so how would he figure that one?

This is very true in my opinion. Listen to this guy and to me - if you suspect you have AS and want an objective opinion and do not want your doctor to be very skeptical to diagnose you with it, DO NOT bring in a list of symptoms or anything like that. Let the doctor guide the process.

i don't want to trick them or anything.... I actually told my counselor that I want to be correctly Dx'd.... if it doesn't fit then I don't want it... but I think it fits...

I am just a very impatient person..... I can't see going through weeks or months of appointments, when I have listed a lot of the things that correspond to AS in my notebook.... In my brain, it should speed the process up... because they can base their questions on stories that have already been written down.... or ask more in depth questions, related to those stories.....

but I can see how a psych might not like it... might actually back off of the Dx because of it.... it comes off as wanting the Dx.... they slow down a little to make sure that it isn't just the person portraying what they think the psych wants to see/hear.