How to raise the issue of possible ASD in therapy setting.

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Okay, I've just been to see my doctor because I feel that I've spent a long time denying the fact that I probably need to see a counsellor. For the past two or three weeks, I've been experiencing anxiety, from illogical worrying about my health, to being afraid to go to sleep in case I die in the night and no-one finds me (even though I do live in a shared house). I did a depression test and an anxiety test (my depression test was on the low side of low), and anxiety scored the highest. I know there is stuff I need to talk about (more an accumulation of things over the years, I think), but I am wondering if it wise to raise the issue of me possibly having an ASD, Asperger's more than likely. I do not have an official diagnosis, and am slightly concerned about what I would be getting myself into from a diagnostic point of view, as well as the repercussions a diagnosis could cause. Also, I once got diagnosed with bipolar, which created several issues, although this diagnosis was later refuted.
Has anyone here been in the same situation? Advice/experience would be greatly appreciated.

Yeah very similar except I didn't care about my health I was more anxious about failing adulthood. I literally was missing so many social skills between age 17 to 19 that it disturbs me now to even think about. I was basically a 10 year old child trying to be a 19 year old women. I couldn't even talk to health care professionals until I found out my little sister had autism. I was very depressed isolated suicidal all because I didn't have a clue how to talk to people or be an adult. Now once I got the DX things got a lot better. I think that if you suspect something like that you need to look into it because it could change your life in a positive way if you do have it and you find the right resources to help you. Now unfortunately BP is a co morbid disorder with AS especially in women.

Here's a handy check list. Women are affected differently than men. I personally found this useful when I was trying to access if I needed to get diagnosed.
http://www.help4aspergers.com/pb/wp_a58 ... 83e339.JPG

Funnily enough, when I first started using this site, I came across that, and it pretty much describes me word for word, except I'm more male in how I deal with my emotions, although having looked at it again just now... it describes me almost to a T. I'm just concerned from a self-diagnosis point of view, although I'm going to print this off and take it with me when I go to my first meeting.

Thanks for re-posting that, and thanks for replying

ASD's are so poorly diagnosed in women that we usually find out later in life after psychological problems start coming out of the wood work. Other women self diagnose after they find out their child has it. Anyway we usually suspect it before our doctors and then get a confirmation afterwards. That's what happened to me.

I have had a bit of a nightmare with the mental health system in the UK. I had a major breakdown a couple of years ago and as a result I now have an official diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, which I suspect will cause me some problems in the future when it comes to work. I asked for a second opinion, which refuted that diagnosis, my GP disagrees with it and another professional is unsure, but it seems I am stuck with it nonetheless. I did attempt to raise my suspicions about AS with my CPN recently but got absolutely nowhere, could not even get an appointment with the psychiatrist, let alone any chance of a referral for any kind of diagnostic assessment from a specialist. I am convinced that I do not have BPD, although I was suffering from major depression and anxiety at the time which was causing me to behave very out of character, leading them to draw that conclusion. I will be discharging myself from mental health services in the very near future and, should I have any issues with depression again, they will have to section me before I will ever have any further involvement with them (which is unlikely as, due to current cutbacks, they simply don't have the beds). As far as AS is concerned, I am pretty sure I am somewhere on the spectrum, but will have to remain undiagnosed as there is no avenue open to me to pursue the official label.