Self-diagnosis

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjW11wxMApM

Reminds me of many people on this forum. It's perfectly legitimate to read about a disorder and then go to a specialist if you think you *might* have it for a further evaluation. However, thinking that you have it despite never being professionally diagnosed, and not seeking any professional is delusional.

I'm sure there will be plenty of responses but let me say:
* It's laughably obvious I have it. I have had countless people tell me over the years (including many highly trained specialists informally) that I brushed off because I'm not a geek or into computers (although my father is a computer whiz). I was probably the last to figure it out and it was solely by accident I found out about it.
* It's incredibly hard to get formally diagnosed as an adult and many of the specialists/doctors I and my family have seen over the years have been very wrong. Nothing against them, it's just they only saw me for a few minutes a month. One quack actually told me I was a class clown when I was practically a mute.
* There is no cure, or treatment that I haven't already figured out on my own so there is little benefit to getting diagnosed other than to get a label that many make unfair stereotypes about.
* Even if I'm delusional and incorrect, this forum has been one of the most educational experiences I have ever had. This is the only board where I actually feel a part of the community and not some awkward outsider.
* I'm very aware Aspergers is a 'trend' and many who think they had it do not. That's why I had so much trouble accepting it. Ever since I understood why I felt out of step with the world and made personal changes, my life has been going so much better.

I had a nasty gastrointestinal virus a month ago but didn't feel any need to go to a Dr. because I matched all the symptoms and had experiences with it in others. Surprise, surprise I was right. I probably will continue to press for a formal diagnosis but at this stage I am 100% certain it's just a formality.

I'm not officially diagnosed but I have gone to my psychiatrist and talked to her about it. She said I probably have mild OCPD and AS but there's nothing I can do about it anyway and I need to concentrate on my anxiety.

As a child doctors and teachers told my parents that I had some kind of developmental disorder but they couldn't put their finger on it, probably because AS was so new back then and it was mostly diagnosed in boys not to mention I probably have mild AS although it was probably easier to see in me as a child as I'd stim in front of other people and not hide my quirks as much. Instead I was diagnosed with central auditory processing disorder, dyscalculia, fine motor skill problems, speech problems, GAD, SAD and depression. Oh and they made up a term called schoolphobia as the teachers diagnosed it on me.

Anyhow, I'm going back to college in September and I heard that my student loan program can fund me for official testing at the centre for students with disabilities.

I don't want to get dxed because of my job. Govt contracter. Believe it or not I could lose my job if I were dxed with something like AS. So, no thanks to an official diagnosis. If I ever find myself in a different job, I will pursue it then.

Some people have no way to see anyone due to lack of money and insurance. If I wanted treatment for any kind of mental health thing I have no idea where to go where they would take me for free.

I wouldn't even be getting diagnosed and treated for my current medical problem if it wasn't for Planned Parenthood. Other than that my only access to health care is the emergency room.

Not really. I knew I have ASD before I was diagnosed.

The "specialist" knows only as much as you told him. Nobody knows more then you yourself.

I hardly knew what AS was when someone suggested I might have it. That was backed up by a friend who used to work with autistic kids professionally who said she thought for years that I might be on the spectrum. AS fits me so well that I'm pretty much convinced I have it and after 6 months of reading about it, I consider myself a "self diagnosed" aspie. I do plan on getting professionally assessed to know "for sure" and to start working on some of my issues.

I tell people I strongly believe I have it but that I am not formally diagnosed. I seem to tick all of the boxes and many people in my life who know and live with people on the spectrum think I have it or confirm to me that I behave in a way that is autistic or aspie like. I also researched my childhood and interviewed my parents. They confirmed I displayed some autistic traits from a young age. Therefore, it is plausible to think I have Asperger's. Remember that not everyone who is self diagnosed is the same. Some people read a few articles and say it is without doing their homework simply to have an excuse for their bad behavior. Then there are those who study it intently and try to learn about themselves from others who will be honest with them to see if they have those traits. The second group is far more legitimate than the first and are right in their hypothesis most of the time. After all, the are seeking an honest answer to the questions they have about who they are. They are not primarily seeking attention and pity by being able to label themselves as disabled.

There are many therapists who will provide a diagnosis - and not report the results to anyone - especially if you are paying for it out of your own pocket.

However, Blue Cross (through my employer) pays for my therapist. The only reason anyone, including my employer, knows is because I have chosen to tell them.

You can't put doctors on a pedestal, like only they know anything about psychology. It's very possible to diagnose yourself with something--there's the risk you'll be wrong, but doctors can be wrong too. If you are well-informed, have done a lot of research, and have found ways to get an outside view of yourself (talking to parents about your childhood, asking your friends how you seem to them, etc.).

The problem with this sort of well-informed self-diagnosis is not that you could be wrong; because by the point you have done all that research, you're about as likely to be wrong as a non-specialist psychologist is. The trouble is that a self-diagnosis doesn't get you the help you need. If you're diagnosable, it's very probable that you do need some sort of help. Only the people on the very edges of the spectrum can cope by just working harder; most of the rest of us will burn out, or simply can't cope alone at all. But sometimes, if you can't get to a doctor, self-diagnosis and trying to arrange your own accommodations is the only thing you can do, and I won't begrudge anybody that small amount of help.

What I'd like is for everybody to have access to a competent doctor, for a diagnosis to mean only that you'll be getting help (and not that your insurance will go sky-high or you'll be considered ineligible for various jobs, etc.), and for those with diagnoses to actually get the assistance they need. But until we can get that, people will always have to self-diagnose. It's a symptom of inadequate support and cultural bias against autistics. It's the way things are set up that's to blame--don't blame the people who self-diagnose; they are doing the best they can. If you're upset about self-diagnosis, then start doing something about the crappy way they treat people who may be autistic.

i just say i probably have it

honestly my sister said something a few years back to my mom that i was "wierd" and probably had Asperger's. someone recently mentioned it to me again, and i started looking it up on may 27th. since then i've spent a lot of time on google looking things up, asking for opinions from people who have known me for a few years. A number of people believe that i probably have a mild case of Asperger's. when i was younger balloons popping made me cry (until about the age of 16 where i purposely listened to a LOT of loud music so as to cause damage to my inner ear - which STILL hasn't done as much damage as my doctor says it should), ive been sensitive to light, taste, smell, etc. I've always been described as "socially awkward" but a little bit outgoing with people, i have a LOT of trouble making friends, i get obsessed with things, etc etc etc.

the only reason i DONT go to my GP is because i don't to go out of my comfort zone. i hate going to my GP, and the thought of having to go somewhere completely new to get diagnosed makes me really anxious, and its something i simply don't want to do alone. My parents dont really seem to give a damn and i can't talk to them about it, so its go alone or don't go. Considering i feel much better at my computer, i'd rather just stay here and self-diagnose rather than go somewhere that would make me uncomfortable.

9 days here and he's an expert on this forum and everyone on it...

How do you find a therapist who will keep a diagnosis confidential (I don't want my employer, insurance provider, or even the government to know).


They would know that you used a therapist though, correct?

...and just because he has an official diagnosis, believes that he has the right to belittle others with AS who not only may have very valid reasons for not having a diagnosis, but may have been misdiagnosed when trying to get a diagnosis. Sometimes you only have yourself to trust.

Pay for it out of your own pocket, and make sure that the therapist will keep it confidential.

Officially, my psychiatrist put the diagnosis down as OCD. He said that he does that routinely - just to be safe.

Adding to what's already been said, I too have not been "officially"diagnosed.

However, ever since I first came across it just over a year and a half ago, I've spent literally hundreds of hour researching it further. I've investigated things from my past to see how they're explained by it. The more research I've done, the more it makes sense. Even now, on this forum, I'm still discovering things that other Aspies deal with as well - things that I hadn't even realized had anything to do with it. I've analyzed it as best I can, and literally have more than a hundred pages of notes saved on my computer investigating it, making connections - and also looking at some reasons that perhaps I don't have it.

Put simply, it's reached a point where there are so many things in my life that finally make sense which I could not find any reason to explain before, that I would be shocked if I was wrong.

Could I be wrong? Sure. However, don't forget that any doctor could be wrong too - this isn't an exact science. I haven't told anybody about it yet, but if I do, I won't stay it as a fact - I'll state it as a strong belief of my own based on the facts that I have. I would like to get an official diagnosis, but I've yet to reach a point where I am able to tell anyone (I have tried on a couple of occasions, and just completely frozen up). So, for now I tell it like it is: a self-diagnosis. Nothing more, nothing less