Family practitioner or internist for diagnosis?

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It's the aspie obsessiveness that gets you through it. I need the diagnosis to find peace. To have answers. I'm not happy just 'questioning' it. I must know. My brain will not rest till I do.

Yes, I'm the same way. If I do manage to get past all of the obstacles it will be because of that.

They can be very oppositional. There is a streak among mental health 'professionals' (maybe it comes from Freudianism, who knows) that whatever you want is a bad thing and should be resisted. It is almost religious in this sense.

(And I am happily atheist/agnostic )

In business terms, that's called selling dirty. I mean, that is almost a bait-and-switch.

In any case, it's appallingly bad communication. It's not the ping-ponging back and forth of a real conversation.

(And it always worries me when I, who am aspie, has better communication skills than someone else. esp someone who is supposed to be a professional. I mean, Wow. I think part of it is perfectionism on the part of the professional. He or she is not willing to make a series of medium steps, mistakes and all, and get to an answer in a loosely goosely sort of way. And something else I learned in retail management doing inventory---It's better to be approximately correct than exactly mistaken! )

Then he's not your guy. And please trust your gut, as you obviously do.

But another 'regular' doctor. If he or she sees the movie 'Adam' (and I don't know, I kind of liked that movie, kind of didn't like it, and it's hard to put my finger on what I didn't like), and he's motivated to look up some of the professional literature on Asperger's / Autism Spectrum, and then motivated to look up some more. To me it's pretty fascinating stuff, but then of course, I've lived the life.

'strong in technical areas, awkward with social skills'

'patchy social skills, good in some areas'

'don't understand and are impatient with unstated rules'

'can get into the communication mode of all sending-no receiving'

I mean , how much is there really to understand about Asperger's, if the doctor generally has a humanistic framework and a base of respecting human differences. And that's a big If. And if a doctor is that way it will be more in spite of medical school than because of it.

For example, my mother and father have a gluten sensitivity (apparently). Is that one factor in my Asperger's, and would I be a better version of myself if that was addressed? Maybe. And I think I would have better odds of making progress with this with a (good, humanistic) internist than with an (average, control-nut-ish) psychiatrist. And I know that's unfair. Hey, hey, hey, you're comparing the good internist to the lousy psychiatrist. And I agree. But that has also been my life experience. I've had a little bit better luck with nonspecialists than with the clowns who call themselves mental health professionals.

I am sorry but having to laugh at the irony of this thread. You guys should come to my guy's place.....

Yesterday at my session he asked me RE my label of ASD and if I was accepting it now. I told him that I accept it on premise but I thought the definition of it was still pretty not well defined and that three different pyschologists would give me three different answers. I also argued that the line between High IQ and Aspergers was pretty fuzzy. Finally I argued that I had a stronger social netwok than more NTs I know. He just sat in his chair and welcomed me to do all the research that I wanted because he was 100% positive that I am on the spectrum and am labled ASD. He then gave me advice as to my recent review at work and how to have the review comments regarding my disability removed (all of them)

Just having to LOL a little at the irony here....

What a pompous ass!

In all seriousness, this is the part you might really be able to help us with. Maybe you have Asperger's, maybe you don't. Either way, we like you just fine. You march to your own drummer. So be it. Perhaps you haven't always fit in, but you have learned social skills and/or gone beyond your immediate environment. So please, at a time and manner and pace of your own choosing, share some of your successes with us. As I think you have already done, but please keep doing it. It does make a difference.

Uh no... not really. He is quite confident (with good cause) in his diagnosis. I am pretty classic symptom-wise and my success is really about my adaptations as opposed to my actual skills. He has spent a goodly amount of time with me and has a right to be confident in his jugement IMHO. That said, I still would like this to go away... Still having bad days with it all.

Okay, alright, I was mistaken.

I guess that I have to ask, what does being a doctor have to do with any of this? Any sufficiently educated and motivated layman could do the same. It's not like there is any medical treatment for ASD. Frankly, I think a panel made of the better informed and better educated members of wrong planet would be as good, if not better, at diagnosing mild cases of AS than a doctor who has read a little about the topic.

I simply don't see what good a diagnosis from a general care physician would do me. It's not like they are able to prescribe medicine to treat it, nor are they willing or able to provide therapy.

Hey, I see the irony of this thread. It's just that the situation is so sad, that I find it hard to laugh.

An university student might need a diagnosis to get services. Or, it might be helpful for an employee in order to “play the aspie card” at work (but really, if it’s gotten that bad, your chances of continuing there are about 50-50 anyway). And in some jurisdictions, you may be able to get something like social security disability, which I understand can be very difficult even for things as seemingly as straightforward as back injuries.

Personally, I think a major goal of societal justice should be more good jobs. I favor that along with greater unemployment compensation, even for people without disabilities. So fine, if we have to play the game and call it a disability, so be it. And same for receiving services from an University disABILITIES Center. But I’m going to keep calling it a difference, which it is! One thing with Asperger’s, I now can better understand why other people are the way they are (yes, I am thinking of ‘normal’ people, esp why they are so noninterested in choice, juicy intellectual topics!)

I agree 100%!

In fact, I recommend that we read up on the Civil Rights Movement, the Gay Rights Movement, the movement for equality and respect by Native Americans, etc, etc.

For example, why can’t a school just accept that different students learn in different ways? They do, but not enough.

Why don’t people in hiring positions look for reasons to hire, rather than not to hire? And that’s a big one.

Look at Egypt, a (largely) nonviolent movement took down a dictator in three weeks (I wish it was entirely nonviolent and I highly recommend the work of Gene Sharp). Well, we’ll see how chapter 2 works as far as building a better society, and hopefully we can help somewhat as third party supporters (I am speaking as an American, and yes I am aware that my country has not always supported democracy movements, but we can certainly start).

So, as we who are different in some ways and have a lot to contribute in many get better, more inclusive, more respectful treatment from schools, work places, and other institutions, well, about the time we can get the legislation in our favor, it will no longer be necessary. And that is the Zen of it all!

That I can agree with completely.

Thank you. We put in the ground work, just like we're doing right here.

And sometimes people will surprise us and race ahead.

And sometimes, just like a social overture, won’t be well received and we can give space.

But, bit by bit, uneven step by uneven step, we will make progress.