Is it possible to self-diagnose yourself with Aspergers?

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Greetings, I have a question. Is it possible to self-diagnose yourself with Aspergers? For example, all my life I behaved a certain way and last month I watched that "Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close" movie and I found myself related to the character with Aspergers. Everything that kid was doing I had been doing.

I had been seeing a psychiatrist and he gave me pills for anxiety and stuff, but after watching that movie, I did some research on Aspergers and have found that I basically have every symptom.

So, is it possible to self-diagnose yourself with Aspergers the same way you can self-diagnose yourself with a Cold?

Of course it is possible. Many of us here (myself included) have done just that. However, most will agree that it is wise to get a second opinion from someone who understands the disorder in order to be certain. Even then, the experts can be wrong as some of the behaviors they are looking for may not be things they see you exhibit on the day(s) you are evaluated, or they may miss something. For me, it's the best explanation I have found for why my life has had the problems that it has had. Even if I don't have it I can still relate to the same struggles as people who do, so many of the coping strategies they use also apply to me.

If you honestly meet enough of the criteria (I certainly do) then it's probably safe to say you have AS.
Before I started posting on WP I read a lot of others' personal experiences and some of them had been misdiagnosed at one time or another so I didn't consider an official diagnosis to be certain.
In my case I didn't see enough value in an official diagnosis unless I needed professional counselling or meds for it. You're circumstances may be different so proceed according to your own needs.

There seems to be an above average successful self diagnosis of aspergers. It's sometimes a quiet disorder that can just look like a handful of personal weaknesses until later in life. Such is the case with me. I made it to uninsured and unemployed before my aspergers was a serious obstacle. (It wasn't so quiet it shouldn't have been easily noticeable, but I have kind of crappy parents.) At that point, I had (and still have) no recourse for a proper diagnosis, but I've reached that point that many of us reach where we either have aspergers or irregular forms of 4-5 other disorders. My parents should have had the money, but they manage their money like monkeys and really don't care much about me. I'm going to have to put off getting a proper diagnosis until I can pay to have 4 wisdom teeth surgically removed, and I've known that I needed them chopped out since I was 16 and still had braces. >_>

I meet almost all the criteria. Looking at WebMD, I have the following:
1) Dislike any changes in routine (I have a specific order in which I complete things at the house and at work and any change tends to mess me up)
2) Formal style of speaking and writing
3) Avoid eye contact (I will not make eye contact with anyone. It feels extremely awkward when I make eye contact with someone and I tend to look just away so they can understand I'm talking to them but I don't give eye contact)
4) difficulty talking to others and making conversation (I would not talk on the phone when I was younger and at twenty three years of age I have difficulty starting and keeping conversations with people, leading to awkward pauses)
5) Preoccupied with a narrow range of interests (I'm well aware of this. I would have a subject and learn everything I could about it. First it was sharks, then it was whales. Tornadoes came afterwards, followed by volcanoes. Gemstones and minerals came next, and I now balance between carnivorous plants and car design)
6) Heightened sensitivity (I find most things too loud or too bright and I have never yelled because I hate to use and hear loud voices)
7) Socially withdrawn and feeling different (I know the difference between regular shyness and knowing my type of anxiety of people and feeling different)
8) Uninterested in following fads and social norms with a preference for rules and honesty (no explanation here)
9) Attention to detail and focused interests (self explanatory)



I was also reading that people with Aspergers may have difficulty in some areas of schooling (I struggle with basic algebra, but I'm fluent in geometry and English) but they also have a sort of intellectual genius not present in others (for example, excel in math or music). I personally have a superior memory and can tell what happened on a certain day in my life or I can map out my elementary, middle, and high school completely from memory. I'm also good with remembering names, places, events, and facts.


I also tend to count how long tasks take me .For example, filling my cup with ice at job takes eight seconds to fill to the brim, and it takes five seconds to fill it with lemonade. When I walk in my neighborhood, I count the types of steps I take and won't step on a crack. In order to do this, I take one step on one block, the next step on the second block, and then two steps on the third and the process repeats. I do this the entire time so I won't step on the crack.





So yeah, I'm 97% certain I have Aspergers.

At this time, there are no prescription medications for Aspergers, so older folk have little need for an official diagnosis. It is easy enough to get any needed meds for any related depression or anxiety -- just keep in mind that for us, lower doses usually work better than higher doses. If you honestly feel you fit the criteria for Asperger's, take a look at the commonly discussed "remedies" /work-arounds, and see if any help you too. I sleep much better since I started using a weighted blanket.

I think there are four aspects to being on the Asperger's-Autism Spectrum:

intense intellectual interests,
social awkwardness,
possible sensory issues, and
stimming

The WebMD source you give apparently doesn't mention stimming.

For example, I like to (privately) squeeze and twist a soft T-shirt as I imagine sports or action movies. Yes, embarrassing, but I do it privately. And I really think it's functional, I think it may lead in to a kind of alpha wave meditation where I'm able to emotionally process.

More 'normal' type of skimming may be bouncing or waving a leg while taking a math test or proof-reading a paper, poker players fiddling with chips, a person doodling while on the phone, etc.

Welcome to Wrong Planet! I welcome you either as a person on the spectrum or as someone who's a 'bridge person' so to speak. Either way I think is perfectly fine.

My hands constantly need to be moving. Whether it's twirling a pencil, moving a coin between fingers, wiggling fingers, etc. Constantly talk with hands and when I say numbers I show with fingers.

Yes, that does sound like stimming. And I think in some cultures and/or languages, it's more usual to talk with one's hands than it is in English.

There are a bunch of Aspie tests HERE that can give you a sense of the spectrum. And there are many good discussions here about testing by professionals for Asperger's.

Well I am undiagnosed so I don't go as far as officially saying I have Aspergers. However, the way I look at it now, I probably have something going on that's a little off. Or maybe a combination of things. Maybe Aspergers, or maybe some other kind of personality quirk.

So I'm self diagnosing myself just as having something amiss in how my brain is wired, whatever that may be. If I have weird challenges functioning socially or in other ways I just consider that I have something going on like Aspergers or maybe Schizoid Personality Disorder or something else. I just take the outlook that I shouldn't get upset with myself for it.

Many people do, but self-diagnosis isn't a good idea with any condition. It is difficult to always keep enough distance when one is looking at oneself. IMHO, outside advice is necessary to achieve certainty. With an indulgent mind, someone with Asperger's syndrome could fit the criteria for many other disorders, including many personality disorders and "simple" schizophrenia.

As for myself, I would say I probably have an ASD, and that it explains effectively my problems, my differences and my behaviour in general. Therefore, I use it as a working hypothesis until I can get something more solid.

Yes it's possible to self diagnose.

Sure it is possible to self-diagnose. And most doctors are not only clueless but couldn't care less about you. Similar to self-education.

Some people are objective enough. And I do feel that I am one of them but I've know quite a few people that couldn't be objective about anything and couldn't realize it. That might make it tricky, can you objectively look at your objectivity?

All and all I say yes but give it some time and mull over the idea, even if your conclusion is yes I think it's never a bad thing to look back and question it every once in a while till you're sure.

I like this. Even though I'm pretty convinced I'm Aspie myself, I try and have this kind of open approach (including the times I do get upset and that's kind of the zen of it all!). I am open to accepting the human being that I am.