Should I bring up my suspicions of AS with my phychologist?

Post Reply New Topic

A while back I made this thread (where I listed why I think I might have AS) if you want to read it.... wrongplanet . net/postt208792

I thought this called for another thread...

Skip if you want...
I'm being sort of forced to got see a psychologist by my parents who don't seem to understand some of my ways (many of which I think might be AS). I've always been like this and I doubt I'll change. I've said yes to going because I want the psychologist to explain to them that I'm not crazy and that there's nothing wrong with me and that they need to help me. All everyone (even some doctors) currently want to do it make me normal. They want me to go out, socialize have friends, and stop making my appointments over the phone (although I recognize this is a problem and I need help with it), and chatting with salespeople for me. But they just think they need to outright stop this (that they've been wrong to help me) They can't. I'll freeze, crawl into a ball and die. I've explained to them a few times that if they go along with me or tell me what to do and how to react in a situation I'm fine, but they don't seem to remember this. Also they'll think I'm even crazier and stupider if I ask for this kind of help all the time. They also say I'm too tired all the time and that I tire too much after going out. That I don't great people properly ( I often forget and don't like touch/kisses so I avoid it). That I'm having weird meltdowns (from too many people and from too many people wanting me to know how things work automatically in a new country) they don't understand.

[b]TL;TR/Main Question:But anyways... is Asperger's well known or not? Will my psychologist know what it is (I live in Argentina). Should I bring it up? Should I not bring it up? I fear they will diagnose me with just social anxiety or OCD (why I think they shouldn't in next paragraph. But I fear if I bring it up they might assume I found symptoms that weren't there because I read up on it...

Some other stuff:

I don't think Social Anxiety matches that well. I'm rarely worried what people will think of me. I just can't stand not knowing what to do, having to ask, feeling stupid when I mess up. Also I'm afraid of people's disapproving reactions or what I sometimes interpret as disappointing looks. I also fear an OCD diagnoses. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to things like arts and crafts to the point people will comment on it. I pick at my skin (but this is because I can't stand it not being smooth). I wash my hands a lot (but that's because of the dogs and the need to move my contacts). And none of it produces anxiety for me except the skin picking. I just want it smooth! There's no disturbing thoughts or anything either.

I took all the AS tests I could find and I scored pretty high, even when I went back over and answered questions that I was doubtful with with lower scoring answers.

One of the doctor's (the one who wanted to make me extroverted) gave me clonazepam to take daily for my "daily anxiety" because I was super nervous at his office (shaky leg, couldn't make eye contact at all). It seems to do nothing. I think i'm at 0.5mg per night (he wanted it to help me sleep, which it doesn't). And I notice no difference whatsoever in anything. But now I need to take like 2 mg to see if it will help calm me enough to get blood drawn (I have needle phobia). Does this sound like too little? It does to me.... I don't think it will do anything. I'll try today, but any opinions (I'll be sure to ask the idiot doctor before taking more).

I didn't read your whole post, but yes why not bring it up?

Well I don't know what the standards for mental health care are in Argentina, but if this person is a psychologist then they are probably familiar with the DSM, in which Asperger's is listed among other things. So they at the very least know about, and have resources and knowledge to find if you fit the diagnostic criteria or not.

Well I slept really weirdly. Suddenly woke up about 7 hours later. Stumbled like crazy to the kitchen but felt otherwise alert. Went back to sleep. Somebody woke me up. I woke up as alert and functioning as usual, no memory loss or anything. I could handle a syringe but the idea of it penetrating my skin still gave me a panicky feeling. I'm going to ask if I can take something else or more. I want to feel more out of it.

Any body else have any thoughts on the situation? If you were diagnosed as an adult did you bring up Aspergers and go looking for a diagnoses or did your psychologist suggest it? <I'm still really nervous about bringing it up.

On another note, convinced my parents to stop giving me the clonazepam and I feel better and slept well and am looking into asking for a different benzo for the blood drawing.

Got the blood thing taken care of... sort of...

Also... Nobody is replying. I'll leave this here, but if nobody replies I'm considering going back to my first post, or is it bad to bring up old posts? Or I don't know....

Went in for a psych evaluation. They asked me about my background. They did the inkblot test which I think is mostly BS. I know they grade it based on what type of thing you saw, were you saw it, and bla bla bla. I felt like I took ages for each, often didn't see anything, and or used very tiny parts of the inkblot. Then they asked me to copy some shapes and dots as correctly as possible. Than they asked me to draw a house, a tree, and a person. I did all these pretty well. I'm an artist. I think they came out quick and crappy but to them it probably looks way better than other people's. Then they asked me what type of tree it was, what was it's purpose? I said I didn't know and I took ages to think of something for the purpose. They asked me what the person's age was. I said around 20. What their name was? Couldn't come up with one. What they did/worked? Like a minute or two passed. Really couldn't think of anything at all. And the test ended.

Has anybody every done one of these? Was it useful at all?

Then the next day I went to the psych that's going to be treating me for the first time. She was nice. I told her my problems. That everyone around me says I'm disconnected, rude, don't want to be touched, all the problems they have with me, and that recently I reached rock bottom because of a communication problem with the person I live with/shared an apartment and they said I couldn't live with them anymore. I had thought everything was fine with them but they said everything wasn't. She said I planted all my problems logically and that I seemed to be a sane person but that there seemed to be communication problems (she didn't specify on who's part). She's nice but I thought it was weird. Because I told her of some of the Asperger like things I do like not knowing I'm being rude, and being afraid of social situations because I never ever know what they hell to do or how to respond. I didn't mention AS, but surely those things are not normal. Maybe she didn't get the severity of how much this happens? I've known it my whole life that they're not "normal" things, it's just now they're a problem. Still super afraid of mentioning I suspect AS....