Explaining to a doctor why I want an official diagnosis

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I've been seeing a doctor recently because I have some bad stress/anxiety/depression and last time I went I told him that I really feel that Asperger's Syndrome is at the root of most of my frustrations. I only discovered Asperger's Syndrome in the last couple of months really, I've always known something was wrong and never been able to verbalise it properly and the more I read about Asperger's Syndrome the more I know I have it.

But I am desperate for an official diagnosis, and when I told my doctor he asked "how do you think an official diagnosis will help you?" and I didn't really know what to say. Thinking about it now I've been so frustrated my entire life feeling like I'm trapped in my own world because every time I try and participate in everyone else's world I get misunderstood, I feel like if I were able to say to someone "I have Asperger's Syndrome" it will be the first time I will ever have said something and been totally understood. But that isn't really the sort of thing that's going to convince my doctor.

He told me that an official diagnosis wouldn't change my symptoms and that as long as we treated those there was no point trying to get tested and that I would never get things like congitive behavioural therapy anyway because there was a huge waiting list.

Anyway sorry for the autobiography up there, but I'm going back to see him in a weeks time, I've found out that my dad's comapny health insurance will cover the cost of a private assessment IF I can get a referral letter which should help. But I desperately want to be able to give him some reasons why an official diagnosis would help me. Any suggestions?

An official diagnosis won't change your symptoms, but it will help getting them treated (as in not just treating the symptoms, but treating what's causing them, something modern GPs are useless at, as they wouldn't get taken to dinner by drug company reps so often if they did that instead of prescribing something), and helps in getting the support you need (what little of it there is). If you have problems that make it difficult for you to find or keep a job, or cope with day to day living then the diagnosis will go a long way towards getting you Disability Living Allowance to help you cope, as well as getting them to lay off a bit on the constant checks if you're on other benefits.

My diagnosis helped a lot in getting DLA, and I don't have to go into town every few weeks to prove I should be on income support (something I find stressful).


If your doctor still isn't any help you can always change doctors. I went and got a diagnosis from a private consultant though, as the waiting list is about 6 months in my area, and I needed support quickly.

This is so odd to read about, because the shrink I saw ninja-diagnosed me despite my express wishes that he not do so and simply treat me at a behavioral level. Maybe you should see my guy

Thanks everyone. When I talked about finally being understood I meant by my parents/close friends, I should have made that clear.

This is actually the second GP that I've seen at this surgery. The first one put me on antidepressants straight away. I went in complaining of stress, problems sleeping and neck pain and he asked if I'd had any changes recently, I said moving house, starting my final year of university... he went "depression!" Did a blood test just to be on the safe side and prescribed me some antidepressants. I told him that I was very wary of antidepressants, I know they work well for some people but I've also heard a lot of horror stories too and I was concerned that if I reacted badly to them that I would end up feeling even worse. He told me that there were barely any side effects to antidepressants nowadays and that although it wasn't garunteed I probably wouldn't get any. Then he said that they took about two weeks to start working and I should come back to see him in three weeks.

I really tried to like the antidepressants but after two weeks of nausea, total lack of focus and panic attacks I couldn't take it anymore. When I went back I asked to see a different doctor, the one I've got now. I don't think he's a bad doctor and he wasn't being unreasonable, he just didn't have a clue what Asperger's Syndrome was and he wanted to work on treating the depression itself straight away (not something I want to argue with - depression is awful) He promised to read up about Asperger's before I go back to see him so hopefully if I go back, agree to his treatment but explain that a diagnosis would also help me (I can do his course of counselling and still pursue an assessment) he'll write the referral.

Otherwise I'll wait until I see the counsellor and maybe they will agree to a referral.

Thank you for all your replies, I hadn't even thought about any negative effects, I've been so wrapped up in finally understanding myself that it didn't even occur to me so I'll have a good think about that.

Hmmm? So as an adult you want to be officially diagnosed with Aspergers? I think your doctor is smarter than you give him credit for. He is right. It won't change anything. So do you want this to be on paper so insurance companies can disciminate you when it comes to benefits and rates in the future? If you tell any doctor that you've had suicidal thoughts in the US it will thwart you from being able to get several government jobs and owning a gun. So do you want this mental disease (because that is how they see it) to be on every record for the rest of your life? Remember, they only diagnose it through behavior. You know your behavior. You have it. Here in the US they won't help you at all with your Aspergers as an adult. You are screwed and you'll have to pay out of pocket for everything.

I don't live in America, I have no wish to go into government and I never, ever want to own a gun.

What I do want is support at university so that I can finish my degree without going totally insane, cognitive behavioural therapy to help me with day to day stuff and to qualify for an employment program being run in my city that is aimed at helping final year students with Asperger's Syndrome find jobs when they graduate.

I'm hoping my counselor and doctor will give me the official diagnosis of AS - this will allow me to get extra funding from my provincial government, as well as better health coverage.

I don't *want* to take advantage of "the system" but I've been screwed over for so many, many years - I might as well get the help I need to keep my family afloat! It'll also help make up for the fact I can't hold down a good-paying job so far in this lifetime. Until I can get some "personality training" and can go it on my own, I'll take that extra help!


Maybe where you are, an official diagnosis can help you in some financial way (I would imagine it could make things WORSE in the crappy American medical insurance system....)

Also, it will stop all the anti-trendi-ites on WP from saying you aren't really aspie enough for them.

I know why I want a diagnosis; I think it would really help me to deal with public situations if I could get a service dog. I find animals to be very calming, and there's been some experemental stuff in that direction already. . .

Plus, you might explain that it would be very reassuring to you to know for sure and have it formally recognized that the difficulties you deal with are not yours alone and are not your imagination. . .