the self diagnosed

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Even if it is too hard to tell directly, the patient can still observe the consequences- a lack of friends, people seeming to wilfully misunderstand them, things always going wrong with people- and they could put those things together and think that they may have some problem with social things.
Unless they're the type to believe that everyone else has the problem, which I have to admit isn't unknown amongst people.

I always knew there was something about me that was "different" than other people.

10 months ago a coworker asked me if I had aspergers. She said I showed the same traits as a couple people she knew who had AS. I had heard of it, but I didn't know what the traits were. She explained the traits for AS and I started to think it may be worth looking into because the traits she was listing were the exact traits that made me feel different.

I asked a friend, who is an OT and works with kids on the spectrum. She said she thought for years that I may be on the spectrum. She sent me the link to the RODS quiz. After scoring around 130 on that I started reading everything I could find on AS. I literally got less than 3 hours of sleep a night for a week because I was up reading. I started reading the threads here and was amazed at how many of the threads I could totally relate to!

I told my roommate about my suspicions because she is a registered guidance counselor. She said she can see why I'd think I have AS.

I don't have the money for an assessment. And the thought of a one on one conversation with a stranger isn't my idea of fun. It seems like a sure fire way to make my anxiety levels skyrocket.


This isn't something I just decided to say I have.
I didn't wake up one day and say "Hey, it'd be cool to have Aspergers."

Last edited by jetbuilder on 03 Dec 2012, 9:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The only reason I was diagnosed is because I am on Medicaid, because I am disabled and unable to work.

I was self-diagnosed in December 2010. I was professionally diagnosed in March or April of 2011. I was professionally diagnosed a second time in June or July of 2012. Since my self-diagnosis was validated so easily, I find it difficult to see how people can proclaim themselves such experts that they can dismiss a self-diagnosis simply because it is a self-diagnosis.

These threads are pointless and seem to only serve to put people on the defensive for not having the proper paperwork.

That article is BS. It is, to my most charitable interpretation, a case of fundamental attribution error run amok. The writer proposes a list of assumed motives for self-diagnosing, and fails to consider the probability that many people self-diagnose because they're looking for why have things been difficult for them? One of those difficulties may include other people telling them they are lazy and have bad social skills.

but is it also possible that SOME self diagnosed people just happen to have bad social skills and or are maladjusted?

i guess my question to sweetleaf was were there any indications during your childhood that you were different? something noticible to those around you?

It is possible, but I doubt a thread like this one would make any such person have a sudden insight and realize they were wrong all along. And I am not sure the number of people you think are wrong are actually wrong.

Also, I am not sure there is such a thing as "just happen to have bad social skills and/or are maladjusted." Also, no such thing as just "lazy." If these things are applicable, you're probably diagnosable with something. Negative judgments do not automatically equate to facts.



Many such indications in my case. When I brought the possibility up to my mother, she started listing several.

Although that is a theoretical possiblity, I doubt anyone would hang around WrongPlanet for long if that's all the problems they have.



Babybuggy32, your lack of knowledge of the facts does not equate to the facts being non-existent. *facepalm*

the article was meant to be humor. it also happens to be kinda true. there are people who diagnose themselves falsely with various disorders.

so what you're saying is that a person cannot simply have a personality trait, that every trait indicates a disorder?
there are no lazy people or people with bad social skills?

are you being seroious?

have you come into contact with many people at all?

and my question for sweetleaf meant that i was surprised that no one during his childhoolpicked up on it. sounds like nobody was paying attention

Yeah, it was pretty hard to ignore that people found me different, weird, abnormal I couldn't hear enough about it. and figured it was reason to pick on and ostracize me.....I even had teachers in on it sometimes. So on top of whatever was always different about me that certainly didn't help just made things like depression and anxiety worse.

The article appears to be aimed at the kind of person who already views mental illness with disdain.



I am saying that if someone has "personality traits" that are causing them significant difficulty, that they're diagnosable.

I am not saying that every personality trait indicates a disorder. However, bad social skills can cause fairly severe impairment, to the point that it would surprise me if someone who is simply terrible socially would not be diagnosable with something - and that something can be anything from a personality disorder to bipolar disorder to ADHD to autism.

You seem to be appealing to a "common sense" perception of personality traits, but common sense often does not come from an informed stance.



Considering this thread (link) I am a bit surprised you would assume Sweetleaf is male without checking her profile first.

Also, people can mean many things when they say that they weren't noticed. I try to be more specific because people tend to make many unwarranted assumptions when less thorough descriptions are provided. One thing people often mean is that the possibility of a diagnosis went unnoticed, but the traits that would justify that diagnosis were not. Instead, they were judged harshly as if they were personally responsible for choosing those traits. Just for one example of what people might mean.

i am surprised that your teachers didn't try to help figure out your situation. or even talked with your parents. that was irresponsible of them as that is standard protocol. you may have been denied any help you may have needed if any.

They didn't really diagnose girls with Asperger's when I was child in my country. It was rare to get diagnosed with anything like that unless you 'acted up', which I didn't (I've never been one for violent meltdowns).

I was diagnosed with major depression as a child and dyspraxia as a teen. I have an informal diagnosis of Asperger's, but getting a formal one isn't really seen as necessary by the NHS or by me, personally.

Some teachers are just rubbish? Especially 20 years ago?

Yes. Which would be why one would look towards clinical disorders related to social ability and related skills if they think it's pathologically profound.

My diagnosis was free, because I'm participating in an ASD study at a neuropsychology research university, and assessment is the first part. So there are options for people who aren't well-off or don't have insurance; God knows I couldn't have afforded it otherwise.

Corrected.