It's almost official: I don't have Asperger's Syndrome

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no

You say that like it is a bad thing.

nop

What difference does it make whether some psychologist thinks you have Asperger's, schizoid personality disorder, or some other label? I don't care what any of them think about me. If we were talking about physical medical conditions then it would be important to get appropriate treatment. AS and personality disorders are more like labels used to describe a person who is a certain way. You know who you are. Does it really matter what label someone else uses to describe you?

They are just labels. If you go to a few different doctors you will probably get DXed with a few different things for the same problem, be it AS or whatever. It doesn't change what you have and who you are, find the Dx that you think fits you because it is right. I am having trouble conveying what i want in this post, i mean don't worry about the name they give you.

As a side note, when did certain disorders become generic? Which are name brand?

Mw99 - You did make good points; about not being able to articulate your answers, plus some questions not really applicable, etc. I wish there were more parameters to make an assessment, if you feel you've been misdiagnosed or otherwise overlooked. I don't know....Plus, she didn't seem to actually give you any Dx. I guess more parameters would be ideal.

Some doctors/clinicians specialize in diagnostics - this might be an option for you. Just an idea. I'm Sophist knows much about this (I don't), but apparently some 'Aspies' care just borderline AS, nearly NT. Maybe you're at that detection limit - unknown, just speculation. For sure, when there's concrete evidence, with repitition, then diagnostics are easier. This may not be true in your case.

Maybe you're just.....fuzzy?

anbuend, are you there?

Psychologists made the whole AS thing up, so it is their call, after all.

I wonder which personality disorder she thinks you have and I wonder why she chose said disorder.

Also, I think I know you well enough from reading you on the board here, that you will never feel comfortable with this psychologists diagnosis of personality disorder and taking away the possibility of AS. So I think that you should seek out an experienced ADULT autism or aspergers specialist. Let us know what decide.

You don't need to see an OCD specialist to be diagnosed with such. The same applies for ASDs.

Perhaps the OP is "normal".

I agree that the autism spectrum (especially as it applies to adults) may not be well-understood by some psychologists. I'm not sure how well this one knows AS, but you did say she's not a specialist. FWIW, your concerns about communication with her sound valid to me. I need to see a professional on a regular basis in order to feel comfortable with him or her, and even then I sometimes can't quite say what I want to say. It's important to remember that different professionals will say different things; it's an art rather than a science. I tend to put the most trust in professionals who specialize in AS, and probably also adult AS in your case. Input from others who've known you all or most of your life can also be important, from my experiences. When I was diagnosed, I filled out one set of questionnaires, my parents filled out another, and one of my high school teachers filled out another. At that point in my life I desperately wanted myself and others to think I was "normal", and my answers showed only one area of "abnormal brain function." Though my parents were thinking of me at a younger age, their answers showed I had "abnormal brain function" in pretty much all of the areas tested for. Those are the same reasons that internet diagnosis is also unreliable. If you want to be aspie and know about AS, that's probably what you'll get. The converse is also true.

At a certain point, diagnosis can be difficult because the spectrum basically shades into normalcy. My current therapist, who knows all about my "diagnosis anxiety," once asked me if I wanted to think I have it or not. I think that's a really important question to ask oneself. I said yes, BTW, and it sounds like your answer might be similar.

[quote="Danielismyname"]You don't need to see an OCD specialist to be diagnosed with such. The same applies for ASDs.

Perhaps the OP is "normal".

I agree with a lot of what LabPet says.

As far as I understand AS, its not so much what shows on the outside in traits but what is happening in the brain and it is probably quite hard to diagnose AS if you haven't specialized in ASDs so the person that hasn't recognized a possible ASD could be mistaken, however there are other things that present like Aspergers from what I have read so on that basis, I might be inclined to find someone you believe to be more knowledgeable about it.

I also think you should not try to want to be either an aspie or not an aspie - I don't think you are doing either of those btw, but just to remain open to either possibility because I believe the truth, if we seek it, eventually comes and truth is something worth waiting for. Truth ultimately brings peace