Self-diagnosed people: why have you not obtained...

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Seeking for assistance is not the only reason. The individual may simply be interested in knowing why he is different from his peers. Also, it is good to know you are not alone with your weirdness.

I have no intention of seeking help, but I am interested in knowing what other people like me do to get over the hardships caused by their differences. I am still struggling with social skills (mainly dating), therefore, I like read about how the other members here solve theirs problems. It always helps.

Fair enough, that's quite an excellent reason.

But I guess my experience is different because I was professionally diagnosed around 3 by a doctor and psychiatrist (basically the doctor said it first, got a referral to the psychiatrist to confirm it, and work with me). Funnily enough, I actually self-diagnosed myself around 8 when I read a medical book and saw that I had textbook behaviours of a Autistic. My parents basically told me when I told them this that indeed, I was already diagnosed Autistic.

Last edited by Nexus on 27 Dec 2011, 11:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

It was the first, and possibly last, time in my entire life that particular idiom made sense to me. But it would be easy for someone to come here and just put "officially diagnosed" on their profile and how would anyone know? We simply wouldn't. And couldn't, at least, unless people started posting pictures of their DXes, and then it'd only be those who choose to. Everyone else is still in limbo, regardless of their listed diagnostic status.

Since it seems like a bad idea for everyone to sit here pointing fingers at each other until the Mayan calendar ends, I don't see the point of bringing this argument up every few weeks.

They hadn't told you and you figured it out anyway? Classic. I don't think I saw the word "autistic" until I was in my early teens, and when I asked my mother what it meant, she said "shy." Which was totally not true.

I am glad I was able to get an official diagnosis as quickly as I was (and that was always my goal), but the understanding came first.

Last edited by Verdandi on 27 Dec 2011, 11:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Well apply internet logic and everyone is a liar without posting document evidence, even myself.

For me, it's mostly due to financial issues- I don't have health insurance, and I can't afford to cover the costs of seeing a psych on my own. Not to mention that I'm generally able to "pass" as being a NT, I can see it being difficult to get diagnosed. (to put it another way, most people who know me would NOT believe that I could have any form of autism)

They did, but I think I was still too wild to understand yet. But by reading that book it became my epiphany moment I guess.

I have mad photoshop skills... I can make you the best evidence ever!

But can you provide phone numbers, e-mails and postal addresses of actual psychiatrists, doctors, social workers, etc involved in your case as references? Heh, photoshop is all fine and good but once citations are demanded like with resumes, you must be more cunning.

I am disabled. I am on SSDI for other reasons, and that covers my needs well enough (at least for now). I believe there are one or two other people in this thread (or maybe it's another thread) in the same position.

I guess I don't get why this and other scenarios are so hard for people to imagine. The thinking seems to be "self-diagnosed == no problems." Are you sure about that that presumption? Maybe self-diagnosed means "disabled, but poor/homeless/near-homeless." Or, "disabled, but have a spouse who works/helps." Or, "disabled but functioning at great expense and will eventually collapse but can't get taken seriously by professionals until then because work history and other things look too normal."

Because it explains why a person is on this board. If you are not a relative of an ASD person, not diagnosed by a shrink (or other), and are beyond "think I might have it, I dunno," then that's the only option that's left.

And why would someone bother to self-diagnose for services when that obviously won't work?

You can find EVERYTHING on the internet if you know where to look...

To stir even more paranoia (there's commies here, I know it...) assessments are not standardized. Therefore, you can't know if someone's diagnosis means that they had a 30 minute chat with their university health counselor, or 3 days' worth of neuropsych testing and interviews of 3 relatives involving polygraphs.

So, everyone would have to submit a detailed description of their assessment, or perhaps video of it. And then their shrink would have to be waterboarded to make sure that he's didn't fake the whole thing. Because, you never know.

So much work though... That's why I prefer to just say whatever is true to me and acknowledge some people will think I'm BSing.

I know I am an aspie. Going to a professional doesn't change this fact.
I generaly don't go around saying so I don't need to paper backing me up.

I don't want the excuse for others or myself to lower the bar.
I don't want the stigma in my professional life.
I don't want the stigma in my personal life.
I learn social skills by emulating, I have found that the people that suspect (I didn't tell them BTW) began acting weird and on egg shells. I don't need that and I can't learn from that.
I know someone that lost her career in a medical professional because she had it.
I can through fully answer NO on forms when they say have you ever been diagnoses yada yada.
That could possibly close me off to drivers licences, adoption, pilots licences. ect.
It costs a lot of money and unless it was on of the good ones eg. Tony Attwood I wouldn't trust the diagnosis.
I don't want government help, In fact I don't want the option to be there.
The DX is about to be changed to Autism level 3, I don't need that on anything attached to me.

This one mightn't be fair but I think there is strong bias against recognising Aspies that are doing ok because psyciotryists do the diagnosing while it's a Neurological configuration with associated behavior and secondary psychological issues from being different and not understanding people. As long as this exists it is difficult for the ones that function to pass down the tricks and skills that they have learned. More empirical brianscan diagnostics are coming down the pipe. So I when my career is nearly over or I don't have to worry about money any more I may get one of those and come out.

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I don't agree with your point that I lets me know I'm different and why things are the way they are. I know that already. Diagnosis is not the same as finding out. As for using forums like this, it still seems to work. That said I do understand your frustration god knows how many self diagnosed people are NT or NT with aspie traits. And I do feel as though I don't have a right to speak with authority here but it seems like so much work for such a tiny thing.

Ok, I'm going to be snarky again.
I have seen this same kind of divisive "I'm real and the rest of you are fake" crap in some form or another in every single community I've ever known of or been more or less part of. Blind from birth are more real than previously sighted. Gay are more real than bi. Blah, blah, blah. For craps sake I thought this place would be clear of that. Silly me.

The reason I haven't sought professional diagnosis is very simple. I don't have insurance and I can't afford the costs myself. Believe me, I'd LOVE to see a professional, but I have more pressing matters to attend to. Like paying my rent. Once I'm back on my feet financially I will definitely seek out the most highly regarded Asperger's specialist I can but for the moment, I know who I am and a signed sheet of paper won't change that.