Why would someone pretend to have aspergers?

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No, I know you didn't say it, just suggesting another reason why self DX exists. Not everyone has access to the best health service in their area. I'm too worried the standard is pretty poor if Schizophrenia is diagnosed so easily.

BTW, I'm not self DXed, I'm waiting to know if I have it. I have distress over the thought I won't be able to make an appointment. But It's important to me to consult an autism professional.

I'm already on Retirement Social Security, and my diagnosis (I've known since forever that I have Clinical Depression: just looking at that name instead of "Major Depressive Disorder" should tell you _how_ long) took me by surprise -- and finding out more about it, I got exactly the same reaction to what I'd always known, my "mysterious defect". Just so wonderful to know that it's just Asperger's, not something Evil in me that other people can "smell". I'd had an idea that the Depression might account for it, but it just didn't entirely fit, when I was looking at Depressive symptoms and characteristics. Learning about it also informs me to communications difficulties that I had never even _noticed_, so I can learn my way around them.

I agree. And self DX is easily done quickly and makes sense to do anyway as a pre-diagnosis.

When I finally looked into Autism spectrum, my life made sense. After personality tests, astrology, numerology, anything to give just a clue what the heck was with me - nothing until now. Apparently there's no one in my life who's knows anything about AS or HFA.

I'm concerned about the cost of DX, and don't know if I'll be able to afford it...still looking into that.
I don't personally want or need any type of disability benefits because I'm able to work and drive. I just want to know for myself, and hopefully find a doc who will prescribe Valium for my occasional emergencies. I don't want to be on daily meds; but I know they are helpful for some people.

i was just thinking that there might be a difference between when an aspie says statements that are rude and when an nt person does the same, especially those that might want to later claim they are in fact an aspie for doing so. the difference i figure lies in the intention, of whether to deliver the object to the person, or to rather incite some sort of reaction from the person. in the first case the person is not intending to be rude but rather feels like the message has to get across while in the second category the person has certain expectation towards the subject of his/her response. an aspie would then fall into the first while an nt who claims to be an aspie falls into the second. but i find that while observing a person it is possible to figure out what their intentions are...

"Weirdness" or insecurities has everything to do with one's neurological or biological state. When a behavior or personal experience is off center from the average, indicates that 'something' is wrong. Sometimes medication can reset this alone or in a combination with insight therapy.

There are plenty of people out there that have insecurities due to many factors, but it doesn't interfere 'enough' to warrant a label. They may read a self help book and mosey on with their lives.

Everyone wants an answer.



Nonsense. Everytime I see a statement as this, solidifies the theory of mind diagnoses in my mind.

I'm on disability anyway, so no one can suspect it's my motive. I don't think getting the disability money helps me, I want to get actual professional help once in my life. It's sad that I need to fit the diagnosis in order to get better solutions than just be told to take medications.

I'd love to see someone try to pretend to be me for a day..........

There are lots of reasons to fake it....
- disability pension
- sympathy
- not as much being asked workwise due to AS issues
- To get out of doing things etc.
- special aids\assistance for kids at school
- grants\funding for kids

Personally it makes me angry - I haven't told anyone other than my OH, and have a job so don't get any monetary benefits.

I have an official DX as deemed by the U.S. government. It doesn't get me any of that stuff.

Before AS diagnosis, chop wood, carry water. After AS diagnosis, chop wood, carry water.

I agree with you
While no one's been "cured" from any medicines; I know they can help mask symptoms and sometimes make a person feel like they feel better. Hoping there is a much better solution for you and everyone.

Thank you.

If anything, my traits have only helped me with my career. My job is apparently one of my special interests and I think I'm pretty good at it. No one in the entire massive building I'm in works as many hours as I do.

I think more companies should hire people with AS and HFA.

Isn't aspergers defined as weird behaviors and poor social ability? The "Restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities" and "Qualitative impairment in social interaction"

At least thats what I got out of it... Not all friendless, weird people have aspergers. I am ok without friends. the less people bugging me, the more time and energy I have for work I can do on my research or crafts. If I need people to talk to, facebook will always be there for me!





We need a new smiley for laughing... this smiley is annoying... I know nobody who laughs like they have a stutter, or epilepsy.

Someone needs to write a book about the benefit of having AS level objectivity on teams... teams and management and meetings are HUGE topics in business writing these days... now someone just needs to link Autism into that. I lead meetings that I've only seen topped by VP's and Directors with MBA degrees and 10-20 years experience in my field... Screw social a meeting should be on topic and until you have someone in charge who feels that way meetings are just chit-chat sessions...

I wish I could write a book lol... I would do it, but there is nooooo way I'll ever be able to do that... I could happily provide someone an outline of chapters if any writer was ever interested




on a site, full of people, who have troubles understanding expressions of others... a smiley that reeeeeeeeeally is off base... hmmm... conspiracy?

umm.... maybe? idk... I am going to "out on a limb" and assume that is a rhetorical question...

Reading "professional" in this context makes me cringe a bit. A neurologist, for example, is a professional medical scientist. A psychiatrist, on the other hand, is a guy with a diagnostic manual, a prescription pad, and delusions of grandeur. Only a few decades ago, psychiatrists were busy strapping gay people into chairs and showing them photos of naked men while administering electric shocks. They called it aversion therapy. In many countries, psychiatrists were still performing lobotomies and forced sterilizations when I was a child, and they are using electroconvulsive "therapy" to this day.

This is not meant to be an attack against you, I'm merely thoroughly disillusioned with this medical profession. Perhaps it is different in other countries, but around here, many so-called professionals seem to have no idea what AS is. They often use schizophrenia type disorders as a catch-all diagnosis. I don't suffer from any common schizophrenia symptoms such as delusions, paranoia, auditory hallucinations, cognitive impairments or flat effect as far as I can tell, and antipsychotics only gave me serious side effects without improving my social abilities. Schizophrenia also doesn't explain my childhood problems, which suddenly all made sense when I read about AS.

I might have one or more comorbid mental conditions in addition to AS, but AS is the one thing that I'm 99% sure about. But when you check yourself into a clinic to get professional help and end up being strapped to a bed and pumped full of antipsychotics because you had a minor meltdown, you start losing trust in the medical competence of these people. I still sought help and a professional diagnosis one more time, without knowing anything about AS, and all I got was "I'm not sure what you have, let's just try Zyprexa and see if it takes the edge off things".

At this point, it seems like a self-diagnosis is my best and only option. Not that I need a diagnosis for anything since I'm already on disability. I just want to know what's wrong with me, and AS is the only diagnosis that fits my symptoms and my life experience. It might seem less credible or authentic to some, but in the end online tests employ the same diagnostic criteria that specialists use (or would use if they had a clue about AS).