Incredibly Nervous...

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I'm not officially diagnosed with Asperger's, but I've had several psychology students at my college tell me I exhibit enough symptoms to more than likely be diagnosed with it. After reading up on it, I really have to agree with them, especially after getting a 35 on the AQ test. My problem with it is that for some reason, I just can't work up any sort of nerve to go to a doctor about it.

I want to go and see someone about it, and desperately want to know if I have it, but I can't seem to even handle the idea of going to someone and saying 'I think I have asperger's syndrome'. I don't know what to do about it, and it's really got me upset.

Welcome aboard! I can understand your feeling and I'm glad you're ready to share about them, it's a good thing.

1. Stick around with us and you'll get into the mentality, then it'll be a lot more natural.
2. Trust yourself as well the specialists. As you learn more about AS and participate here, you'll get more confident about whether you are AS type or not, and then the specialist's opinion (aka diagnosis) won't be so scary/crucial.

I'm sure the rest of the people will give you lots of excellent advice on this thread about taking a look at the triad of symptoms, etc.

Welcome to WP!

i felt the same way. my fiancee was great enough to find a psychologist who was willing to discuss it (much more difficult than it should have been) and set up the appointment for me.

honestly, my biggest fear was that i'd be sitting there in front of some shrink telling me "you don't have asperger's, you just need some xanax."

after lurking here for a while, i've learned that this is not at all uncommon. you'll find a lot of people's first posts on wrongplanet very similar in that many of us are discovering ourselves under a whole new light and we're f___ing terrified that all of this new sensemaking is going to turn out to be just one more embarrassingly debunked theory of why we're different.

greentea is right (and is usually a good source of insight). stick around and you'll find the subject a lot more natural and comfortable.

and don't worry so much about a diagnosis until you're comfortable. a lot of aspies never get diagnosed. a lot of aspies have been misdiagnosed as something else.

don't be too nervous to participate in threads that interest you here. don't be afraid to lurk either. you can learn a lot about yourself either way.

welcome, and good luck.

thank you ^^ Actually, one of the reasons I don't want to go to a doctor is because in high school I took a guess at what was wrong with me and tried getting screened for schizophrenia... that was shown to be dead wrong after the blood tests came back. Now my parents know I have random symptoms floating around, but they never took any point to address finding out what I actually had while I kept looking. Ended up having someone else find it for me after all, though.

Now I'm kinda just afraid my parents won't take me seriously if I go and suggest something else to get a diagnosis for... even though asperger's syndrome fits a hundred times better than schizophrenia did. It kinda makes me feel like they're going to accuse me of looking for excuses.

But I guess I'll wait awhile before I see a doctor about it. See how it works out for me, regardless ^^

thank you, waltur.

acclue, maybe tell your parents that a reliable source mentioned you might want to check into AS? I know NTs do this when they want to be taken seriously. Somehow not being the only one with the idea makes your point seem more valid to them...

this seems like very bad advice to me. this place to me seems like the worst way to gauge whether you have AS or not. everyone here is completely different (so i've been told over and over again) and the criteria for AS here goes way beyond what it is in reality. you may be fooled into thinking you have AS because of the generalising. no offence to greentea, i just think a different thing to him/her. you should try to relax and seek professional advice as soon as possible.

As I said, relaxation is what we can offer here.

Also, you have to trust a person's ability to think for themselves and sift through masses of info to reach their own conclusions. Otherwise no one should ever say or write anything, lest someone misunderstands and goes in a wrong direction. And if you're confused? Then the worst that can happen to you is that a professional will confirm or unconfirm your conclusions. WP is not a substitute for independent thought or for specialist diagnosis. You still are responsible for your conclusions and for getting a specialist's diagnosis, the latter if and whenever you wish, no rush.

Thank you, all. I think I might be able to talk to someone about it now... I'll try anyway.

I keep trying to imagine the possible conversations about it, but I can only really plan my side of it. I have no idea how other people are going to react.

is there some sort of directory of AS specialists? I don't want to end up going to someone that would misdiagnose me if I do go to get evaluated.

If you're a girl, AWA can help you with that, precisely it's one of their services.

Nope, I'm male... <.<

They can still help, actually. If and when you decide, let me know and I'll put you in touch with their chapter in your area.

http://aspergerwomenassociation.com/