I don't know who to believe...

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This is getting so frustrating. My past therapist and current therapist believe I have AS. My psychiatrists don't. I am for sure bipolar, they said schizophrenia too. My friends who work for mental health system don't think I have AS. They said if it did, my bipolar not my AS is messing with my life a lot more and it isn't worth diagnosing.

Basically what doesn't add up is my eye contact (so good in fact I've been told I stare too much) and ability to read body language. What does add up is my intense interests, some problems with social skills and meltdowns. On various online tests, I usually score in the lower end of the AS range. My therapist said she thought I met all the DSM criteria.

I was told my insurance should pay for AS testing, but I would need my psychiatrist to say it's okay, I think... not sure and I don't know if he would.

My therapist has some basic tests for expressions and other stuff she is going to give me. Maybe that will help a bit.

Had to vent... AS is one of my obsessions and I don't know if or how this is going to go away.

Indeed there are some people who have both an ASD and schizophrenia. According to the DSM-IV, though in order for someone with an ASD to be diagnosed with schizophrenia the delusions and/or hallucinations have to be very extreme. ASDs, and schizophrenia have a lot of overlying symptoms, so it could be that the combo of schizophrenia and bipolar might seem a bit like an ASD when it really is not. Not all psychologists and psychiatrists are trained to diagnose ASDs. Those people are not qualified to diagnose it. If your psychiatrist is qualified and your therapists are not, and your psych will not diagnose it, s/he is probably more accurate (again, that is if they are qualified). Likewise, if your psych is not qualified and your therapist is, then there is a chance that the therapist is more accurate. To get an accurate diagnosis, you need to go through a standardized evaluation. They cannot formally diagnose you without it. Or they are not supposed to anyway. That is according to my psychologist who is qualified to diagnose. Again though, a combo of bipolar and schizophrenia could resemble an ASD when, in reality, it is not. Just a thought. If you think you have an ASD and it is impacting your life somehow, then I would suggest getting a professional assessment done properly so you will know for sure.

Yeah it is confusing but sometimes people who don't know much about AS may think someone has it when really they don't. Some therapists aren't qualified to make a diagnoses so their opinions about rather you have it or not might not be valid either.

I am not saying you don't have it. I don't know you so you could have it or just have traits and not have it. But it is sure possible to have traits of it and have it impair you. What happens to those people who have traits that are impairing but not have enough for a diagnoses?