does testing bring peace of mind?

Post Reply New Topic

I brought AS up to my therapist again. She feels I am obsessing about it again and maybe I should get testing to get peace of mind. She does think I have it, but she also said I can get treatment without the dx. She's going to give me a questionnaire and a facial expression test next time I see her.

How much peace of mind really does come from testing?

Personally, for me, it did. It was like having closure and then I didn't feel I had to obsess over it as much.

My psychologist just talked to me and observed my behavior. He gave me what qualifies to me as a diagnosis on that basis, and it suffices for me. I feel a lot better, after the initial adjustment period, and I found WP. From me, then, a yes.

In my case, I wasn't looking to be diagnosed with AS. A few sessions after neuropsychological testing was complete, it happened during an appointment with my shrink. However, even though I knew nothing of AS before my diagnosis, it still gave me a sense of closure to know that whatever I had, others had it, as well.

I thought it would. But the reality is that it took years to realize what having Asperger's really meant beyond just getting diagnosed. It takes years to really understand what it means to have it and how it really affects you as a person once you know you have it.

I say the sooner you get diagnosed though, the better because you'll need that time to learn about the new revelation about yourself.

I hope I'll find peace sometime regarding my condition. I'm going to be evaluated this autumn. I think it takes more to really understand what it means to have it. I also wanted to be diagnosed (or evaluated) sooner, so I could have avoided a great deal of stumbling around. Being diagnosed will certainly settle down my obsessions concerning my condition at least to a bearable degree, I hope.

It brought a lot of peace of mind to my family when I was diagnosed with HFA at the age of 5 and a half. They thought it was good that it wasn't anything more serious. Being told about it also brought me some peace of mind, though I could have been told at the age of 10, and before my sister was. I was told and that's the main thing. Imagine if I was told when I was 10. I would have kept my obsession of the year under control and those memories would be happier.

After I was diagnosed with Asperger's I felt like celebrating. I had spent so much time in my life wondering why I was different. I wondered why I got so intently involved in certain interests. I wondered why I found socializing so incredibly challenging. I wondered why certain noises, bright lights, and other sensory things bothered me. And there are so many other issues here. I had begun to think of myself as some kind of freak. I didn't understand myself.

Then...

In a small office in Cincinnati I finally found peace. When I was given the diagnosis of Asperger's I was on a new journey in life in which I (and my family) began to know me better---and understand me better. It strengthened us. I walked out of that office seeing a clearer world.

My son was diagnosed and then it all became clear for me. I am not officially diagnosed but I see no reason to. There is no question. Knowing has brought a certain peace of mind. It has also brought a great deal of concern. I used to be just a bit different. A little unusual. Now I am something specific. Labeled. Knowing has allowed me to understand many things better. It also has forced me to see other things as well. Not all of them pleasant. I now see how some of my actions have caused issues for the people around me. How I can cause issues for myself. I also question myself more now. Do I really care? Do I really feel? Or have I just instilled coping mechanisms? Have I just realized I didn't like certain outcomes and now premeditate my actions to achieve my preferred goals?

So, to answer your question-yes. Testing (or knowing for sure) can bring some peace of mind. And a whole lot more.