Should I seek out a Diagnosis? (not what you think)

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Okay. I'm not asking you to figure out if I have AS or not. I'm fairly certain that I do (albeit not to an extent that interferes with my life in a significant way).

I'm a Canadian woman (18 years old) and it seems that the process would be lengthy and exhausting. I have no idea how to find someone who would do a good job of assessing me. I can't gather enough data (I like to know EVERYTHING about something before I go through with it) on the process and history of getting a diagnosis in Canada. Plus, dealing with my paranoid parents would be awful.

The question is exactly what it is. Should I seek out a diagnosis? Is it worth it? I feel it might make me more secure in myself but the effort seems... daunting.

This is a tough one!

I am in Canada as well. It really wasn't that hard to locate someone to assess me. That being said, she REFUSED to do it without parental participation in the interview portion. There are people on here who have gone through the process by themselves, but many psychs do ask that you have a parent or guardian be interviewed as well. Keep in mind that the dsm currently states:

"The disturbance causes clinically significant impairments in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning."

So if that doesn't apply to you, I would save your money (since these diagnoses aren't free in Canada, unless you want to be put on a waiting list that takes years to go through). The process wasn't overly lengthy for me (two visits plus one to give me the results), but it was costly (approx. 1500$). If you think you have enough of an impairment, you might want go through the process anyway. If you don't, and you see more cons than pros to the whole thing, I wouldn't worry about it.

Last edited by littlelily613 on 23 Nov 2012, 9:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

The thing is that I have been really lucky in life so far. I don't know if it will cause me trouble later on. Let me explain.

- At my current job, I don't have to talk to anyone. In fact, I am told not to interact with costumers or my co-workers. It's a minimum wage position though, so I obviously won't be able to keep it forever. There are no positions for me to advance to. I'll have to leave soon. (Although it took my boss three years to figure out that I didn't hate her).

- I was homeschooled from 3rd grade to 8th grade. I was free to pursue my own interests. I had little to no interaction with children outside of my immediate family.

- In high school, I have no friends. This doesn't bother me as much it used to although I still run into serious difficulty when I am forced to socialize. (trouble with eye-contact, inability to formulate responsive, bluntness).

- My family is littered with BAPs. My parents don't have any friends and neither do my sisters. So I've never seemed that weird to them.

I start university next year and I can't help but be a little worried. I have really no idea how "bad" it is or how I will react to "the real world" where I won't be able to control my environment as well. If it does cost that much though, and if you say it might not be worth it, I'll take your word for it. I was thinking that I might wait until the end of next year before making a final decision on the diagnosis thing. I'll have had more experience by then.

Well, if you are going to wait awhile anyway, don't make your decision just yet. See how you adjust to university, and find out how that goes. FYI, I began university without a diagnosis (got it in my 2nd or 3rd year), and I loved university! If you like the academic setting, university is great. For me, it didn't have anywhere near the social pressures that high school had (although people that are milder than I am often seem to have more difficulty in this area).

You said there are a lot of BAPs in your family. Do you feel you are more severe than those BAPs? If so, then it wouldn't hurt to consider a diagnosis. Also something to consider: most universities require you to buy health insurance through them because they get a group rate that way. These plans will often pay for psychological services up to a certain limit, so you can use that to pay for some of the costs of the diagnosis.

Brilliant (not sarcastic, I actually mean that). The insurance would be a big help.

I am looking forward to university because I'll get to talk about my special interests without seeming too weird.

I would say yes, that I am more severe than my family members. As understanding as they are, they seem to be frequently embarrassed/frustrated by me.

The waiting list for non-urgent psych assessment in Canada is not "years" long. Not even close to that. In Alberta (my province), if you are referred by your family doctor for psych assessment, you do an intake interview over the phone with Access Mental Health within one week. This interview along with your doctor's recommendation is used to determine the severity of your current symptoms. If you are elective non-urgent patient, you will be put on the waiting list for psych assessment. This waiting list is 3-6 months in length. For me it took roughly four and a half months. If at any point my symptoms worsened, I had the option of going straight to the emergency room and seeing someone immediately. If meds are needed, your GP can prescribe them to you immediately, psych assessment not required for that.

The psychiatrist who conducts your assessment will then refer you to a neuropsychologist for testing if they believe it is warranted in your case. There is a short wait for that. In my case it was four weeks.

Roughly 6 months elapsed between the time I first went in to my GP for complaints of depression/anxiety and my final diagnosis for AS, OCD, and Dysthymia. All was covered by my basic provincial healthcare. No cost to me.

Though I did mine in the United States, it seems to have been very similar to littlelily613's Canadian experiment...a one hour pre-assessment type interview wherein they determined if a full assessment was necessary, then a six hour appointment chock full of testing and then finally, I have a results/diagnosis appointment scheduled for the second week of December. It does ordinarily cost $1500 but because I'm still on my Dad's (very basic) health insurance, it ended up only being an initial $25 co-pay. They gave no hints as to what they thought after the testing, so who knows what I'll find out in a few weeks, but it was worth it, I think.

As far as whether you should seek a diagnosis...I think the first thing you have to do, is be absolutely honest with yourself. It was difficult for me, because I'd spent my whole life up until now, convincing myself that I was normal, just quiet and shy and misunderstood because other people simply weren't intelligent or understanding enough; I definitely rejected the idea that I was weird and that my entire life was absolutely abnormal. Once I realized I might be on the spectrum, I dropped all of the bias and tried to see myself as I truly was and only then did I realize how distant I've always felt from every one else. If I'd gone for assessment before I'd reached that point of acceptance and self-understanding rather than neurotypical impersonation, I would have been incapable of admitting half the things I admitted and consequently, wasted my time and tiny bit o' money.

Perhaps in Alberta you're lucky like that. Here (ALSO in Canada) it is not the case. Here, it takes a few years.

Wow. I had no idea. Surely it doesn't take that long for personality or mood disorders?

To thread poster: I guess give your provincial mental health office a call, ask them what the situation is with waiting lists. Or even ask a GP, they should have some idea.

AlmaBrown, seems your query if almost philosophical. For some Aspies, symptoms may not be overt, unnoticed by outsiders. For you, a diagnosis may be a means for introspection. From what I've learned on the Wrong Planet, the underlying reason for some (not all, of course) adult diagnosis is for strictly personal reasons - and that's fine. It can be a tremendous reassurance to know. A portion of Aspies do not need any 'assistance' (for lack of a better term) and/or 'grow into' their diagnosis, realising the real advantages of AS. I imagine you'll do tremendously well at university and if you feel 'knowing' would be advantageous for you, then you might consider seeking a diagnosis.

I do appreciate, for adults, that resources are really limited and can be cost prohibitive, etc. Be aware that there are some incompetent practitioners who make matter worse, not better, through their own ignorance. If you do encounter one, just leave. (No one deserves to be abused by a misguided practitioner). Instead of having a parent vouch for you, could you ask a trusted teacher, mentor, doctor, aunt/uncle, etc. to perhaps provide a reference for you? Maybe they could offer insight (in lieu of a parent). Even old school records may be valuable. Note: check out the Wrong Planet's parent's forum! There's a sticky about recommended clinicians http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt66842.html

Anyway, you need not be 'in need' to seek a diagnosis; your reasons are certainly understandable and legitimate. As you've stated, no one can know what they may encounter in the future. On a personal note, for one instance, some Aspies wish to know when they enter into a serious personal relationship. For your own academics, may be a diagnosis would serve you well to know your own unique style of learning. From your posts, and others, I think yours is a matter of introspection.

You should seek a diagnosis because: 1) You can't be really sure you have it if you haven't got an actual diagnosis made from a TRUSTWORTHY psychiatrist; 2) No one is going to take you seriously if you haven't got an official diagnosis. But consider that a diagnosis won't change your problems, it will only give a name to your issues, and you will be officially labeled as a disable.

An evaluation is probably recommended, because at 18 you will be going to college or moving out to live on your own soon, and you've been in what amounts to a specialized educational environment for a long time, as well as having found a job that is unusually AS-friendly. You need to find out if you need accommodations--even if just a quiet place to take tests or a "guide" to clue you in to the norms of college life. An evaluation can probably do that for you. Even if that's not your primary purpose, you should at least mention the fact that you're going to be (or are newly) on your own, and you need to make sure that you make the transition smoothly.

I have a history of pretty much crashing when I tried to make said transition, and it wasn't pretty. You might not need much help at all, but sometimes the lack of even a small amount of help is just enough to cause you to get overwhelmed and get into trouble. You don't want to have to repair a college GPA or explain a bad job history just because you needed some small accommodation you didn't get. And if you turn out to be just BAP, then you'll be able to stop wondering about it.

Just to add to the wait times in Canada debate, I'm in Ontario and my GP referred me to a specialist for a diagnosis and they got back to me and wanted the referral to come from my psychiatrist. So I went to my psychiatrist, she thought I could be on the spectrum and agreed to refer me. I can't remember how long I waited for an appointment, but I don't think it was more than 6 months.

A neuropsychological evaluation that lasted a day was enough to make a diagnosis in my case. So you don't have to go through a lengthy or costly process. My student health plan covered it, all but a $25 co-pay. Also, if you suspect, and you're really AS, you will never rest until you KNOW FOR SURE.

Well I'm not going to tell anyone that I have it until/unless I have an actual diagnosis. That would be silly and and it would hold potential for humiliation (what if I'm just BAP/ really odd). I didn't tell anyone that I was a lesbian until I was 100% sure.

I don't trust my GP. She did something to irritate me a long ways back and I've had trouble getting over it. I've only gone to her twice in the past 9 years. I guess I could go talk to her but would I have to have some kind of list prepared? (I always brought lists to my lovely councillor) I am so bad at talking about myself.

I've decided to wait until University to get a diagnosis. I've been able to handle my life so far and maybe I'll continue to be able to do so. I am moving out for my first year of University (into student housing) and I'm not sure how this will affect me. For now, I go to school, interact with no one, and get ridiculously high grades. I'd rather not complicate things until I'm done with high school. Thank you all for your responses though. You have been of a lot of help.

About wait times, I guess I could be wrong, since I didn't go the public route. I read somewhere that that is how long it takes (I am on the east coast), and I just didn't bother. I also needn't it quickly for academic accommodations and grant money, so I just went through the private sector.