What is the point?

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I'm almost 100% positive I have Asperger's. Is there truly a point in getting an official diagnosis? I can find all of the information on the subject on my own and would prefer to not waste money going to a doctor. Can you list any actual benefits of getting an official diagnosis other than the closure or certainty?

Thanks

Disabillity benifits, proof if needed in court, get out of jury duty etc.

Of course, if you list that you're autistic on a health insurance form, they consider that a pre-existing condition which they don't cover. You'd then have to apply for Federal qualified insurance which, in my case, costs $941/month.

I look at my diagnosis as a "Get Out of Explanation Free" card. As in,
"Why aren't you married?" I have Asperger's and it's a social nullifying condition.
"How come you don't have a mortgage?" Well, I have Asperger's and it's unlikely I'll keep a stable working environment.
"How come you live alone and have no friends?" Well, I have Asperger's and, with that, common accompanying issues like Avoidant Personality Disorder, anxiety and depression.
"Why can't you keep a steady job?" Well, I have Asperger's and, while common situations like schedule changes, meetings and confrontations are the norm, to us its an unbalancing, de-stabilizing agent.
"How come you talk funny? Why are you so weird?" Well, I have Asperger's and my idiosyncratic quirks are part of its definition.

Most important question is, do you want help for your problems? It is a little weird to me to see people write about diagnosis on this forum as some sort of end goal. For me, diagnosis was just one necessary step along the way to getting professional help; trying medication, cognitive behavioural therapy, getting comorbid OCD and depression down to manageable levels.

If it's just for closure or to understand yourself better, I guess only you can decide whether it is worth it to go through the process in that case.

I've been avoiding getting an official diagnosis because of all of the above. Currently, I have a job and am self-sufficient and I don't see that changing any time soon. In my life, there aren't a lot of positives for being diagnosed, so I'm not pursuing it.
Frankly at this point in my life, it really doesn't make a lot of difference either way, but I don't want to mess with my insurance status.

For me, having an official diagnosis made my teachers take my problems seriously. Even after I knew I had Autism, they would go "you need to pull your socks up, you are an awful child" even if I told them. None of that now that I have a doctor's note and multiple paperworks to prove it.

I was 55 when I realized I had autism. I had learned through the school of hard knocks some of the social skills (including small talk at 50) I needed to muddle through. I have no desire to get a formal diagnosis. I think it's mostly useful to get accommodations in school.

i wish i went back to the time before i got diagnosed with aspergers. everything seemed easier. now i have it as a excuse why i can't do something. i can't be taken seriously because people think its the aspergers talking.

I can see how it would have been useful to get help when I was younger (it hadn't been invented then)
At that time though, there would have been nothing available I guess.
It was a case of "Weird kid, bad luck --and mind that dinosaur"

Its been intriguing to discover bits of my weird have a name - knee bouncing and tapping = stim, wow. Face blindness is a real thing, yay!

A diagnosis is of no real use to me now, I have learned to bumble through life ok.
And I certainly wouldn't want any scarce resources directed my way, I'd feel guilty taking them off someone!

i feel the same way. if i was in high school when i got diagnosed then i would have done something about it and taken a different road after grade 12. but because i was 23. my life was already had its mind of its own.

For me, university accommodations were a big advantage to getting diagnosed. (I was diagnosed at 15.) If I'd gotten the same kind of treatment throughout my regular schooling as I've had in university, I would have done better. (Though teachers taking bullying seriously and actually doing something about it would have been more effective than any accommodations.)

It sounds like it depends a lot on where you are and if there are any benefits or a specific need for a dx. It seems it can work against you in some instances. And for me; I'm on the fence. I realized in my 30s that my struggles were related and hardwired due to repeated and related problems I seemed to be unable to avoid or change. I hav so many coping mechanisms and acting skills at this point that I've learned its going to take me money a lot of work to convince a "professional" that I have aspergers. They are also typically suspicious if you come to them with a specific diagnosis in mind and that's another annoying barrier to deal with. Like I want to live my life with daily struggles that nobody understands or is willing to accept?