UK Members: Is It Worth Getting a Diagnosis?

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I am 57 and self-diagnosed. I'm self-employed and working from home and so don't have to interact with other people that much, so my AS is no longer much of a problem. I'm seeing my doctor next week (a regular check-up for various chronic health problems) and I'm wondering if it's worth asking for an official diagnosis of AS.
I've not mentioned it to him before, and I'm not especially willing to have it added to my medical notes, so would there be any advantages for me?

There was a part of me that could not accept my being an Aspie until I got diagnosed. I think it has a lot to do with your relationship with yourself rather than what it can "do for you" in relation to others.

(I know I am ont from the UK, but I am replying anyway)

Even though the description of Asperger's is 99% accurate when describing me, I still have days when I question whether I truly am an Aspie. However, other than to ease my own doubts, an official diagnosis from a current doctor wouldn't really change anything for me. Do it for peace of mind if nothing else.

if there is no specific reason that a diagnosis would help, and you don't really want it on your medical records. i would say no. unless you feel it would somehow benefit you personally.

as the above poster said, some people feel a diagnosis allows them to come to terms with certain aspects of themselves.

in my specific case as a mature student, it meant i could access invaluable assistance that without a diagnosis would not have been available to me, and without which i would have serious difficulty getting through a university course.

being in the uk, (this may depend to some degree on where exactly you are) the process of getting diagnosed is relatively straight forward. in my own case, i contacted an autism resource centre near where i was living at the time, and just took it from there. never even had to speak to my GP.

but regardless of how you intend to proceed, good luck...

If it's something that has been on your mind for awhile and you want to know officially that you do have it (or don't..) then a diagnosis might be good, but if your doing fine not knowing and don't really feel itnecessary, and it's not putting you back from doing your everyday thing, then I wouldn't really worry about it.

if you have to ask for it, you probably dont have it

I don't see any advantages for you by having it on your official records.
Unless you want to use the services of the National Autistic Society or want to claim benefits ( which i am guessing you don't.)

I also do not have it on my official records as i suspect things like car insurance would go up significantly.

"if you have to ask for it, then you probably don't have it."
There's probably some truth to this. I mean you can seek a private diagnosis without it appearing on your official records. But why bother ?

I think it's definitely worth it. A lot of things make a lot more sense now that I have a definite cause for them.

It is most definatley worth it no only does it help you understand you better as a person, but it also helps to gain some meaning and place in the world. Plus it helps you realise your a unique, independant person

What do you mean? If you mean if you have to ask for a diagnosis, you probably don't have it, that is a load of rubbish. There are many, many being diagnosed in whom AS wasn't spotted simply because they had learnt to function well among the NTs. Unless someone was stimming like crazy or not looking at the doctors face at all, etc etc, it would be quite hard to spot in an adult, I feel, by a general practitioner anyway.

You need a doctor to stick a label on you to realize this?

Look at the contra-positive: if you probably had it, then do you think you would ask to have it?
Do you see the logic?

Sure there are a lot of undiagnosed adults. Primarily because AS is a relatively new syndrome.
A GP would never 'spot' it anyway; they would treat co-morbids and maybe refer.

Im only self-diagnosed, but ill happily stick AS on benefit forms. If you feel the need to claim benefits, its for the symptoms not the label, which is (or should be) irrelevant.

If i was a student, then id use the label to my advantage without hesitation.

Co morbids, yes. For me, my depression and self harm, and the anorexia were always the things to be looked at and attempts made to deal with them, but no effort was made to look at why I was depressed so much etc etc. How does one deal with having co morbids anyway when undergoing diagnosis, or do the psychiatrists/practitioners tend to look out for thise anyway, I wonder.

...then your most likely to be referred to psychiatry, who wont spot it either. If they do they probably wont push for qualified evaluation because it takes a big bite out of their budget.

If you can cure the depression ( or other co-morbid), then why bother spending any effort in asking why?
If it makes you feel better by giving out the label of Aspergers, then this is as good as any pill.
But it does devalue the people who actually have it and could not care less about getting a diagnosis.