Was anyone here diagnosed as an adult?

Post Reply New Topic

Were you diagnosed as an adult? If so, what triggered off you getting a diagnosis, how did you do it, and where(geographically in the world) were you living then?

I was I had to wait till I was about 36 years before I got DXed. I got diagnosed at the Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome Service on Friday 27th June 2003. The appointment was at 2.00 pm. I was living in Berkshire in England, at the time in the town of Reading. I should have tried sooner as the town I live in, is stuck in the dark ages as far as Asperger syndrome is concerned.

Thank you, and congratulations on getting the diagnosis.
Was it private or on the NHS?

Hiya Silent Scream. I was diagnosed at the age of 25 nine and a half year ago. Private and in London. I heard about it the year before the first time and thought that was the key to my problems. After finding out more about it I was convinced and wanted it to be confirmed officially

Last edited by xalepax on 18 Dec 2009, 10:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

Hiya Xalepax, I'm in London too!
May I ask how much it cost, how long it took, and what difference it's made, being diagnosed?

I have totally forgotten what it costed me, its plenty of years ago now. But it was a fast and effective process. I was lucky. Seeing a private pshychiatrist at the time who in her turn had a contact who have the authority to give a formal diagnosis. It took me a couple of meetings with some hours each and it was all set...
The diffrence was to me enormous. Its like you saw your whole life passing by and got a kind of "legal right" to be who I am....

It's lovely to hear that it worked out so well for you.

And I hope it will work out well for you too if you consider to give it a go.
I see on your profile you state "not sure if I have it or not". I understand there is a lot of thoughts in your mind and what it can mean for you getting a diagnosis or not.
All of us have diffrent needs and put diffrent grades of importance of a formal diagnosis. In some cases it feels like you got a label you can never ever get rid of once you are in to the "disability system", but on the other hand you can also get great support and feedback, respect and understanding

I am 24 and was diagnosed back in september of this year at Kandahar Air Field Role 3 medical facility. I have an 8 year-old brother that was diagnosed two or three years ago. My mum made a comment about it, and it stuck with me. I mentioned it in a smart-ass way in passing to a doc. he started observing me and testing me, and the next thing i know, I have the diagnosis.

I was self diagnosed as an adult at 18, although I still feel like a child sometimes. I was celebrating my birthday at home.

I was diagnosed this past summer at the age of 35. A few years ago I stumbled across Asperger's Syndrome while researching something (I can't remember specifically what it was, but I'm usually researching one thing or another at any given time) and thought there were some parallels to my life, but I didn't give it much thought.

Then for about a year prior to my diagnosis I was experiencing a lot of stress, a lot of bad things were happening in my life, one after the other. I'd used different coping mechanisms and strategies before but this time I was getting overwhelmed. I started reacting to things in ways that I didn't think were normal (what I've since learned were meltdowns).

I started researching different things (my usual response to problems) and learned about several different conditions that I thought could be responsible. This past spring I came across Asperger's again. I decided to research it a little more in-depth. The deeper I dug the more parallels I found.

I wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of self-diagnosing (no disrespect to those who have self-diagnosed, I just wasn't comfortable with it myself). I knew from my research that diagnosing Asperger's in adults can be difficult, at best, so I tried to find someone with experience doing so. Some of the resources I'd found on the Internet weren't very helpful. Then I contacted the local chapter of the Autism Society of America for referrals. I eventually found a psychologist who had experience diagnosing adults and made an appointment. After a couple of sessions, the psychologist said she was comfortable diagnosing me with Asperger's. The most interesting part, to me, was when the psychologist said the first thing she thought upon meeting me for the first time was that I had Asperger's.

This all occurred in the US.

I was diagnosed aged 29, two years ago, in Brisbane, Australia. I was desperately requiring disability support after years of going back and forth to the doctor for medical certificates. And after many years of trying to convince various diagnosing professionals that I didn't have social anxiety.

Some psychologists would refuse to help me unless I admitted that I had social anxiety. Some doctors would refuse to write me a medical certificate unless I agreed to take medication.

Finally one day my mum heard a radio interview about AS and thought it explained all her five children perfectly. Although the youngest, I was the first in the family to get the diagnosis, apart from a cousin diagnosed with low-functioning autism many years ago. None of us had ever heard of AS before 2007. Yet all of our lives were made hell because of it. All of us are single with no 'normal' friendships. Only one of us has a steady job. Three of us were kicked out of high school. Not to mention all the other complications. But getting the diagnosis was a relief - both for the confirmed explanation for why I am like this, and the security of receiving disablilty support. The best advantage is being able to get on with my life without going around in circles wondering why I can't 'get better'!

I was recently referred to a specialist to be evaluated for autism in
New York State USA. i have to wait and see if they take my insurance.

Eddie

i was diagnosed after several months of pestering various people in the NHS. originally i had to get a note to explain that i was having problems with abusing cannabis for my uni so i could repeat (note-tobacco was the problem) from that point on everything became very difficult due to the BS surrounding cannabis in the UK. i finally persuaded my GP to send me to a psychiatrist who then refered me to an expert in autism.

basically he got me to explain why i thought i had aspergers and then asked a few questions. he agreed with me and it was as simple as that. It took a while to get a letter confirming it so i could get support at uni.

I was diagnosed in my mid 40's. All those years wondering why I felt different finally had an answer,

Early 30's, unofficial DX (AS, PDD-NOS as possible alternate)
Son's diagnosis as HFA led to research, understanding of AS
Self-discovery followed by discussions with GP (internist) and psychiatrist
Arizona, US


M.