I was diagnosed yesterday...

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Yesterday I was diagnosed with AS after an appointment with a neuro-psychiatrist. Now I'm officially an aspie, yay.

'Yay'? Are congratulations in order? I've never really understood the need to show off/brag about an official diagnosis. I see no reason to be proud of it, anymore than I'd be 'proud' of having an x-ray confirm that I had a fractured shin. It would merely explain the pain I had. Equally, I don't feel that anyone should be ashamed of their diagnosis, but I really don't get the point of trumpeting it to the world like a 100% pass mark.

I'm not trying to be negative; sorry if it comes across that way. I hope the dx is useful to you.

hey- congrats. must be nice to know you were right all along, and that all the people who told you that you wern't 'trying hard enough' etc were wrong!
at least you know its not all in your head!
must be a huge relief!

Sirunus,

Since you found it important enough to go for the assessment in the first place, the diagnosis would seem to be of importance to you.

If you finally feel as though you belong in the Aspie community, instead of as though you are crashing the party, then the diagnosis is probably good for you.

If you finally feel like you have an explanation for many of the difficulties you have encountered, rather than mere suspicions, then the diagnosis is certainly good for you. You can be assured that your compass really is pointing north and your yardstick is truly three feet long.

Hopefully, you will use the information to guide you on how to overcome difficulties and be as happy and productive as you can be. And, unlikely as it might be, perhaps one day the “official” status will give you some kind of opportunity you might not have or help diffuse a situation that could be worse.

I would say congratulations are in order if you have in fact taken the positive step toward understanding this serious condition and its manifestation in yourself, accepting it, and moving on the best you can in light of the knowledge, resisting any temptation to use is as an excuse for failure, impoliteness, or whatever.

Incidently, I also received my AS diagnosis yesterday. I am still working out how I feel about it.

Hi Sirunus and congratulations on your diagnosis. There may be some that can't understand why we would feel joy over being diagnosed with AS. However, I was happy with being diagnosed with AS. Why??? Well, because I finally I had a reason why I have always been different as compared to the NTs around me. I celebrated because I finally realized I wasn't the only person like me in the world. I finally I had a sense of belonging to a wonderful group of people called Aspies.

Whooohooo, welcome to the tribe! Congratulations on your diagnosis! Enjoy exploring the spectrum, it is a wonderful place to be if you look in the right places

I can second that. I'm just counting the buttons;shall, shall not get a diagnose. I have always felt different, and could not find out why, before I joined the WP. I have asked many stupid questions here, read a lot of posts and diagnosed myself with AS. In fact this is quite relieving, but I think a real diagnosis would be even better. Feeling weird,not knowing why, is just a drag. Dont pay attention to those who's mocking you because you feel glad about the diagnose

Seconded. I am PROUD to be on the spectrum. Diagnosis to be honest just seals the deal. I do hope you didn't think I was mocking you ? NOT AT ALL. Embrace it and explore. ASPIES rock!

So sayeth the Wiktionary. "Yay!" is therefore not an expression of pride. I can well imagine your happiness at getting officially labelled - if I may use the popular "square peg in a round hole" analogy of AS, you are now a legally-designated square peg, which ought to come in handy when people who should know better are about to hammer you into their agenda. Its use is probably somewhat limited, but given the level of cynical disbelief I've read about from self-diagnosed Aspies, I'd feel somewhat safer with that official label.

I think it might also simplify things for anybody who feels the need to know about themselves. I feel strongly that self-knowledge is invaluable for the effective pursuit of happiness/fulfilment in life, and now you have a pretty clear perspective on your condition, you've taken a good step towards that. Certainly for me it's a source of frustrating complication to always have to think "if I'm an Aspie then that explains it, but if not, well it could be this, it could be that...." If you strongly suspected you were AS before, the experts have concurred with your diagnosis - you were right (if not, I suppose you'd be feeling somewhat crestfallen rather than jubilant).

You may also find it easier to be understanding about times in your life when people have been inexplicably impatient with you (if there have been any) - it's not always their fault, if nobody knows you have a brain-wiring difference then people will jump to the first plausible explanation for any strange or awkward behaviour, unless they're on an unusually high plane of enlightenment. I haven't noticed many employers or officials in that category.

So, well done

I did not mean that anybody was mocking, though one post might be percieved as such. I thought in general, telling ppl about it.

Kool, thanks for clarifying

Am very pleased you have gotten a diagnosis and can now try and learn a bit more about Aspergers and the Aspie community in general. A diagnosis was also very important to me, as it meant I finally not only had an official word for the way in which I saw the world as I was aware it was much different to the norm, but I could try & treat my associated conditions and improve my quality of life

I must add that a diagnosis is not the end, but only the starting point.
Its not always a smooth ride, but at least its more bearable now

I felt getting the diagnosis was important because I needed to clarify whether I truly had AS or not. One thing that motivated it was my own insecurity at Denis Leary and other people who think they understand autism but know nothing about it said. Paraphasing it briefly, he basically said that people with self-diagnosed AS are just a bunch of whiney b*****s. I wanted to prove to myself and others that people with self-diagnosed AS are genuine and should be taken seriously, and that we're not just a bunch of whiney b*****s and that most of us warrant a formal diagnosis. I am not weak or stupid as I thought for a long time, I finally feel better about myself because now I know that I am neither weak or stupid.

Secondly, there is nothing wrong with aspie pride. Many neurotypicals think highly of themselves, and although many of them are nothing special their more positive outlook gives them a better quality of life. Since I spent most of my life with a very low-self esteem, I finally have a boost of confidence in myself. AS is a part of who you are, and sometimes, you have to take a stand for who you are or nobody will take you seriously. Perhaps this is against my better judgement, but having AS is not like having a fractured shin. Yes, we're vulnerable because 99% of people think on a completely different wavelength and we have trouble understanding them and we have to live in a world ruled by them, but AS is not an injury or a disease. It's a condition that is often times also a great gift. AS is a part of who you are, and if you're saying that you're just injured or damaged, your feelings about yourself are just going to get worse. I've been encouraged to think more positively about myself, and an official diagnosis helps with that. Sorry if this came off rude.

I can understand how you feel. When I was diagnosed it was something of a relief. Some things started to make sense.

All I can offer right now is to say that you are still who you were before the diagnosis. Play to your strengths. Do what you can to offset the negatives. It's a learning process, and it's a never ending one. Also, research, research, research. There is a lot of material about AS out there. It's not the stigma that it used to be. There are a lot of support groups too. Maybe they can help.

Sirunus,

Sounds like a winning attitude to me.

Congrats! I remember my diagnosis, I was jumping with joy!