Worth dr. diagnosis?

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Had a scary conversation when I called up about resources -- not so much the brain scan as a psychiatrist/psychologist checklist. They're pretty good about ADHD so
this was weird

My mother had the exact same experience. I told her about Asperger's, she had been seeing this psychologist quack for years and years who never helped her with anything, just did "talk therapy" (which means you pay, they pretend to listen, nothing changes)

She went in and mentioned Asperger's. Quack's jaw drops and she said she didn't think my mom had THAT. She pulls a book off the shelf and starts reading off the symptoms and saying "You don't have that, you don't do that" OMG!!

I decided against a diagnosis after I learned a lot more about AS myself. Basically you're going to pay someone and sit and bring them up to speed on your life. That is no easy task. Once you get them informed enough about You, they compare You to their understanding of AS and tell you if it matches.

I'm already an expert on the subject of Me. I am able to learn about AS and when I did, it was the most amazing and happy experience to finally fit somewhere! When I read some of the stuff about AS to my husband and daughter, they asked if my picture was in that book because it described me so well!

I don't have insurance or the money to waste to go ask for a diagnosis, but I've asked myself if I would go if money were no problem at all and honestly I would not. I know what I know and I'm grateful to find out about AS and to find WP. This has really changed my life and how I deal with things and how much better I feel about myself.

Its always worth for your own personal information.

However in my case, I've found it wise to avoid having an AS diagnosis on my medical file.

-I want to emigrate to New Zealand. They reject people because they are overweight regardless of how successful they are in their business lives. If they reject a pair of almost millionare but obese people I dont want to have my peniless arse get kicked out because of an AS dx on my medical file.

-It discourages companies from hiring you. I know for a fact that people with disability.. ANY disability, get hired only because it helps the company fulfill a gov. mandate (aka it does give them some tax incentives) or because nobody else fit the requirements for the position.

-Insurance. Need I say more?

One way to get around it is by paying for the therapist out of your own pocket.

This isn't meant to be a mean comment, but nominalist, your avatar is disturbing. I find myself scrolling past your posts and unable to read them because the avatar is so bothersome. You're not a bad looking person or anything, but your eyes in that photo seem like they just burn through.

Sorry - I would like to read what you have to say!

lol. Yeah, I guess I look a bit hypnotic in that photo. I think it was the way the light hit my eyes. A friend of mine pointed that out to me last night.

To be honest, I don't usually photograph that well, so I am afraid that any other picture I take will have some sort of problem, i.e., not sure what to do about it. I may eventually go back to the Foucault picture I had before, but I will have to think about it.

It is the eyes. You're a good looking man, it's not meant as an insult in any way, just that the photo is so distracting - hypnotic even.

Possibly take another where you are not looking directly into the camera? Then you could still be seen clearly but not have the eyes staring out.

Do you have a hypnotic quality with people in real life?

Thank you, and I will try again over this weekend.



lol. You would need to ask my students.

Am new to WP - great site.

I'll be tested for Asperger in a few months at the University of Michigan. I've been in (very helpful) psychotherapy for three years, since I was 40, and have been encouraged to NOT get a diagnosis because I might be marginalized.

I am successful in my career and compensate very well for the sensitivity / learning difficulties / social anxiety I experience, so well that very few people realize how much I struggle. But I do struggle and am often avoidant in my personal relationships.

Insurance has not paid for any of my therapy, nor will it pay for the testing - so I'm not worried about being placed on a disability list if I am found to be on the autistic spectrum. I suppose that I want to know for me, and to help explain the relationships and behavior on both sides of my family.

That was the conversation

That's almost exactly what happened to me in Oct. 2006 with a family counselor. I told him I had just read about something called Asperger's syndrome and he pulled out the book, etc. and told me he didn't think I have it. Five months later, I had a major meltdown and walked off of my contract and THEN he says I might have AS and why don't I check the internet for symptoms and get back to him? I did and he didn't argue.

Four months later, I was diagnosed by a psychologist with training specific to diagnosing AS in adults. It took two 1-hour sessions, $100 each mostly paid for by the state vocational rehab department. I talked to her and took in copies of my school records and awards, PSAT, ACT, and a WAIS-R from years before. In Indiana, some employers who hire me are eligible for compensation from the state for making accomodations for me. Revealing it or not is my choice.

Not getting diagnosed conversation . . .

Me: I kind of think I'd like to look into Asperger's Syndrome. It seems like I have MANY of the characteristics and so do people on both sides of my family. You've read my description of the traits I feel that I have.

Mental Health Professional: You know, if you were in a room full of people I would never pick you as the person who wrote that.

Me: But what about a diagnosis?

Mental Health Professional: Its a label - and I don't know if it would be helpful for you to get that label. If you have the label people might marginalize you, particularly the medical and health insurance industry.


My insurance does not cover my sessions with my psychotherapist and probably wouldn't cover diagnosis, so I'm saving up and paying for it myself.

Z

I'm amazed that nobody is considering the fact that a diagnosis can lead to a prescription for meds that can be a great help.

Why not?

Helped me a little and helped my brother a lot.

Surely I'm not the first one who has figured this out?

My difficulties and symptoms are identical to those stated by many posters here.