newly (self)diagnosed.....now what?

Post Reply New Topic

i'm almost 34 years old and for perhaps the first time in my life I don't feel so isolated from the other 6+billion people on this planet.

Iwas doing some unrelated research this weekend when I happened to click on a link for an aspergers article. It was sort of surreal. The desciptions of 'a person with AS' read like a biography of myself. The more I read, the surrealer it got (yeah... i just made that word up )

I'm not sure what to do (if anything) with this newfound bit of data. Since I won't go the medication route, is there any real advantage to a formal diagnosis?

on the aspy questionaire i scored 171

A formal diagnosis may help you with certain things. For instance, a formal diagnosis will allow you to get subsidized public transportation in some cities. That's cool if you live in a place like DC where it takes longer to drive somewhere than to take the metro because traffic is so bad.

By the way, glad to have you with us at WrongPlanet.net.

A diagnosis may help you accept that you have AS but you seem like you already know you do.

I didn't find out until recently about my AS and mine is pretty much self diagnosed. Reason for that is I was diagnosed as a small child but then after that they like to confirm diagnosis and that never happened with me as my parents didn't want it and didn't really tell me about it until some time ago. After speaking to someone else, he said that it took three years to actually diagnose him with AS, so if you do be prepared for the fact that it may take a while.

welcome to wrongplanet, zarnik.

There is no point in bothering with a diagnosis,if on the highest of functioning-eg-are perfectly able to live independantly,have a regular job and not need special accomodations,not need accomodations if going back to education and so on.

The benefits a diagnosis gives depends on where the person lives,such things are [from a UK perspective]: having a support worker [this can be hard to get depending on the people who do the assessing],ASD residential homes[support/social worker is needed to be considered for these],accomodations at work and place of education,like Alex said with travel,except in UK we are able to get completely free travel,access to ASD day centres [although some might accept non diagnosed ASDers,i've no idea],and it also gives understanding,of being the way self is,to self and surrounding people.

Getting a diagnosis can stunt a persons' life/job/family life etc if they were able enough before getting it,due to stereotyping and stigma involved with AS,think of all the benefits self would personally be able to benefit from,and work out whether it is worth the financial cost and risk or not.

Diagnosis time depends on various things-such as severity,amount of traits,whether any comorbids are involved,how much childhood history is available,the experience of the specialist etc.
In UK,I was diagnosed in 2 hours [over 2 sessions] ,along with various comorbids/LDs,that was with a pyschologist,it differs everywhere,private would be better for self if could afford it.

I've reached just reached 19 and over the last year or so i've come to similiar conclusions but have decided not to get an official diagnosis. I can manage to hide my traits for the most part and can deal with 'fitting in' as such.
There are benefits to being official diagnosed, i won't repeat them as most of the people above have listed quite a few. I mainly have avoided getting it diagnosed because for the most part it doesn't cause me problems and the self-knowledge in itself is very comforting. I have told 1 or 2 people closer to me and they are very allowing for it so i can relax my guard around them and not hid it as such, i can leave the room when i feel overloaded or stim without them growing concerned.
I think it's best to weigh up the good or bad points about it and decide if it's right for you to get it diagnosed.

Hi! Welcome!

Surrealer is a word. Have you watched VH1?

There are certainly differences of opinion about the benefits and drawbacks of a diagnosis. Personally I was quite relieved to know that at least more than one person out of the many billions in the world is much like me. Being able to identify the problem and place a name on it helps provide direction for the doctor and patient as far as treatment. Without a diagnosis, the doctor cannot do much, and it further frustrates the patient. It can make the patient feel it is their fault, and that only makes problems worse.

As for the negative effects of a diagnosis, however, there is the discriminating issue in the workplace. Employers tend not to even think of hiring someone they know has a psychological disability, because too many (and they won't admit it) just are "too afraid" to deal with these kinds of people. It's illegal, but it seems that these employers can find some way to lie and it's only worse when they can trick someone who already has a compromised ability to read people's minds. I suppose the way to overcome this is you have an option to disclose a disability or not, and it's sometimes just a judgment call or a matter of opinion what is best to do.