A question for the self dxed/yet to be officially dxed

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That makes sense.....that gives her the option of cuddling up to you when she feels the inclination.

Your logic has outwitted me on any form of comeback. Checkmate. You win!

I hope you have plenty of moss to use as a natural pillow.

Yes, 100% recyclable. Have an aquaponics setup out the back for endless supply....

(Think we may have derailed the thread a little! Our bad... sorry! )

That happens sometimes LOL

I feel people who rely mostly on logic would be concerned as to whether they might actually "have" something which they haven't been officially diagnosed with as of yet.

Never mind. It was probably a silly thread anyway. I think my quest for an answer is down to intellectual curiosity and wanting to know where I belong best/what makes me me.
On a practical level at this late stage I am not even sure an official dx would make much difference. Too much water has flown under the bridge.

Perhaps I should just be happy with my own self analysis that tells me that avoidant + a degree of schizotypal + NVLD + a degree of ASD fits me best.

The professionals have had over 40 years to see beyond the psych dx and take an intelligent, whole person approach. They've failed completely

No, not a silly thread at all, hence my initial response as i am sure and know a number of people including myself have had similar thoughts. So could well be beneficial to others as well.
If you feel an official DX would help in anyway and you have the strength then maybe carry on pursuing! Remember. Only the last 10 or so years has more discussion been made on the spectrum. There are still false myths out there , so will take time and more listening to people on the spectrum before more ''professionals'' understand anything more about, other than a few paragraphs out of the DSM... My journey has made that very clear...

Keep swimming

There was a period when I was not yet officially dxd, but was active on another aspie site (the Aspie Hangout, now largely defunct) and in my early days on this site. Sometimes wondered if I was really an aspie back then. But even then I didn't fret about it much. Just went ahead, and participated in the two sites.

From your posts its kinda obvious that you are something other than NT even if it isn't possible for us laymen to pigeonhole you into some specific alphabet soup label. So yeah, I thinks it obvious that you "belong".

And even if you didn't "belong" you still would "belong" because as Krafty said you don't have to have a condition to join WP.

Hi,

I have no doubt that I have Asperger's. My brother and I both came to the conclusions independently over several years. I have done three online tests and had high scores. I spoke to my GP (doctor) and he agrees it is very likely but we also decided not to pursue an official diagnosis. It would serve no purpose and would not change my life as I am retired.

Finding this site was like walking into a room full of people who have had the same life experiences and problems. I instantly felt I belonged here. However...

I rarely express opinions or offer unasked for advice as every person is an individual living their own life. What suits me may not be/will not be/is relevant to them. Hopefully every person on this site has their own support group of family friends and healthcare workers. If anyone on here asks a question and I feel that I can make a valid contribution I will.

It is a two way street. This site has helped me and I hope I can in some small way occasionaly help others.

Could I have done better with a dx and proper help and support?-Yes.

Am I doing as well as can be expected in the circumstances? Probably.

I agree with naturalplastic. Whatever you are, NT it isn't. It may be that you are just an autistic with some very bad experiences and/or sensitivites, or you have an unusual combo of conditions that are hard to diagnose. There are a couple of other members here who have unusual combinations of comorbids; just because they are unusual doesn't mean they don't exist. You obviously have had some bad experiences in the mental health system that have scarred you. That sometimes happens.

In my country there is an aspie woman who has been kept restrained with belts for three years at least because she self harms and tries to kill herself unless she is restrained. She originally entered the mental health system in late teens/early adulthood, originally, I think, because of either an eating disorder or a breakdown. Because she was so intelligent, articulate and seemingly well functioning, nobody cottoned on to the fact that she was autistic. Years in mental wards and having her sensitivities ignored destroyed her mental health.

I think you need to take your time unpeeling the layers. I understand that it can be hard to trust mental health professionals when they can't seem to agree on anything. I hope people on WP can be of more help. At least we are open about the fact that we are not certain.

The main thing is acknowledgement of details even if you are uncertain what that points to. I think the current diagnostic systems often fail to do justice to some people's array of symptoms.

WrongPlanet is not a Site solely for people on the Spectrum.

It's for people who have a positive, vested interest in Spectrum issues.

If anybody says that somebody doesn't belong here because that somebody is not autistic, they are going against the rules of the Site.

I sort of think the clue is in the name. If you feel like you're on the wrong planet, you have something in common with WP members. What that is might be unclear. I see it as an opportunity to connect with people who have the same challenges as me, call it autism or something else. A rose by any other name.....

Someone compared autism to a restaurant meny, a very large one, with a lot of traits one could have, and in varying degrees of strength. The diagnostic tools are extremely vague because there are so many possible traits, and the same difficulties can manifest in so many ways and with so many different coping strategies. I agree with researchers who say there are many autisms, not one, in the sense that there are many dissimaliar profiles, but because certain traits appear all over the sprectrum, as of yet, there is limited basis on which to differentiate into subrgroups.

For example, I see less discussion on WP about hyposensitivities than hypersensitivities, probably because they are less debilitating.

Autism is a very badly defined disorder. There is no blood test, no MRI image that will definitely prove it. Diagnostic practice varies a lot. There is limited understanding of functioning levels in the medical community.

If you have any kind of debilitating medical issue that is hard to diagnose, you will have spent years being told you are imagining things. In your case the psychiatric profession seems to agree that you have something, they just can't agree on what. I would trust yourself more than them, in that case. But spend time on it.

Of course I have niggling doubts - I think a lot of the not-so-clear-cases here do, whether they have a diagnosis or not. Autistic rumination will make this worse,

The only thing that is certain in life is death and taxes