What spurned you to get a diagnosis?

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And when you did, had you ever even heard of Aspergers / HFA / ASD??
We all had our "breaking points", the point at which we didn't know why we were being excluded, betrayed, mocked, persecuted, stonewalled, etc, etc...or we suspected that we were always "a little different" but thought the way in which we were dealt with was disproportionate to the perceived offense, as it were.

For me, it was in the summer of 2001, while I was still well within my 20s...having suffered quite a bit in the 90s while at university, being shunned and mistreated, albeit not nearly as vicious as in middle school. I had a thick enough skin to brush it off and claim it was "their problem, not mine", but that year when I found out that a couple of ass-kissers in my CS/IT job who weren't as proficient as me, were getting promoted, and my former friend / roommate was talking behind my back about being a "freak and weirdo" and other labels...yet kind to my face...THAT'S when I insisted on getting a proper diagnosis other than "a form of ADHD and anxiety", saw another therapist who was in residence, whose knowledge was more fresh, and got the Aspergers diagnosis which I'd never heard of until then. I researched the hell out of it, got speech therapy and rehearsed in the mirror based on watching a collection of certain movies, worked out and improved my coordination, and things got better from there.

I started to reply to this earlier, spent about 45 minutes typing and then decided that I should probably make that a separate post. Or a book, maybe.
I've been thinking about posting basically the same information to my introduction thread, though. Maybe I'll do that.
Long, long story.

When I first read about a woman with Asperger's syndrome, I thought that could never be me, because when she got home from work, she crawled into a large cardboard box to decompress. Okay, I've always been eccentric, but not that extreme ...

During middle age I discovered I was an Aspie. It wasn't so much me diagnosing myself or getting a doctor's diagnosis ... it was people at work taking me into a room, going down a whole list of traits I had that other people didn't like (including being as smart as Einstein). I Googled these traits and Bingo ... a whole bunch of autism websites came up. It was at once shocking and comforting. Definitely explained a ton about my life.

I had always wondered why I was so different. (Think Sheldon, Spock, Q from Star Trek.)

A friend wondered whether he himself had Asperger's, so I helped him research and find online self diagnosis tests.

In the process, I found that quite a few symptoms actually applied to me. It was never something that I'd seriously considered before -I simply thought that I was quite socially awkward and a little quirky - so once I realized that there could be an explanation for my behavior, I spent a few months doing research and compiling a list of my childhood experiences. At the time, I was more than content to settle for a self diagnosis.

The main motivation I had to actually go to a professional for a formal diagnosis was meeting a fellow aspie and realizing that I understood him. That isn't to say I fully comprehended everything he said, or fully understood his motivations and reasoning; what I understood was his behavior. He behaved the way I do in social situations - and he was the first person I instinctively understood.

That hit home how little I instinctively understand NT behavior, and how much effort I've made to study it and consciously emulate it just to pass as "normal". I'm at the point where I even do it when I'm alone.

I booked an appointment with a psychiatrist for a formal diagnosis the next day.

I'm in my late 30's and didn't know anything about aspergers until about 2 years ago, I was unaware of anything about it previously but it was like one of those moments where everything I've felt or done in my life made sense and it was like there was suddenly an explanation for everything. I went to see my GP and got a referral for a proper assessment which involved an 18 month wait. I had to bring up the issue with my parents as they needed to be interviewed as part of the assessment but it was like they just didn't want to acknowledge there was anything wrong which didn't help things.

In the assessment i scored high in 2 of the 3 areas they look at but the 3rd area required evidence of childhood problems for a diagnosis which just didn't happen because of my parents view that there was nothing wrong with me. I just felt totally let down by them, a formal diagnosis was my chance to be able to explain to my partner, friends, work colleagues the reason why I don't do see & do things normally. I just feel in limbo now, deep down i know being diagnosed would have made everything that's happened in my life fall into place but the lack of a formal diagnosis has really knocked me back.

It's got to the point where i wish I'd never heard of aspergers as before all this i was happily getting through life thinking i was just a bit different but now I'm a lot more aware of the things I do which is starting to have a negative effect on my relationships and my own happiness

Hopefully all that made sense to someone as i just needed to let how I'm feeling out somewhere

A woman who works with the special needs kids at my former high school told me she thinks I have Aspergers.

and I heard of Aspergers when I was watching Scrubs in Elementary school and they made a episode about it. I felt a connection to the topic so I went to do research but I was too lazy to do proper research

This episode?

I knew when my son was diagnosed. I asked the person doing his diagnosis why he had autism and she looked at me and said 'Well the apple doesn't fall from the tree' which confirmed what I was suspecting. He is a carbon copy of me. I didn't seek a formal diagnosis until I had a serious accident and spent time in hospital and rehab. I couldn't cope with it at all and the staff just didn't get why I struggled and the consultant refused to believe I could have autism because I didn't have a formal diagnosis. As soon as I could walk unassisted, I told them I wanted to leave. They did everything to try and stop me leaving. They even tried to get an independent guardian appointed to stop me but my Husband put a stop to that. I left after 4 weeks in rehab. They had wanted me to be there for months. I couldn't do it. It was sensory torture. So I decided to get what I refer to as my identity papers just in case I ever end up needing to prove a Dr that yes I do have autism.

Someone I went to school with got married and his step-son has autism. He told me "you should get checked out for it. It would explain a lot about how you have always been."

I don't know how I felt about that, but know I've never fit in. Only had one friend growing up, prefer to be on my own and don't like change.

Six years ago renovations were being done on my mum's house, and I was living back home with her after my marriage broke down. The renovators offered us somewhere else to stay while the work was being done because it was winter and they would be coming in and out all the time and there would be lots of cold air in the house and dust etc.

I said I didn't want to so we both stayed in the house during the work.

A month later my mum got pneumonia and after two weeks in a chemically induced coma being pumped with strong antibiotics the doctors gave in trying to save her and she died.

My inability to deal with change and upheaval killed my mum. :'(

People have said it's not my fault and she could have over-ruled me as it was her house, and that she had a choice and she chose to stay, but still it feels like it was my fault.

I want to know why I wind people up after a while, even if they say I'm nice at first, and why I hold on to a situation even if it's not healthy.

There are lots of other reasons too but I think that's the main one. I'm still trying to get assessed but it is a real difficult task it seems for an adult in the UK. I might even have to save up to get a private one if the NHS services continue to give me the run-around.

I'm sorry caffeinekid, that sounds like a horrible and difficult thing to go through.

I'm also UK, and waiting to know I can afford a private assessment. Stuff like this just doesn't seem possible to get on the Tory NHS.

I was attending college that had a free counseling service, so I decided to check it out. I thought for some time I might have Aspergers and while in college, I complained that I was doing okay in hard technical classes, but it was really annoying to have to complete an online workplace communication course.

It's weird because I previously enjoyed English Comp. 1 & 2 as a challenging but interesting projects as I researched essays that were informative or supported an argument.

I'm not sure what it was, but it drove me nuts having to switch from trying to code C#, HTML/CSS, and SQL to do mundane business reports for the other class.

Anyway, after him, one other person I consulted with agreed on Aspergers for me.

I found this, don't know how much truth there is in it but it seems to back that up

https://planetautismblog.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/not-enough-traits-for-a-diagnosis/

Ugh.

The frustrating thing is that a diagnosis itself can be a big help.

Since it was suggested that I could be autistic and I've been reading about it, I've begun solving things with conclusions I hadn't even considered before. (Would appear that I miss 'obvious' social cues, take things literally, and the noise of the open plan office isn't great for me).

Understanding can help management.

I think in my case it would have been a massive help, it would make things a lot easier if I could just say to people that there was a definate reason for being the way I am. That's all I wanted from a diagnosis, and I don't think I would have needed any further help but it's like they just decided "he's doing alright, he's got a job and a long term girlfriend so he'll be ok" I feel really sorry for all the people denied a diagnosis if this is the case.

There is an interesting bit in that article that says not diagnosing people is short sighted and will cause a bigger burden on the health service in the long run.

I've got to the point where what I said in my earlier post about feeling in limbo and not really feeling like I know who I am is really starting to affect me. My girlfriend thinks I'm depressed and should contact my GP, if I'm being honest she might be right but I really struggle talking to people about my feelings.

For some reason typing this out online dosen't seem like talking to people, even though I know it is!

I know what you mean with finding it easier to type things out!

How much help you'll get is very much depends on your GP and area, I guess.

When I was coming to terms with abuse history, I was having some problems, and my GP just told me to read a self-help book. I didn't want support, I just wanted to know what was happening and predict how it would go. I ended up having to kinda self-dx as temporary dissociative and panic issues (lasted only whilst I was dealing with things).

The state of the Tory NHS is why I hate it when internet support groups won't give you the time of day without a diagnosis, and just tell you to talk to a professional. I tried!!

At least this time I should (hopefully) be able to afford it myself.

Hope you have a better time in the NHS system than I did!

I was only three, so it was my family's decision, but they decided after they were referred to a specialist when I started preschool and the staff there noticed I "wasn't quite like the other students" and that I had odd speech patterns and refused to play with the other kids. I had a lot of similar traits as my cousin, who had been diagnosed a year earlier, so I think that was another factor in them getting me evaluated.