Why are you trying to diagnose yourself?

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I was just wondering what made some of you decide to try and diagnose yourself without the help of a docotr. Or why you felt you need to.
And why some of you cant see a doctor?

Im 19, out of work and leaving for the military pretty soon. Socially in my life I have never had any freinds besides 1 in elementary school and have always been extremely social awkward, saying thigns out of place and having problems paying attention to things that arent of my interests. I always desired to be popular and to have freinds and companionship, it has led me to attempting to fit in in any way possible for most of highschool and getting into alot of trouble because of it. As I got older I developed trouble even initating conversation and basiclly quit trying to be social attall. I went to college for 2 months and could not do it. I spent the whole day day dreaming about my interest, which was gaming. It sounds like im lazy.

What's keeping me from socialising? and from functioning normal? My bro was diagnosed with adhd as a kid and my mother was diagnosed as Borderline, yet all 3 of us are a family that lacks any social ability and im tired of the abundance of different personality disorders that describe me in so many different ways. ATM I am just really deppresed and unable to see a therapist until I enlist into the military. But Im trying to understand on my own whats exactlly wrong with me. So I can start to help myself.

Last edited by JHenry2848 on 24 Apr 2010, 2:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I am currently getting my medical help through VA, and I plan to get diagnosed if possible, but I dont know if the VA will be able to get this done for me. I will try though. We have universities too, so I may be able to see someone at Chapel Hill, but that is way down the road. I have so many other neurological, mental, and physical issues right now that my doctors may not want to deal with an AS diagnosis just yet until I have some other stuff in remission.

The VA? what branch did you serve? Im leaving for the air force in 2 days. The medical benefits are one of the biggest reasons for my joining.

I was in the AF too. I spent 12 years working in Accounting and FInance. Im glad I did it. I got out because my daughter was starting kindergarten and deployments were more common. Single parenting is very difficult when you get into the higher ranks and have to deploy more.

The fact that going back over ADD and rereading the books on it I was starting to find it odd that many of the things did not fit me. I had a big lack of frenids to like no freinds at all. I was wanted people like me. But going up and talking with people I never really knew how to do that. And when I tried I bombed at it.

But right now I'm looking into getting tested. Becasue I'm starting to believe it was more then just the ADD and Dyslexia. I could be wrong and I don't have Aspergers. But if I do it would explain a lot more about myself and my life.

I will say this though. Once you hit you're 20's being tested and have a diagnose about most things get's harder and harder. Most of those tests are for people between pre-school up until for most cases 18. If found early enough most people with ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Asperger's, can lead some what normal lives and have a job and so on.

Even if not found they have familys that helped them and they still lead some what normal lives or what passes for normal.

I'm perplexed as to how someone who has say through 4 years of college, probably spent a weeks time studying AS, and has talked to a person for 45 minutes, can reasonably determine that they have AS.

And I'm perplexed as to how someone who has known themselves all of their lives, probably has read through many articles on AS and really looked into it, is a less valid authority on whether or not they have it.

Let's face it, there are not physical tests that are done at this time to determine these things,which require a doctor to order and produce results that require a doctor to interpret.

I suppose there are some people who are not mentally sound enough to make such conclusions about themselves as to what they have and what they don't, for example, schizophrenics and those with bi-polar disorder, but assuming you are reasonably mentally sound and relatively intelligent what is it about understanding the diagnostic criteria for AS that requires a degree from an accredited institution?

How many of you really want to pay $145 to have someone write "Asperger's Syndrome" on a piece of paper so you can pay $600 a month in health insurance premiums?

Unless you need certain services due to the AS that you could not otherwise get, I do not advise it.

Well, there may not be blood tests or DNA analysis, but there most certainly are tests to determine the level and style of neurological function. I was put through two full days of testing, both to rule out other pathologies and personality disorders and to determine how I processed data and stimuli. Then of course there was also extensive interviewing on my personal history and experience so that the Psychologist could get a picture of how I view the world and people and my attitudes about getting on with them.

It was a good deal more than 45 minutes and it had to be a licensed Psychologist with experience working with Autistic clients. My therapist was not authorized to give that diagnosis, although she was able to make an assessment and give a professional opinion. The process may differ from one country to another, but I wouldn't think it would be by much.

I agree that once familiar with the disorder, people with AS are generally speaking intelligent enough and usually stable enough to make a qualified determination whether or not they have it, probably more so than just about any other mental health issue besides depression. I brought it up to my therapist who had already noted my chronic depression and social anxieties in just a few visits, but after a few months, she told me "I don't know if I would have thought to look for that if you hadn't mentioned it, but I believe you're absolutely right".

I don't get enough in Disability to afford Health Insurance, but if someone hadn't written 'Asperger Syndrome' on that piece of paper, I'd be homeless right now, in spite of a 30 year career. Just because you don't need that DX today, doesn't mean you never will. Besides, not just one or two, but as many as five Mental Health professionals now have confirmed my suspicions, and I feel much better knowing that I'm not just being a Mental Health Hypochondriac imagining that I have something that I don't.

Of course, being born in the 1990's you might not have considered that an Asperger's Syndrome diagnosis was not available before Lorna Wing revived it in the 90's.

I was born in the 1950's long before the diagnosis was known and never had the language delay that would have made anyone suspect I was autistic. When I was 56 and one day old I heard the description of the diagnosis for Asperger's Syndrome on a radio program. I was struck by the instant identification I had with the description given as I had never experienced anyone describing me before. So I didn't "try" anything, I didn't "decide" anything. I 'identified', pure and simple. Then I learned about AS Two years later I finally found a clinical psychologist that did and evaluation work up and there it was. . nestled under my chronic PTSD and anxiety was the root of it all, my Asperger's Syndrome DX.

And it took me two years to find a doctor because AS in adults is more of a historical anomaly and few doctors have met even a child with AS, let alone an adult that has learned coping skills. Also, no distraught parents are desperately trying to find a cure/therapy/help and willing to give their life's savings to the doctor/therapist/school that will give them hope.

Add into that mix the expense of a doctor if you are living on the street or close (undiagnosed autistics are rarely insured and have health care availability) .


I am not the only one, either. There is a thread on the "Getting to Know You" thread called the Dino Ex-Cafe (we late diagnosed are called Dinosaurs) where you can read miles of text about our histories and experiences.

Thank you for your service JHenry2848.

Merle

I have no doubt that the self diagnosed people here, are aspies. I think that some people who have become members see themselves in us, and that could be one of the reasons that they DX themselves. I've self diagnosed myself with ADHD, because there are many times, durring the day, that I can't stay in one spot. I also had a very hard time, concentrating on my studdies in grades 1 - 12.

The doctors I've checked with in my area quote about $2000 for an assessment, and with my income that's a lot. And I have yet to talk to one who really seems to know what they're doing. And at this point I'm disability for other reasons, so a don't deserately need an ASD diagnosis.

I actually had a neuropsych workup done about 10 years ago for cognitive problems, and I asked the psychologist doing it if she knew anything about ASD's, and she very honestly said "no, nothing." I wasn't able to work at that point and was running of money, so there was no time to look for someone else.

In my 41 years I've a had a few (less than 3) friends. No relationships, no "real" jobs, though I went college and did ok (tried to socialize there, but nothing worked out). Then my health fell apart in weird ways (that I've only thus far heard of from ASD people (mostly older ones), including odd and significant congitive losses, due to stress/burnout.

So as to why it's been important -- it was important to know why functioning in ways that seem trivial for others was so hard that I was being made ill from it (and even less functional, which was threatening my survival). Then I stumbled across a group of autistic people (this was before AS existed) online: people dx'ed autistic, and others like me with no dx's of anything, and others with half the DSM except autism dx'ed on them. And there was a lot of comparing notes, and I had a lot of "how the hell do these people know that?!, " moments. I heard things described that I'd never told anyone, and had never heard anyone speak about before (IRL, or in a book, movie, or TV show, or anywhere). And on another level that I can't think of how to explain well, there was a sort of similarity in thinking/relating and so forth.

I have family though would've probably kept me from homelessness, but they would've made my life miserable. (They were disbelieving about everything until SSDI/SSI came though.) If I'd never found out I think I might've offed myself by now. I consider myself pretty lucky though -- I was never in the locked up, or homeless, trapped in a abusive relationship, jail, or been considered 'ret*d,' or otherwise had my human rights threatened. Not that things have been a cakewalk, but it sure could've been worse.

Lack of money, confidence in the accuracy of my diagnosis due to my inherently scientific manner of considering things, awareness that I know myself after decades of self-study in a manner which lets me honestly consider things I've done/do and identify the hypothesis which explains the most phenomena while raising the least questions.

I diagnosed myself as being a cat 10 years ago, because I didn't know what AS was, only that I wasn't NT (though I didn't know it was called NT either) from years of considering how insane everyone seemed.

I was clinically diagnosed with Asperger's when I was 12. Prior to the diagnosis I had never heard of it. Plus I'd had signs of autism my entire life, which was why my mom enrolled me into a special ed preschool when I was three.

What's cat?

Not with "CAT" but as being a cat, JH.


M.

I had reached another 'culmination point' in my life to where I was having some signs of burnout.
+Some marital problems.
On and off cognitive problems.
PSTD signs.
Life long feelings/perceptions of being 'only tolerated. '
A lifelong struggle to maintain a measure of sanity due to this^.

Searched for years for these cognitive problems.
Came to the conclusion that I was a schizoid.
History of schizophrenia in 1st & 2nd degree relatives.

Read about autism elsewhere, but looked here on this board, and I can see myself in the members ,as it put a face on it.
My daughter(step) guessed I was on the spectrum years ago, much to my chagrin, as I was only familar with "rainman".
My family doc doesnt think so, as I ran it across him . I thought being close to 60 , he would have had aspie patients ,and I was right ,he did.
He said "we communicate too well" and said " he didnt think so".

A dx could enable an ssdi/ssi though(if I needed it as willard wisely pointed out), but it would be tough to find a competent person here.

1. No doctors that hold themselves out as competent in the diagnosing of AS in adult males near me. No help from places I've found online (referrals).

2. Lack of money to spend on expensive testing.