killerBunny wrote:
BeaArthur wrote:
killerBunny: I'm not ignorant on this topic, and I was not feigning naivete. Your syntax and precision with language are poor, so that I genuinely did not know what you were trying to say.
My language requires a certain threshold of intellect which I suppose can burden many readers. If you can't infer meaning, you probably don't meet it. Your initial underhanded questioning of whether I understand the statement made would fall under the category of passive aggressive. I don't usually go out my way like I seem to have in this thread and deal with lemmings but I suppose the topic at hand is rather important.
Wow, that's quite a statement. "A certain threshold of intellect"??? The problem is not the complexity of your argument, but the clarity in which it was conveyed.
I agree with Bea--your writing was unclear enough to make your point difficult to ascertain, especially the bit about "Therapists bell curve has a median index if sh***y." Lack of punctuation and poor grammar made the emphasis confusing, and you didn't connect it clearly to the preceding statements. Since noone was discussing statistical tests, it was a puzzling metaphor. I would not have guessed that your intended meaning was "lack of regulation of therapeutic credentials has resulted in a great deal of variation in expertise, and the standards of diagnosis are pretty subjective." I agree with the meaning once you clarified it, but it was initially very unclear. And before you take potshots at my intellect, I got an A in graduate-level statistics, so yes, I do know what a median index and bell curve is.
Also, you are incorrect about Asperger's not being a diagnosis. It was a diagnosis in the DSM-IV, and still is a diagnosis in the ICD-10. It has been merged with autism in the DSM-V, but one can live independently and receive an autism, Level 1 diagnosis under the DSM-V in adulthood. I did, at age 49. Whether it was worth the trouble remains to be seen, as therapies for older adults with ASD are hard to find, but the diagnosis, at least, is possible.
I agree that one should not try to get a quick diagnosis. Anyone that tries to make a quick diagnosis is behaving irresponsibly--diagnosis is a series of tests and interviews taking several hours, and has to be administered by someone who is qualified to administer such tests. In the US, this would be a clinical psychologist,
not a therapist such as an LCSW or psychiatric nurse, although I don't know if this is true for other countries. I would hope therapists are not making diagnoses--they aren't trained for it and should be referring patients to psychologists for that.
http://www.autismsource.org has lists of qualified mental health professionals in the US, and you can also ask your insurance company for a referral.
http://healthgrades.com allows you to search by specialty and insurance accepted.
To the OP: It would probably be a good idea to get to know your psychologist a bit before you bring up the possibility of ASD. As Ezra said, talk about the symptoms without mentioning ASD. Let him or her observe your behavior as well--don't mask it, but don't exaggerate it either. Just act naturally. A big part of my diagnosis came from the psychologist's observation of my way of speaking and acting, not just what was in the tests.
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Diagnosed Bipolar II in 2012, Autism spectrum disorder (moderate) & ADHD in 2015.
13 Feb 2016, 12:37 pm
