Self knowledge vs official diagnosis

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There are a few people here who "doubt" they are autistic----though they don't prelude themselves from the possibility. They still feel like they're viable members of the Site, since neurodivergent people and neurotypical people with psychological problems frequently identify well with each other.

I feel this is a support Site for people who have a positive interest in autism and autistic people, regardless of their "autistic status."

Yes. They come in two general types: The "Stupid shrink didn't give me the diagnosis I wanted" type, and the "I feel relieved because thought I had 'A' when I really have 'B'" type.

This happens fairly often then? I'm trying to quantify this in some non-exact way.

'Most self-diagnosed end up reporting they were correct in their assumptions.'

'Actually, it seems to me about half the time self-diagnosed people end up being right and half they time they're not or they're not even close (NT through and through).'

'I do recall a relatively small number of people reporting that they were not in fact ASD even though they thought they were.'

Last edited by Magna on 31 Jul 2018, 9:18 am, edited 1 time in total.

This sort of thing happens sometimes. It's not found in the majority of the Site, though.

Maybe two or three times a year. A subjective "diagnosis" isn't always the correct one, and even a professional diagnosis deserves getting a second or third opinion (majority rule).

I agree that Spectrum diagnoses are not the most objective of diagnoses, and that corroborative diagnoses would aid in the increase of that objectivity.

That's a good point that to be more certain of a diagnosis, one should get a second opinion.

Although when I mentioned that to someone once regarding self diagnosis, they said that just goes to show how fallible the experts are and "No one knows more about me than me".

This is often the case with people who self-diagnose. It is also characteristic of people who believe themselves to be haunted by demons, reincarnations of famous historical people, indwelt by animal spirits, or spiritually-connected to some celebrity.

I used examples like that in the thread where you said about me, "He's only 17, Fish; what could he know?". I guess maybe for you if the adamant self-diagnoser is buddy or whatever, then I don't know what I'm talking about haha.

My wife would bring up Asperger's when I showed our guests my collection of better than museum quality models. They were shocked at what I did, and what my wife said apparently put then at ease.
Of course they were good. I often built more than one, so the last one looked really good!

I think what you are seeking is still unknown. There would not be an accurate way to measure that number because of a number of human factors. People who have a confirmed "official" diagnosis from their self diagnosis would be most likely to post about that as they are proving they are "correct". But, people who were not confirmed or had a different diagnosis altogether would tend to not post up about the results on here, as that would be proving that they were wrong. They would be more likely to move on to a site that "fits" their new diagnosis.

A general comment on the topic:

Not everyone needs an official diagnosis by a trained professional. In my particular case, it would not give me anything helpful (ie. no benefits) and potentially damage my career status further than I already have done on my own. Whether or not I am absolutely correct in my self diagnosis is not as important to me as being able to do my job to the best of my abilities. I live through my work.

I can't remember if it was on this forum or another I used to be on but I recall at least three people who posted that they were going for an assessment the next day and were never heard from again. All three were really excited about it. I found that in itself a bit odd. I felt really anxious and stressed about my assessment and tied myself in knots over it. As I said, they never did return to report how the assessment went so I guess they didn't get what they wanted.

I have no issue with people self diagnosing. I did it myself although it took me a long time to accept the possibility that I might be autistic. I did however want a more objective opinion than my own and decided that an appropriately trained psychologist (two in the event) would be better qualified to give me that opinion. I may also want to ask my employer for accommodations in the future as my workplace is going through a number of changes, so my formal diagnosis may serve a practical purpose. Other people may be happy with just self knowledge. That's fine. They can come and play in my playgroup if they wish although they may well find it a bit boring as the only member (me) usually has their head in a book all the time.

President Ronald Reagan used the concept of "plausible deniability."

As far as accommodations in the workplace, it may be best to just ask for what you need if the cost is small. They may not really want to know if you are diagnosed or not, there is also the concept of "don't ask, don't tell."

My experience was similar to yours. I suspected I had ASD and sought an evaluation to find out for sure. I found the process extremely stressful, but I needed to know, so I could address my challenges more effectively. Also, I would’ve doubted a self diagnosis.

I think some people might get excited by the idea of an ASD diagnosis if they grew up feeling like an outsider. They might want an explanation for why they are the way they are.

They're excited, usually, because of some variation of "Now I can make sense out of all that's happened to me!"

When I found out about my past in dribs and drabs throughout my life; and when I found out about Asperger's about the late 1980s, things really started to make sense to me...and I was rather excited about it.

Now, I can talk about it, and it would make sense.

Last edited by kraftiekortie on 31 Jul 2018, 10:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

Where I work, if you need a special office chair for health reasons, they just get you the chair you need.