So, starting to doubt my self-dx.
Because I'm having a different opinion on this topic?
Just guessing...
I know that some Transsexual active right movements in my country are heavily unhappy about the mainchanges in the DSM-5 for various reasons. But well, we don't use the DSM in my country anyway.

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"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen
Last edited by Raziel on 16 Oct 2013, 6:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I emailed Sacha Baron Cohen about this once and got a very discouraging response pretty much stating the above. I tried to find that email just now but it was a few years back so I may have deleted it.
Also, I think there is some sort of black listing system in the NHS because whenever I have a health complaint I find that the first 1-2 times I see a new health practitioner they are really nice and supportive and the next time I go they act very dismissively. This happened more than once so I know it's not just an odd coincidence. However, I doubt that I would get to see it even if I paid £50 to get a copy of all my records. I must remember to ask some of my friends who work in hospital if this is true.
Do I sound too paranoid?
Yes you do sound paranoid

And you are wrong (or at least your information is well out of date) because it is perfectly possible for an adult to get diagnosed and get help in the UK if they are an adult. I know because I was diagnosed this year at the age of 50, This was at the NHS Aspergers service in sheffield. And I am due to start specialist ASD counselling there in the near future. I know of others on here who can tell you the same thing.
You do need a referral from a GP to get an appointment, so you need a sympathetic doctor of course, but it is entirely possible

To the OP, At the DX appointment I was also diagnosed with ADHD & Dyspraxia, so it is worth going even if you are not perhaps ASD as they may give you one of the other DX's instead.
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Autistic dad to an autistic boy and loving it - its always fun in our house

I have Autism. My communication difficulties mean that I sometimes get words wrong, that what I mean is not what comes out.
I emailed Sacha Baron Cohen about this once and got a very discouraging response pretty much stating the above. I tried to find that email just now but it was a few years back so I may have deleted it.
Also, I think there is some sort of black listing system in the NHS because whenever I have a health complaint I find that the first 1-2 times I see a new health practitioner they are really nice and supportive and the next time I go they act very dismissively. This happened more than once so I know it's not just an odd coincidence. However, I doubt that I would get to see it even if I paid £50 to get a copy of all my records. I must remember to ask some of my friends who work in hospital if this is true.
Do I sound too paranoid?
Yes you do sound paranoid

Yes it really does sound paranoid.

I also wanted to mention, that Simon Baron-Cohen is in the autism reseach, not Sacha.
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"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen

You say that everyone has the right to their own opinion but then say self dx is not valid. Self dx is nothing more than that persons opinion and without knowing that persons intelligence, education and self insite it seems foolish and a bit arrogent to dismiss their opinion about themselves.
The one thing has nothing to do with the other.
I've the right to think that I'm Napoleon for example, but it still doesn't make it any more correct.
I'm against medicating and treating ppl against their will, just because they have another opinion than society. Because that's mind controll, eventhough if their opinion is propably incorrect. Just because everyone has the right to their own opinion, doesn't mean I've to believe it. Because also I have have the right for my own opinion, like they to them.
If I would automatically have to believe others, just because they have their right to their opinion, would mean that I wouldn't have the right to my opinion anymore. Wouldn't make much sence, would it?
Second of all, speaking about facts: about 80% of ppl who self-dx with AS and seek professional help are right having AS. I bet they who don't seek help, the number is much lower, but still if it would be the same, it would still make 20% who are incorrect. So I've to believe everyone who self-dx, also those 20%?
Third, especially over the internet - even if I wanted - I can't really proof any of those things you mentioned.
Fourth of all, I also doubt my own suspicions what I could have and couldn't have and I've at least a second opinion from the outside, because I strongly believe that we view ourselfs differently than others around us and that we have to put more than one piece together, eventhough if I might have been right in the end. I usually even get two independent psychiatric opinions until I believe the diagnosis about being right. I also always tell ppl to get a second opinion if they are not sure what their psychiatrist said and I don't think at all it's arrogant towards the psychiatrist just because you let proof that diagnosis again. Even very good experts in their fields can make a mistake. None of us is perfect and we actually should accept that as part of human nature.
So why is it arrogant if I think about others the same than I would about myself, being in the same position? Respecting other ppl doesn't mean I have to believe everything they say and dx a person with a "mental disorder" is a difficult process and even a high intelligent and well educated person might have subjective views about themselfs leading to the wrong diagnosis. Like over- or underestimating owns problems, favoring one diagnosis over the other (ppl less often dx themselfs with personality disorders or schizphrenia for example), not being able to recognise parts of the "mental disorder" (paranoia, delusions etc.) and so on.
You miss my point. I did not say you have to automatically believe what they think, I said you should not dismiss them simply because they have diagnosed themselves. All the points about self dx you bring up are valid points but you do not know what path they have taken to come to their conclusion.
Wrong or right people that self diagnose are looking for answers because they have problems they want to overcome or need some kind of validation for what they have experienced. This topic of should the self diagnosed be excepted into the club or not only seems hurtful to me. What purpose does it serve and why does it keep coming up. Why not help people with their journey or self exploration rather than wondering exactly what label fits them. Maybe they will discover they do not have autism but is it a wasted journey? I don't think so, not if they learned more about themselves.
Verdandi
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Joined: 7 Dec 2010
Age: 55
Gender: Female
Posts: 12,275
Location: University of California Sunnydale (fictional location - Real location Olympia, WA)
Because I'm having a different opinion on this topic?
Just guessing...
No, I mean why am I explaining that I didn't say a thing that you were disagreeing with, nor does the gender dysphoria entry say those things. Like, why should that part of the conversation even happen?
It wasn't even a difference of opinion. You were disagreeing with an opinion I never expressed and do not hold. You seem to be fixated on this idea that I cannot handle differences of opinion, but that is far from the truth. If I couldn't handle them I couldn't even begin to respond to some of your posts.

Obviously no group is a monolith.
I am curious why you think the DSM-5 change is not scientific?
I never disagreed with that actually.
I was also looking for answers for a long time and sometimes still do.
This was never my point I was making.
_________________
"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen
Actually I was talking about my opinion.
But it doesn't matter to me anymore.
For me personally this is no real conversation, sorry.
You were also disagreeing with things I never ment that way.
We are talking about different things here and I'm sick of explaining.
I actually already explained WHAT and HOW I meant it.
It makes no sence explaining the same things over and over again.
_________________
"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen
I never disagreed with that actually.
I was also looking for answers for a long time and sometimes still do.
This was never my point I was making.
I'm sorry is I am misunderstanding what you mean to say but statements like this
sound to me like you do disagree.
I never disagreed with that actually.
I was also looking for answers for a long time and sometimes still do.
This was never my point I was making.
I'm sorry is I am misunderstanding what you mean to say but statements like this
sound to me like you do disagree.
"are looking for answers because they have problems they want to overcome"
Of course they do and I understand that and even do the same, but just I'm thinking I might have OCD for example, to explain my problems doesn't mean I've really OCD. But this doesn't mean that I doupt that they are looking for answers or have problems in the first place.
But does it really make sence to continue this?
Not for me.
_________________
"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen
I never disagreed with that actually.
I was also looking for answers for a long time and sometimes still do.
This was never my point I was making.
I'm sorry is I am misunderstanding what you mean to say but statements like this
sound to me like you do disagree.
"are looking for answers because they have problems they want to overcome"
Of course they do and I understand that and even do the same, but just I'm thinking I might have OCD for example, to explain my problems doesn't mean I've really OCD. But this doesn't mean that I doupt that they are looking for answers or have problems in the first place.
But does it really make sence to continue this?
Not for me.
No one is forcing you to respond, you just keep missing my point and repeating the same thing in response.
EDIT: Or maybe that me

I never disagreed with that actually.
I was also looking for answers for a long time and sometimes still do.
This was never my point I was making.
I'm sorry is I am misunderstanding what you mean to say but statements like this
sound to me like you do disagree.
"are looking for answers because they have problems they want to overcome"
Of course they do and I understand that and even do the same, but just I'm thinking I might have OCD for example, to explain my problems doesn't mean I've really OCD. But this doesn't mean that I doupt that they are looking for answers or have problems in the first place.
But does it really make sence to continue this?
Not for me.
No one is forcing you to respond, you just keep missing my point and repeating the same thing in response.
EDIT: Or maybe that me

And You're missing my point.
But I've seen this over and over in autism forums. That on some topics ppl talk and talk and talk and maybe after 10 or 20 pages there is "war" or they realise that they more or less have the same opinion or that they've still no clue what the otherone is talking about.
Of course it just happens from time to time with a fiew topics, but it's noticable.
My experience is, noticing this phenomenon over the years and having seen it a dozen time: after a certan point the propability is very low that the conversation do get better.
_________________
"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen
I'm not missing your point. I know it's very often hard to understand for autistic ppl, but out of various reasons I've another opinion than you and I've explained it very long for you.
Autistic ppl very often don't understand when someone has a different opinion than they have and just explain their view over and over again thinking the other person didn't understand them right without realising that ppl have different opinions out of various reasons. Autistics on the higher end of the spectrum learned it intelectually at some point in their lifes, but not emotionally. You can teach ToM (theory of mind) just on an intelectual level, but I doubt you can teach it on an emotional level too.
Maybe one time in my life I'll have a different opinion on this topic, maybe sometime in your life you'll have a different opinion.
But no matter what I'll try to respect your opinion and I'll ask you to do the same with mine.
_________________
"I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown." - Woody Allen
Verdandi
Veteran

Joined: 7 Dec 2010
Age: 55
Gender: Female
Posts: 12,275
Location: University of California Sunnydale (fictional location - Real location Olympia, WA)
I am pretty much done with this discussion, but I wanted to point out re the trans student allegedly harassing cisgender girls story I linked to previously, that the people who actually started that lie acknowledged that they made the story up:
http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/10/1 ... ansgender/
They don't acknowledge it's wrong, but they admit they wrote the story based on assumptions and the school in question didn't take the time to correct them.
So, in response to beneficii's earlier statement - yes, they were claiming that harassment happened, and no, there is no harassment going on.
I emailed Sacha Baron Cohen about this once and got a very discouraging response pretty much stating the above. I tried to find that email just now but it was a few years back so I may have deleted it.
Also, I think there is some sort of black listing system in the NHS because whenever I have a health complaint I find that the first 1-2 times I see a new health practitioner they are really nice and supportive and the next time I go they act very dismissively. This happened more than once so I know it's not just an odd coincidence. However, I doubt that I would get to see it even if I paid £50 to get a copy of all my records. I must remember to ask some of my friends who work in hospital if this is true.
Do I sound too paranoid?
Yes you do sound paranoid

Yes it really does sound paranoid.

I also wanted to mention, that Simon Baron-Cohen is in the autism reseach, not Sacha.
Lol @ Sasha - I missed that bit

_________________
Autistic dad to an autistic boy and loving it - its always fun in our house

I have Autism. My communication difficulties mean that I sometimes get words wrong, that what I mean is not what comes out.
Autistic ppl very often don't understand when someone has a different opinion than they have and just explain their view over and over again thinking the other person didn't understand them right without realising that ppl have different opinions out of various reasons. Autistics on the higher end of the spectrum learned it intelectually at some point in their lifes, but not emotionally. You can teach ToM (theory of mind) just on an intelectual level, but I doubt you can teach it on an emotional level too.
Maybe one time in my life I'll have a different opinion on this topic, maybe sometime in your life you'll have a different opinion.
But no matter what I'll try to respect your opinion and I'll ask you to do the same with mine.
I don't have a hard time understanding your opinion. I was trying to explain mine. Besides don't you think i should get a real diagnosis before you explain to me my lack of ToM