In need of a second opinion.

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I have suspected myself of having some form of autism for a little while now. When I researched the traits of Asperger's and High-functioning Autism i could relate to them a lot. I have attempted to discuss this with my father, but he doesn't believe me. I've tried to reach a psychologist for help, but I'm always patted on the head in that same condescending way and told "you're fine, there's nothing wrong with you at all".

Well, my aim here is to get the opinion of those who have been diagnosed. Not that I'm instantly assuming that every one of you are professionals on the subject- but I'm going to make a short list of some traits of mine, and I want to see what you think. Here goes...

- Very gullible/naive as a child. I believed everything I was told no matter how illogical or ridiculous (for example, at 7 I was told I had to go to the washroom behind the shed at a birthday party as a joke. I think I'm more angry that nobody stopped me)
- I was considered a very 'shy' child, though I'd still attempt to connect with people sometimes
- I was told I have 'selective hearing'
- I've always been uneasy with eye contact until I consciously worked to improve upon that, and that was earlier this year
- I don't like being close to a large group of people, but I like shopping malls and such
- I love videogame/cartoon characters and have been drawing my own since I could maneuver a writing utensil
- I am extremely inflexible in what I draw; I've never drawn anything aside from character concepts. I have tried drawing more artsy like things, but I get extremely frustrated when I do (I failed multiple art classes and later a Graphic Design course because of this)
- I got my first real job at 22 and only managed to keep it for a year (I worked in a call centre and left for health reasons. I couldn't stand trying to guide people over the phone)
- Part of the frustrations from my job was the fact that I had to follow explicit steps to solve most of the technical issues I faced, and I always got the steps mixed up/forgot steps (no matter how hard I tried)
- I have anger problems and have had them for as long as I can remember. I have never lashed out at people, but I am notorious for punching holes in walls/throwing things
- As a child, my favorite game to play was pretend
- In kindergarten, I recieved an award for having a grade 8 reading level
- I can read and understand animals at least ten times better than I can get along with other humans
- I tend to talk and talk incessantly, without ever reaching a real point (sometimes I get sidetracked by what I'm saying and forget my point entirely)
- I have had a history of bad relationships with almost everyone. I get accused of pushing people away a lot
- On the subject of relationships, I have had few and they've only lasted perhaps a week or two apiece
- I'm 23 years old and still a virgin because the idea of sex makes me uncomfortable
- I toe-walk occasionally
- I will curl up in the fetal position on the couch and will gently rock back/forth sometimes when I'm deeply focussed on something I'm reading on the computer
- I used to have a monotone voice until I put conscious effort into sounding more enthusiastic
- Lastly, I have an autistic half-brother (different mum, same dad)

Sorry for the gigantic list. This is everything I can think of right now that might either be attributed to autism or just general insanity. So what do you guys think? Am I crazy, or should I go tell my doctor to find a new day job?

Speak with a doctor about it but don't tell him or her about yourself let them do a assessing by just them asking questions to you.

I never bring up any traits or anything like that. I simply tell them "I would like to seek help with finding out if I have autism".

And that is when I get patted on the head and told "You're fine."

I am going to disagree with this.

First of all, GaijinRanger, what you need to do is find a doctor who knows Asperger's well, or else all the evidence in the world will go right over his/her head. Secondly, you SHOULD mention that you suspect that you have Asperger's, because if you feel confident about it (and given your listed traits and history, you should be), then should say something or else you are just asking for a misdiagnosis.

For many years I was diagnosed with bipolar II, then ADHD, then back to bipolar II, then anxiety disorder NOS... and on and on... and I was prescribed powerful medications which either did nothing or gave me terrible side effects. I rarely doubted what the doctor's conclusions were and rarely questioned them. As a result, I was taking drugs that were completely unnecessary and even checked myself into psych ward once because I was convinced that some difficulties I was having were because I was crazy... and why should I not feel that way, as I was being told that I was crazy.

No one knows you better than you know yourself and maybe you do not have Asperger's but you are putting yourself at risk if you don't atl least mention it as a possibility.