Should I bother getting diagnosed?

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I know I have Asperger's. One of my interests is Psychology (I have a degree). I have already had many "debates" with Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Therapists.

Will getting diagnosed do anything for me as an adult?

If I do go to see someone, how do I go about it? Do I just tell them I know what it is or BS and waste time and let them "discover" it?

In America? I've looked at this as a cost/benefit analysis and have not come up with any compelling benefits. There are no job placement programs (that I know of but I'd be happy to be corrected if I'm wrong), and no other real help. Plus you have to deal with the mental health system, make lots of appointments with strangers, and maybe even drive a lot (or even go to another city). If you're an adult, you've probably already learned all the coping strategies you can learn. (Most of the stuff I read in books is what I've discovered on my own.) Unless you have some sort of ultra-primo insurance policy that covers it, it would be very expensive and give you minimal benefits. The ADA disability thing is supposed to give you reasonable accommodation and not let people fire you, but we adults know that in the real world, people will always find some way to get rid of you if they want to. Besides, do you as an autistic person have the money, time, and social skills to take someone to court? You might also qualify for Social Security disability, but again this is "the system" where people who know how to work it can milk it for a free ride, but how many autistics are that clued in that they can manipulate the system?

I'm open to anyone who has the opposite view, that a diagnosis for an adult is beneficial and worth pursuing. Please change my mind!

Obviously, countries with socialized medicine would be totally different, since their health systems would probably give you the diagnosis without the huge cost.

I got diagnosed with it by my counseler, but I think there is more official documentation I could get if I really felt like pursuing it. But yeah its probably not worth it, even though there are supposed to be anti-discrimination policies in work environments and such lets face it listing a disability on your application is a turn off to most buisnesses.

I am a career student (and starting to get bored with it) that has severe auditory issues. I have to take a foreign language (it's always ended up in failure) and really REALLY REALLY need a C-Print machine. I have heard that if you don't have a diagnosis then you aren't considered to have a disability (unless it's obvious).

Percisely why it is the better option, if a job for instance does not know you are 'disabled' they will be more likely to hire you.

Depends if you need the diagnosis

Here in the UK I'd recommend diagnosis as there's no cost and once you have the diagnosis you can carry on as normal, use it to obtain therapy and support, or just have it in your back pocket just in case it's needed - you don't need to tell anyone you have AS and nothing needs to change. In the US and elsewhere it may be different, not just due to cost but perhaps you do need to disclose your disability elsewhere in the world - being in the UK I can't commend on how it may effect you or how to obtain diagnosis.

I can't say for certain but it sounds like you may not find benefit in diagnosis and may be worse-off due to financial cost. I am going to do what I always do in these sort of posts and put across why I would get a diagnosis;

Personal Reasons.
Knowing my eccentricities, differences and how I was as a child (classic example of an autistic child) was not down to some flaw in my personality but down to a disorder I've overcome. It would also give me a better understanding of how I behave and in turn how to change how I behave, and it would give me a sense of belonging both in general and within the AS/ASD community.

Support.
I've regressed over recent years so now have to admit to needing a little support, even if things hadn't gone downhill if I had access to support it would still make things easier. Whether officially diagnosed or self diagnosed the issues I face still remain the same, however to obtain support you seem to need an official diagnosis. Right now the job centre deem my disability as 'social anxiety' which doesn't come close to describing my problems thus I risk not only a lack of support but a loss of benefits and denied access to the type of benefits and support I need. I get support from college and from an employability training scheme for disabled people - in both these cases I've had to allow staff to assume I have an official diagnosis, if I hadn't I'd simply have not have received the support needed.

Legal Issues.
For example; job #1 constructive dismissal, job #2 wrongful termination - in both cases I did my job well, however having asperger's made me enemies within management and I was unable to play the game, it was clear that this lead to my having to leave my jobs. If I had a diagnosis I could have explained to my employers what this meant, it may not have changed how I was treat in work or the eventual outcome, however it would have meant that I could have taken legal action against them - no diagnosis makes this harder.

To me diagnosis is primarily about finding out why I am who I am, but in my mind it's also a useful tool to have on hand if you find you need support or if you find yourself facing prejudice.

I've explored this question at
http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt160508.html

It seems, basically, if you get a diagnosis, it could affect your future health insurance premiums and ability to get health insurance (Due to pre-existing conditions) and negatively affect your employment if there are those 'critical' or 'influential' people in the organization who already dislike you (Or are going to dislike you). It also seemed to prevent one from travelling to certain countries or some such.

In essence, if you do have it, it doesn't seem to help you one iota in the USA to get it diagnosed save for peace of mind.

However, I was hoping that there'd be some upsides discovered one these days... hopefully some will crop up in this thread.

When I was working at a resteraunt I went to high school with about everyone who worked there. They knew I was in special education classes for my first two years of high school so they would torment me because of it. Even with warnings from the union and management they kept harrassing me over it until one of them got fired for it then they made fun of me not driving or other things they just changed what they tormented me with.

Having a diagnosis of Aspergers might keep you from getting medical insurance. All I got out of having a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome was I found out I am not insane and I have never been learning disabled but they put me in special education classes. I feel vindicated knowing I was right.

The are a few reasons why I want the diagnosis.

First being so I can get help at school with a C-Print machine. I have taken Spanish 4 times and German twice, either getting F's or dropped due to frustration.

Second being that I believe that my sensory issues are more of a problem than my Aspergers, and it seems to be getting worse and affecting me in daily life.

Third being that I have an AS sensory seeking child and I am an AS avoider. I don't know if I just need to read some books or do we need to do therapy together. I don't want him to have the life I had as a child/teenager.

Could you please tell me what a C-Print machine is?

It's a machine that prints out what everyone says, so you can read it.

It sounds like that'd be functionally equivalent to using voice recognition software off a computer(Like a laptop) using some kind of appropriate voice recording equipment. Might be much cheaper that way.

It'd be hard to believe that a machine specialized for that purpose would be much better than a general computer since that machine is essentially a computer, but I could be wrong... maybe the C-Print machine has special algorithms (The biggest problem might be the "multiple speaker source" problem that current voice recognition software might not have adequately handled. Hmm... this would be interesting to look into Dragon's Naturally Speaking's functionality about.).

Here's a link:

http://www.ntid.rit.edu/cprint/how_cprint.php

Oh, interesting, an abbreviation system. It sounds more complicated than what I'm thinking it is, so I won't comment more on it, although I'll speculate there are probably other abbreviation systems out there, some of which might be free. It'd be pretty interesting to see how these abbreviation systems work so that one could create their own (I'm a programmer in my spare time, so the "inner workings" of such systems interest me, and if I see an opportunity to save a couple 1000's of dollars and it seems simple enough, I'm often tempted to DIY.).

I have found getting a diagnosis as an adult really helpful but I can see how the benefits I've experienced might not apply to you. For me in Australia, it was expensive to get the diagnosis but once I got it I was eligible for welfare benefits which I desperately needed so the cost was worth it. Also, having a diagnosis has enabled me to get around communication difficulties when I see doctors which has resulted in me being finally able to get help with some serious medical problems. I was also referred to a psychologist who specialises in autism spectrum disorders who is much more useful than other psychologists I have seen because she understands the kind of help I need. And of course on an emotional or personal level I feel relieved to have an explanation and validation for the difficulties I've faced all my life.
I feel kind of 'safer' having a diagnosis. Like, I can use it if I need to explain what's happening with me. I find that professionals know what it means and are better able to help as soon as I say that I have this. Only professionals though. I have found the diagnosis means very little to the average person and I have not received much understanding from others except if they know me really well.

This may have already been said (I only read the OP). I think you should bother getting diagnosed if it is limiting you in someway in your life. A lot of people are very mild and have no problems coping at all. Still would have benefitted if diagnosed as a child, more than likely, but if not, and you are not having any issues, I don't see the point of getting diagnosed as an adult. I am severe HFA, so I decided I wanted to get the diagnosis. I didn't wait for them to bring it up to me (it's too expensive!) I went for the sole purpose of getting diagnosed. As soon as the assessment is done, I will not return as I see someone for free at my university. I think if the psychologists know exactly what they are looking for, they can make a more clear assessment. If you are really mild and you do not mention it, they may never notice it either.