Advantages of adult diagnosis?

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Sorry if this exact question has been discussed in the past, but I don't see it anywhere.

I'm 26, living on my own far from my family, and there's absolutely no question in my mind that I have aspergers. I am a 100% textbook case. I've also managed to learn enough social skills that most people don't see anything more than slightly odd about me. I'm even lucky enough that my "special interest" in grammar and translation and fortunate ability to act and mimic makes me, according to my boss, "the best English teacher" at my language school. I had a hard time growing up, but because I was female and did well in school, no one considered for a second that I might be autistic (and my mother still insists that I'm not, I'm just a "hypochondriac"). I still face difficulties all the time, and have the occasional meltdown or bad week or two, and I spend plenty of time on my own talking to myself and rocking back and forth or even slapping my head, but I act normal enough that most people don't believe me when I tell them I am autistic. They insist that I must be mistaken, because they didn't know me when I was a child or before I learned how to blend in, and I don't dare open up all the way and show them what I'm really like when I'm not following all the scripts and counting seconds for making eye contact and repeating in my head "don't rock back and forth, don't rock back and forth."

I know if I had an official diagnosis, people would have to believe me, but then again, does it really matter if they do? *I* know who and what I am. I have no doubts and I'm satisfied with myself and my life overall. The only time I even tell people is if I need to explain something unusual (like when a friend took me to a massively crowded square on New Year's Eve and I we had to push our way out for over an hour, and I just broke down sobbing and begging her to get me out). I don't think this in itself is really enough to justify putting in the time and money to get myself diagnosed.

So finally, my question is, are there any other advantages to diagnosis? I would imagine it might do more harm than good at this point in my life. For example, if I ever move back to the USA, won't having an autism diagnosis make getting health insurance more difficult and expensive? (Fortunately in this country health insurance is government regulated so I don't have to worry about it.) I can see myself being discriminated against in certain circumstances if I'm officially labeled as autistic. Are there any upsides? Discounts or something? Or should I just go about my life and not worry about it?

The fact is that although it may be important to you to be diagnosed(I plan to seek a diagnosis as soon as I can afford one) once you're out of school, it really doesn't matter. You can't receive disability, and you can't use it for any programs as far as I know.(If there are programs in the US for Aspies please let me know.) So if you can spare the money for the psychologist, and it's important to you to know one way or the other, feel free. Otherwise, it might not be worth your time.

Yeah, that's what I thought. I already know. I don't need a doctor to tell me. In fact, I imagine I would need to educate the doctor on female aspergers myself, since so few doctors even know anything about it. The diagnosis would just be a formality. I probably won't bother.

I can't tell you about insurance policies and whatnot in the States since I am a Canadian. To me, I didn't care if any outside benefits came from having a diagnosis. I just wanted an explanation for why I am the way that I am. Some people are more mild than I am, though, and are so as dependent and debilitated as I am. There is something clearly different with me than with other people my age, and I needed to know what it was. I am severely autistic, although high-functioning nevertheless, and the reason they did not pick up on it before, I am GUESSING is because I don't come from a large city, and I grew up in the 80s before it was common and well-known around here. For me, the diagnosis explains a lifetime of problems. Without a diagnosis I would still be left in the dark, unable to move forward, and not being able to understand WHY. Not everyone has the same issues I do, and perhaps do not NEED a diagnosis. I felt I needed one though.

The next time you fill out a form asking if you have ever been diagnosed with a mental or personality disorder, you can proudly check "Yes".
E.G.: Pre-employment health questionaire; security clearance; gun licencing; insurance applications; legally required health certificates (truck drivers, pilots/steward(es)/air traffic controllers); military entrance exams.

Meh. I'll remain a fake, thank you.

I was diagnosed ad age 22, at it helped me ALOT, just knowing there is a reason to all the trouble I had and have. Puts things in perspective, you know. Also, in Germany, you can get a severly handicapped pass, which I will be going for the next time I see my doc. Has some advantages here (more vacation, early retirement, as well as having an easier time getting a job, since there are laws here that enforce employers to employ people with handicaps if they reach a certain amount of employees, and if they don't, they have to pay fines.)

I can't imagine getting any "handicapped" benefits just from having aspergers (as long as I can live independently, which I can). I guess I should check around and see what the local laws are. On the other hand, I don't know if having a diagnosis is worth the stigma. Again, it's not like *I* need the information. It would shut people up who don't believe me, but I feel like it would also cause them to look at me in a different way, and I don't think I want that.

Autism is neither a mental nor a personality disorder.

If you are living independently and don't really have any major issues, then you might not even qualify for a diagnosis right now anyway. One of the diagnostic criteria is that you must have a clear limitation in functioning. If you are living independently, working, not severely socially handicapped, etc it may be a waste of your time and money to bother with it. Especially since it doesn't seem overly important to you at this point in time.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_me ... SM_and_ICD



Although I might agree with you, it would appear that the "experts" do not.

This is exactly why I'm so pissed about not getting diagnosed till I was 18. I was due to graduate from high school in about a month's time and it was far too late for me to receive any kind of assistance or services for AS, because everything regarding AS was for kids!

As far as whether or not the diagnosis makes a difference, I think it varies between person to person depending on the severity of your symptoms. Trust your instincts and be honest and direct about your symptoms. I dunno how Insurance companies treat autistic people, but I would think they would give you some help and advice if you give them enough information about yourself for them to go on.

As a child you don't get tied down by this label and you have more motivation to work at coping in life.



I however, being diagnosed as a child, have been tied down by this label.

And yet every single psychology book I read on autism disagrees. I think it is placed in the DSM for convenience's sake since it is the psychologists who usually diagnosis it and that is the manual they use. Autism is categorized in all of the psychology books I have read thus far (from the psychology department at my university) as a neurobiological disorder, not a "mental" disorder. Autism is not seen in general by the majority of other people I know as a mental or personality disorder either.

- I don't know what kind of benefits you may get since, relying on what you tell, you do not need welfare services; I know some people seek a diagnosis just for a matter of identity and I respect it, but I'd personally do without, since a diagnosis can be also used against you - see the case of the guy who could not move to Canada; also a friend of mine was planning to move to Australia but was prevented for the only reason she had AS; so if youneed services and you can get them, it is worth the risk, but otherwise it is just a further problem.

- People who cares about you will believe you regarless to the diagnosis, while those who don't will not be nicer anyway; I am not officially diagnosed, even though I had an opinion from a shrink; people who used to be nice to me believed me and didn't ask for any confirmation; while I know diagnosed people who cannot get the point across with those who don't want to listen.

- The other problem is whether you are diagnosable if you are coping well; it depends very much on where you live - in the US it is very feasible, in other Countries (Italy to say one) it is not; actually many adult Aspies have developed coping skills and can be self-supportive, but some doctors will refuse a diagnosis. Politically it makes sense - why to diagnose as disabled someone who's doing well? But from other points of view it is stupid because it can be you ARE autistic neurologically speaking, but they can't recognize it because you are not unlucky well enough. (<-- topic for a good rant; now I stop^^).

Also, on definition of autism.com:

Autism is a Developmental Disorder not a major mental illness such as Depression, Schizophrenia

Also, on the link you provided me with:

Of particular concern to some professionals is whether some of these conditions should be classified as 'mental illnesses' at all, or whether they would be better described as neurological disorders, or in other ways.

You can also go to http://yssn.ca/images/clientupload/FS-6.pdf and read:

Biological and neurological differences in the brain are linked to Autism [...] Autism is not a mental illness.

This is a cheerful myth, but it's BS. Not being diagnosed didn't mean that I was more successful. It meant I spent way too much time trying too hard to "cope in life" and burning out. I had a lot of motivation at one time, but it was misdirected because I had no clue that my own brain was working against me.

I am not saying that being diagnosed in childhood is an automatic win, but the alternative is not always better.