I Won't Be Getting a Formal Diagnosis

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I just finished a long meeting at the Doctor where I discussed my suspicions of being on the Autistic spectrum. To make a long story short, he suggested I have strong Asperger's personality traits but likely wouldn't be labelled as having the actual clinical disorder such because my impairments are not enough to keep me from working or living alone despite the struggles even though I meet all the other diagnostic criteria. I asked him if that meant I was sub-clinical and he told me 'no'. He basically told me that I have a good handle on my life at this stage, am likely very mild with my Aspergers, there isn't really any treatment (nor would I really want a 'cure') and a diagnosis would be unlikely to be helpful as well as being both costly and VERY time consuming. He further told me it's difficult for anyone over 22 to get diagnosed because the screening tools are focused on children and their issues.

At this stage I would have to agree with him. It's very likely I have Aspergers, diagnosis or not and it would just be a waste of time and might actually hinder my life in some ways (i.e. insurance, people boxing me in with a label). He told me he could put it on my file now but it would be best to just take the knowledge and use it to focus on my strengths instead because at this stage nothing constructive would come of getting a diagnosis of what I already know. In a way I'm relieved to be validated but in another I admit I struggle knowing the book will never be closed for good. So, as it stands I will remain undiagnosed but at least I know a qualified professional has seconded my suspicions. I will take this knowledge and move forward knowing I need to change my mindset to that of being gifted, not disabled.

Ääähm, not so great.

I'd prefer they would give you a diagnosis, but classify it as so weak, that you won't get any that kind of support.
You should be able to get any kind of therapy you'd need on the basis of your other disorders.

And those, damned, should be done by a person specialised on aspergers.

And later in your life, whenever you are f****d up, they'd know that you are aspie and they'd take this into account.

Right?

Are we just freaky persons that do not deserve to be treated with respect or what is that?

The symptoms I have feel damn real and are damn frightening and I think that it will be damn difficult to help me,
if you don't take my spectral properties into account.

Well I just have to hope for the best and try it out (and hope the therapist is going to be smart enough to adapt to it).

This is just so frustrating if you think that will not to hesitate to put us to the bin,
and also refuse to help us in the appropriate way...
(Well that is now a little pre-emptive, but it really just feels like that)

All my fault, that I failed to adapt well enough to their freaking rules...

EDIT: Just came to my mind: If I'd get a diagnosis from a private company are they going to accept that after all?
Or would I have to cue again to get my diagnosis then undone by a state psychologist.
I just wonder...

Do they just think that these spectral disorders are all just for fun or what?
Maybe I should train to behave like a severe aspie, just as the people fake to have pain when they want to get an immediate treatment at the dentist.

So according to the doctor's logic, Laine Holliday Willey, John Robison, and Temple Grandin shouldn't all be diagnosed because they all live on their own, and have a job (well the other two are married and have children). First thing that came to my mind when i read your OP was "what a bunch of bullcrap" after you wrote the doctor told you your impairments are not strong enough to keep you from working or living alone. Yeah lot of adult aspies shouldn't be diagnosed under his logic because they all live alone and have a job.

Unless he is a physician who specializes in autism diagnosis or a psychologist who specializes in autism, ignore what he said and go to someone who is very experienced on the topic. You can cope now...so did I for years...but that can change (not to sound all gloom and doom here, sorry!) and if it does, having that dx will really help you. For example, it can prevent your being misdiagnosed with something very unfavorable and then given meds for that, should you end up in a mental hospital, etc (yeah, I didn't think that would happen to me either...). If I hadn't already been dx'ed with Asperger's, the shrink there woudl likely have said I was schizophrenic or as having some kind of psychosis, because she did not believe what I was telling her even though it was the truth.

Garden variety medical doctors do not know enough about Asperger's to be able to diagnose you or not, particularly without having you do an inventory.

I can see your point in not wanting a diagnosis. at this point in your life there is really not much to gain beyond a label.

If you want or need a formal diagnosis, get another opinion.

There are, unfortunately, very few experts on adult autism.

Good luck.

Did you identify some impairments caused by an autism spectrum disorder and communicate them to the psychologist?

If not, then he is right not to diagnose you.

The diagnosis is for identifying traits of autism, impairments from those traits, and supports and accommodations for those impairments.

Impairments were the first thing that I was asked about, even before the evaluation process started.