from "depression & anxiety" to autism ? someb

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i am now treated for anxiety & depression , but i have a gut feeling that there is more behind it bc i have lived with this problem my whole life.
i felt different couldn't do what others did so i stayed behind.
almost thirty with no job no social skills or live , never had a relationship , difficulties with physical(touch and getting to close) and emotional expression(can't cry and other stuff).
been in my room for the past few years no holiday's or whatsoever and some other stuff.

my question is , i like to know if someone here been there of has taken this road .
from first getting treated but eventually getting diagnosed autism.

bc i want to ask my psychologist , if i can get tested for autism spectrum , BUT am afraid i don't know how she will react to it.
will she think like how did this guy come with that ?

and what is the best way to explain what i just said above to here ?

I was diagnosed with depression, then panic disorder.

I explained to the psychiatrist that I strongly suspected autism, specifically Aspergers and the Psychiatrist who was treating me for depression and panic disorder said that she was not really qualified to address that but referred me to a colleague who could assess me. That person did not take my insurance and her diagnostic procedures were extremely expensive, but then I was fortunate enough to find the name of another diagnostician simultaneously through a new friend from WP and from the GRASP page on diagnostic sources.

So I went to him and was diagnosed with AS. There are other things that could look similar, so it's a good idea to get confirmation of your suspicions from an experienced diagnostician.

Don't worry about the best way of explaining, they will elicit the needed information from you. Just don't take "you can't have it" from a person who doesn't diagnose it. Although they are trained professionals, if this is not their area, they can be quite ignorant about it.

Good luck.

thanks for the quick response.

it;s really nice to read that someone has taken that route.
i was thinking about emailing her , bc i have a appointment with her next week so i thought i could email her
with the request and when i go i don't have to explain everything verbally (bad at verbal commun.)


i hope she'll understand and will support it , i just hate the long waiting list they have.

You are talking about the way you have been "for the past few years". Autism is strongest in childhood, if you get anyone to diagnose autism, they're a crook who hands out "fashion" diagnoses.

Many an aspie has been down this path. As was mentioned by Adamantium, your psychologist might not (well, probably doesn't) specialise in ASDs, so rather than asking her to assess you, ask for a referral to someone who can. If you think she might be resistant to this, you can try taking along your results to test such as the AQ (Autism Spectrum Quotient).

You may well have depression and anxiety, but do you feel like you need to know why? That's what pushed me to get my diagnosis - I felt like there was an underlying reason for the way I felt, that wasn't being picked up by GPs or your everyday psychs. If you honestly feel like the full story isn't being told, and that AS seems to explain things a lot more clearly, push for a referral to an ASD specialist. Explain this desire to your psychologist and hopefully she will help you out. Be sure not to sound like you are disputing her diagnosis - you are not - but explain that you want to take it a step further.

Good luck.

Link to the ARC full battery of Asperger's tests at source:

http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/arc_tests

Take the AQ10 along to your doctor after you have completed it, it can be used as an initial screening for onward referral (if necessary) or by the doctor you are seeing if they can assess.

I also spent 6 years under the treatment of a psychiatrist who diagnosed generalised anxiety disorder. This was in the 90s when Aspergers was still new. I just went along with what he said.

But I heard about Aspergers 9 years ago and suspected it applied to me.

Finally diagnosed last year. Not with the same dr.

The symptoms that used to be called panic attacks, were really overload

You should see a specialist in autism about your condition, they will definitely know more and provide a more thorough service.

You would be better off seeing a shoe repair man than a psychologist, they have mixed ideas about autism, half of them give out the wrong diagnoses.