Was anyone diagnosed not AS a few years ago....

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....and then diagnosed AS say, in the last year? Especially if you're a woman?

I haven't been to a doctor about AS since early 2006 (neuropsychological evaluation), so I wonder if anything would be different now...if they'd know more. I've been unable to get a diagnosis and have been to 9 doctors, 4 of them experts on AS and autism. Or is this just my OCD acting up again and maybe I should forget being diagnosed.

Yes, this is Norah who has also posted about this in Aspie Hangout on Delphiforums and also on here under my real name instead of an alias, just so that no one thinks I'm trying to pull anything. I didn't want to come in here and post so I changed my password to something I couldn't remember so had to come in under a new name.

My opinion is going to be an unpopular one here on these forums, but I would think that if you've seen 4 AS/autism specialists fairly recently and they've all said that you don't have it and that you have something else instead...well, that would lead me to believe that you don't actually have it. As you said, your OCD might be making you fixate on it.

I agree with the above. 1 or 2 doctors misdiagnosing, maybe, yes, but 9??? I don't think so. I think you have come to place your sense of identity on whether you have AS or not.

As I recall, I said at the time I didn't think you had AS. And you ARE fixating on it. If they don't even say ASD, why bother. It isn't even like they could do anything. You ALSO don't really seem to want to be here. I COULD see you having OCD though. You DO seem obsessed, etc...

Steve

Yes, definitely I have OCD and also social anxiety disorder and other anxieties. Probably because AS affects one's social functioning and I'm so socially anxious, is why I keep fixating or obsessing about it. I'll forget it for awhile and then start up again.

OK, I just thought of another thing. In the entertainment section of this forum there is a section saying to post what fictional TV or Movie characters that one thinks might be Aspie. In this section, one person mentioned Gil Grissom of "CSI". This has also been mentioned on Aspie Hangout and in the IMDB section for the CSI program.

Anyway, this Grissom character is a loner who likes bugs. He's the supervisor of a CSI lab. He's not really warm, but he does seem to have social skills. The person who plays him likes to use a variety of facial expressions to show Grissom's emotions, and I don't know if they are playing him as an Aspie or not, but when there was an episode with an autistic kid, someone in the cast suggested that Grissom was kind of like him. This Grissom character is also supposed to have a troubled childhood or some things in his past.

Anyway, I kind of relate to him because I might come across as awkward socially too, and even though I would like to reach out to people more, I don't because of fear. So if this Grissom has AS, I must have it too. I realize he's only a TV character, but still.

Some AS traits, history won't show in such a character. Heck, people HERE talk about acting like NTs!

Steve

Here's what I think. Yes, I think you are fixating. Nine distinct people saying that is not your diagnosis is almost unlikely to be a coincidence. So, here's what I suggest. If you are being treated by a Psychologist or Psychiatrist for those disorders, bring up your inability to let this go and talk about it. It can't hurt and it may help you. It's also possible that you are fixating on this so you don't have to work on the real issue, but that is a guess. Only you and your therapist and can make that judgement. It's going to be too hard for us on a forum to tell you anything else. Hope that makes sense and your therapist helps you out!

That's actually a really good suggestion. That's what therapists are for.

I agree. I'm not seeing one right now since I got a new job and changed insurance plans (used to have an HMO) but I need to start looking for one again and also get back on Paxil or something similar, which did actually help lessen the obsessing & worrrying somewhat. I know therapy is better than meds in the long run, but for the short run it helps.