Diagnosis and Old Medical Records

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I need a diagnosis. I am 99% sure I am an aspie; I have been accused of being an aspie by classmates half a dozen time, and I've taken more than a two dozen different online aspergers/autism assessment tests, some aimed at adults rather than children.
However, I am also highly suspicious that I already have the diagnosis, so this thread has two topics.

The first topic is, how do I get a diagnosis?

Obviously, I go to a shrink who knows a lot about, or specializes in the spectrum. But there are a few complications... I am very socially withdrawn. I find it difficult to talk to others, I often go mute or talk so quietly they can't understand me. Other people cause a lot of anxiety that is difficult to deal with. On top of this, I fear shrinks more than any other kind of person, not that I've interacted with a shrink within the last decade. It might be a phobia ? And all the stress of trying to find one and not getting lost while driving there...
What if I make it into an office, what then?
And I need money to pay for it? I don't have much money, I can't afford a diagnosis on my own.
My parents, they have an insurance policy, I don't know if the insurance covers mental health. On the off chance that it covers mental health, could I use the insurance without their knowledge? Is there a way to subsidize to make it affordable or anything?

The second topic is, once I get my old medical records, how do I deal with what's inside?
I know I went to a shrink when I was around 7. I know that the abuse I suffered got a lot worse after seeing the shrink. I have spent a small sum of money paying for copies of all my medical records that should arrive in about 30 days. The shrink visits should be on there as legally required unless it has been censored for my safety... Knowing my parents, I wouldn't be surprised if they have taken a step into censoring it... I believe that my parents know and have been concealing the diagnosis I received.

I got my diagnosis at 7 and I was told of it.

How you get a diagnosis depends on where you live. In the US it effectively constitutes researching clinicians until you find one in your area who specialises in assessing autistic adults, calling them, and waiting several weeks to months for an appointment. If you're in an area with nationalized health care like the UK or Canada, you have the option of getting a referral from your GP to a clinician, who will then perform the test free under the NHS (and whatever they use in Canada), though this is challenging, as not many GPs know a lot about autism, so getting an appropriate referral can be hard. The other route is to go private and pay for it yourself, which is a replication of the process those in the US go through.

Regarding your tendency to go mute or extremely quiet, this is obviously an autistic symptom that will be very apparent, so it should not be detrimental to the proceedings unless the doctor wants to label you with social anxiety disorder rather than autism because of it. Perhaps this is indeed your problem. If speaking becomes difficult, inform the doctor at the outset that it might be, and carry a notebook with you to write answers if need be. Bringing in a list of your traits pre-written is also a useful tactic that saves time and cuts down on the necessity of speech.

I have no immediate answers to your inquiry about the insurance, however you can call the office of the doctor you want to see and ask if they will accept your insurance. As for your parents not finding out, this would seem unlikely, but the issue should be irrelevant: it is my understanding that in the US it is now illegal for insurance companies to raise your rates or drop you based on a pre-existing condition, which autism is.

If money is an issue, I know some on here who were diagnosed for free through various outreach clinics: you might make a thread to see if you can ask one of them where they went and how they did it. My university assessed me at reduced cost ($500), and accepts non-student patients as well: if there is a school in your area, that is something else worth looking into.

Reopening your medical records may come as a shock, depending on what you find. Their contents will also dictate the best way to address what you find. If it's something seriously troubling, individual or family therapy would be a good way to go. From the sound of your parents, I would not recommend confronting them with any damning evidence without first speaking to a professional about how best to handle it. Good luck, I hope you find what you're after, keep us posted on your progress!

Here in Canada your GP would refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist in the public health system and it would be covered under provincial health care (i.e. - OHIP in the Province of Ontario where I live). Wait times can be long however as there are not a lot of clinicians working the the autism field - so you do have the option of having your GP refer you to a psychologist in private practice and paying for it out of company supplementary health care benefits. This is the path I followed - and because my GP referred me, the company I worked for paid 100% for the diagnosis (and of course my appointment with the GP was 100% covered under provincial health care).

Thanks everyone for the advice!
I have an update.
My request for medical records was accepted and should arrive in a week or two. And it will probably cost me $50-100.
I also learned that I am limited to two doctors visits, including psychiatrists, for this year by my parents policy, I hope that will be enough, the third would cost me $3500 and then $2000 for every visit after that. Since I can't pay $3500 ever, I can't risk using that second appointment until the very end of the year just in case of emergency. However, those two visits cost $35, which I don't have at the moment because the semester just started.
This is a major step that I've been working at for about 4 months, i.e. to learn the financial situation.
Next is to find whether or not I can use those insured visits without my parents knowledge. I need to research clinicians.

If the doctor says I have social anxiety disorder, then that's fine for temporary accommodation purposes.

I guess I'll start compiling a folder for list of traits