Is there any point in getting diagnosed?

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Hi!
Since a long-term friend pointed out a few years ago that I reminded him strongly of a student of his diagnosed with Aspergers, it's become pretty clear, at age 44, that a lot of it corresponds: the flair in complex computer programming, the tunnel vision when I'm verbally attacked by strangers and so on. Currently I live on my own, have no friends and tend to get insulted and beaten up in the ignorant bully town I live in, where the only form of social aggregation seems to be getting drunk in pubs. When I have worked with people, there are almost always one or two that go off on what seem to me to be psychotic personal power trips, instead of simply dealing with the technical problems in hand, and my current strategy is pretty much to have as little to do with other people as possible.
My question is: Is there any advantage to pursuing an official diagnosis of Asperger's (in the UK) or am I just letting myself in for more mistreatment by nutters in the institutions?
I would value people's personal experiences of having gone down this specific path, particularly in the UK, not so interested in the vague reassuring noises I am for some reason expecting.

Thanks

M

I would suspect not.

But then looking at the below posts I'm probably wrong

hi Martinwguy
i am in the process of being diagnosed and looking forward to my diagnoses, wat ever the result i have realised
i am strugling with life, social problems in an out of work and so on. so for me a diagnoses will help me a great
deal. if you are having problems with ur life i think it will be a good thing to get a diagnoses. at least you will
know what ur problems are and why.hope fully we (you) will get advice and help with dealing with these.for me
i am hoping that a diagnoses will open up doors previously not avialable to me. its looking like i have chosen
the wrong trade or job and thats some thing i will have to change, along with a few other things in my life.

hi- yes, for me it is definatly the thing to do!! !

i am in the uk, 35, and awaiting an apt... i only heard about a/s in april.

it might help you in unexecpected ways- until i heard about a/s i did not realsie how much of a hard time i have given myself baout not fitting in, being so odd... i feel better about myself, and also better knowing that there are other people who- eg- wear an ipod everyday to block out noise!

for me it will confirm that im not 'mad/ stupid/deliberatly being annoying/ deliberatly not trying/ weird' etc- all the names and accusations i've had slung at me in my life.

it will just let me know that i am just the way i am, not being a pain in the ass in some way...

(im SO sure i am, by the way). it has also made me feel normal for the first time, as i keep getting spooked by other a/s people saying things ive always thought, often in the exact words- eg- i feel like a foreigner in my own country.

i have had really bad depression throughout my life, and was told by shrinks i was not trying/ wasting their time/ money could be better spent elsewhere etc- but in fact i just have problems listening sometimes, and following verbal instructions- you have NO IDEA what a relief it is to know that there is a reason for all this...

it just makes me feel normal, even a weird, aspie way.

i have more dignty- being told by my- admittedly evil, much hated locally- old gp that money was wasted on me and could be better spent on baby care was horrible, when i asked for a mental health worker, as i had trouble filling out forms, cooking etc. she told me to get a job, there was nothing wrong with me. (both are common aspie problems!!)

i too have problems being around people; that and noise are the worst aspects i ahve of a/s.

for me, just finding out about a/s has confirmed to me that i've been right all along, that i just AM this way, that i HAVE been trying all along,

but best of all, that i am not the only one...

i dont know what it would do for you- perhaps just letting you know you're not alone, and not mad, will just help you feel better about yourself. it would also be helpful in possibly telling other people (well, intligent ones) what is up..

also, its helping me already to realise bad behaviour in myself and treat it, and the symptoms.

lots of a/s people dont like working around other people- perhaps it would be better for you to work from home, run your own business, work nights etc?

it is very hard to describe- but for me it has been a blessing; things i would not even have thought of mentioning to a dr or shrink are really common problems of a/s- light touch= gross, i want to be sick- so i feel better baout it, and will be more confident in telling people- please dont touch me. (well, maybe, but at least i feel less of a freak in thinking it)....

also- where you live sounds BLEAK!! can you not move??

i live in lodon, which is great, as in cities one is invisible, adn can be weird without reprocussions.
do it- youve got nothing to lose (the annoying oprah bit at the end you feared!).

call the autistic soc- they are BRILLIANT!! ! they can send you stuff to show your dr, to make sure you dont go overboard and hand ina million pafes of stuff baout you and a/s- as i almost did,a nd make it quite clear that you need to see someone who speacialises in a/s diagnosis.

I'm 58yo, got diagnosed last January. I did it because I want occupational therapy for the Asperger's, and cognitive behavioural therapy for how I feel about people. They asked me why I wanted a diagnosis, so I told them, and they gave me a really useful signed diagnosis on the hospital letterhead. I'm pleased, onward and upward, sorta.

btw, the absolute best thing I ever did for myself was to buy a weighted blanket.

Not navel gazing topic

Mine was not an intentional diagnosis. I was wondering why I was having trouble practicing what I had learned. I could not put theory into practice. During evaluation it was discovered i had AS and a rare form of dyspraxia which makes it impossible for me to co-ordinate my thoughts with bodily actions. My brain may as well be in a jar. At any rate, this is why I am so slow on a job and because I became even slower over the years, I was finally rendered unemployable in a typical business. I do volunteer work in libraries and computer data quality control, jobs where speed is not the essence.

But to answer your question, I would say it would give you peace of mind to understand yourself.

There's no point in getting diagnosed if you don't care about your own mental health. If you care about your mental health and by extension your overall health, getting diagnosed is recommended.

Welcome new member!

the biggest bonus is looking at the things i struggle with from a new perspective.
realizing that many mood shifts are the results of sound is a major one.
looking at how to approach 'training' myself to do things i struggle with - like cleaning, handling people, etc - is handy. for fourteen years i was told i had psychiatric issues and if i just tried a little harder... now i get that i have to try -differently-. and i discuss it with friends and have an open dialogue that is so much more helpful to me than the basic 'oh, that's just lauren' s**t from before.

lastly, knowing about AS would have changed what i had gone to school for, definitely. argh. but i corrected that relatively quickly - and my dx confirmed my new choice quite nicely (i am hearting pharmacy tech training... want. to make. ivs. NOW.).

i am much younger, so it affects more. but at the end of the day, i think that a confirmed dx can help bring new perspective to things that may have been puzzling you teh last 44 years. get the dx and forget it, or choose to apply the new info.

In the UK, a diagnosis is definitely worth pushing for. Due to the various Discrimination Acts, an employer can't refuse to employ anybody who has a 'disability' just because they have a disability. Likewise, they can't fire you just because you work a bit differently from most people. That's not to say that a diagnosis is a Get out of Jail Free card, or a ticket to instant success, but it will help.

Obviously, there's something gratifying about having an official diagnosis, even if it has no real benefits. But certainly in the UK, it will be useful.

Thanks to all who replied. Truth is, dealing with unknown people, especially in the "health trade" in this town frightens me, but your feedback is very welcome. I'll look into ways of digging myself out of this hole...

Bless

M