how do you get a diagnosis?

Post Reply New Topic

Hi.. been a member for a while.. read alot.. studied even.

I have tried therapy before.. one demanded drugs, the other demanded group therapy.

I am in therapy again.

Everything was going great.. until I shared my theory that I am AS.. he blocked.. he redirected.. he closed off Telling me that people with AS are diagnosed as children, and as I wasn't diagnosed as a child, I couldn't possibly be AS.. I pointed out that when I was a child, AS wasn't an accepted medical definition, and that by the time it got to this country I'd been married twice and was somebody's mom.

He told me our time was up.

Now... should I push the issue with him?.. Shut up and use him so I can treat the co-morbids of PTSD and Severe depression? Or just bloody well give up and pray my roommate doesn't leave when I keep going through AS spirals?

I am willing to accept any and all theories... including aliens.. simply because I like aliens.

I would get another therapist.

I got mine in school, but you should go someone who specializes in autism and stuff

One of these days I will attempt to get an HMRA assesment....but it has been too much trouble coming up with the paperwork and um...waking up early enough to get there in time.

I am at the tender mercies of poor folk therapy.. well that and I work 40 a week.. during the day and of course, if you need therapy, they only do daytime appointments unless you want to put up with bargain basement shrinkers.

Thus.. my thought to stick with him.. get something for my depression.. then claim.. inability to make appointments...

Any clinical psychologist or psychiatrist can diagnose PDDs.

'I think I have Asperger's, what do you think?' If what he or she says makes sense to you, go with that, but if you note any factual errors, refute them like you just did [with how Asperger's wasn't an "official" label until the early nineties]. If someone made such an error, I doubt they'll be "qualified" to make an accurate diagnosis, even if they actually are able to diagnose people.

I've seen "experts" and generic psychos/psychics alike; the generics were no worse than the "experts" in my case (in other words, they all saw it equally).

It is so annoying when I hear about psychologists rejecting the idea, Aspergers has been diagnosed in adults, it seems that in some way there is some kind of stereotype by psychologist against aspergers. I know that some think that it is just some kind of fad.

To add, it was really, really, really and really easy for me to get a diagnosis as an adult; this is for Asperger's. The Autism one required some more effort on my part, as how I present in a one on one mechanical/therapy session is completely different to how I am in a social situation (the latter situation doesn't exist, as I ignore people I don't know, with no choice at all on my part); plus research into my developmental history that I had to present, with my mother there to verify it.

From this, it's probably easy for someone who shows more symptoms as an adult to get a diagnosis (I have the whole slew over here, but to be objective, most of them are moderate in severity rather than severe).

In my opinion, diagnosing Asperger's Syndrome, and delivering mental health services to people with AS is a specialist area of expertise. I believe practitioners who obviously lack the clinical expertise (but think that because they are practitioners, their personal stereotypes are somehow more valid than the average prejudice) are unethical when they state someone does not have AS in a clinical setting. I believe that it is grossly discriminatory to expect that though diagnosing can be difficult for any number of conditions within the practitioner's expertise and experience, any old one can diagnose AS (within any prior contact with someone who has the condition), because it assumes something about everyone with AS which denies our unique human individuality. It is grossly insulting these practitioners believe that we are so simple and non-individuated (unlike real humans who are complex), that they can 'just tell' from a description in a text-book what Asperger's Syndrome is well enough to discount people's reasonably formed views, on the most asinine of pretexts.

Agreed.

I also think it's wrong for both professionals and non-professionals to make public statements to that effect.

Such as one professional who said that no autistic person who speaks at conferences can possibly be autistic because "real" autistic people don't like interaction or communication in any form at all. (He was saying this in order to say that Michelle Dawson was not autistic.)

Or people who think that, of the criteria, you have to meet every single piece in the absolute most stereotypical manner in order to be autistic. Even though that's not even how the criteria are written. (Never mind the fact that the criteria are normed on children, and possibly mostly male children, not adults at all.)