Initial screening assessment

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Hi, thought I would write a thread about my experience today. I dont know why. But anyway..

Went in to see the psychologist for the initial screening. What it was was an initial meeting where I am to be asked a number of questions and then the psychologist tells me whether it is worth it to get a diagnosis.

So I sat down in her office. She was very friendly and sort of bubbly, though also intelligent and professional. She asked me a number of questions about the issues I have been having and I told her about my hyperacute hearing, and my weird visual problems, which I am having difficulty getting help with.

We discussed my anxiety disorder, she talked about the overlap between ASDs and many anxiety disorders such as anorexia and OCD. She said that the fact that I had had an anxiety disorder for many years didnt rule out the possibility that I might have AS. So that was good, a lot of people have just looked at me and thought "neurotic" and she was open to the possibility of an ASD.

She then went through the DSM with me, and she said that I had pretty much most of the characteristics of it, but that I seemed to have a milder version of it. She said she could go ahead with the diagnosis but wasnt sure whether I would get one or not because of the fact that some of my traits are milder.

She gave me some more reading to do on AS. Anyway I feel I had a positive experience with her, and she was very professional, so that is a good start.

But I am under no illusion that I might very well end up not meeting the criteria properly, for many reasons.

She asked me why I wanted a diagnosis, and I said I wasnt sure. So now I have to decide: should I continue down this road? I dont know. It seems sort of 50/50 that I would get the diagnosis after sitting all the testing. Even so, Im still not sure what I would gain from a diagnosis if I were to get one.

So why do you want the diagnosis?

You want to know the reasons? well..

1) Because I was having problems when I applied for disability, my doctor was making it quite difficult for me whenever I went to see her with my disability forms.

But now I have a new doctor and she seems to be much better... so maybe I am ok without the diagnosis. I can get disability for now with just the anxiety disorder, it has been in my medical records for years.

2) So I can tell people I have AS without them saying "I dont think you have it." or "I think a lot of people self-diagnose, dont you?"

3) So I can feel validation for the years of pain and shite I underwent before I knew about AS and social skills and executive dysfunction. And feel like it wasnt my fault.

But then, I have a nice fund of $700 sitting in my savings and sometimes I think I would rather spend that puppy on clothes (which I badly need), or paints (also necessary)..

The psychologist kind of indicated she wasnt sure whether a diagnosis would be of practical use to me. And that got me thinking. It would be helpful for disability though.

I dont know.

I amglad the initial assessment went well and the psychologist seemd professional. I can't say whethe ryou should pursue the diagnosis though. The process can be exhausting, but you may also gain something from it, eg. self-discovery, a better reason tog et on disability (if your AS is causing you to be unable to work, of course), etc.

VERY similar to my own reasons then. We hit 100% on 2 and 3. My 1 is a bit different and reads:

1. So that I can get more involved in autism advocacy without running the risk of being "called out" as not being what I already absolutely know I am with every fiber of my being. I have never self-diagnosed myself with any other condition, but it would be very frustrating to get involved with advocacy and be testifying about something at our local house/senate (like Sinsboldly does) and have some suit pop off about it.

Thanks, Changelinggirl. Yes that is a good point about the process being exhausting, I know I might be put through the wringer a bit, especially the possibility of having to dredge up the past that I have tried to put behind me... and I guess also I wonder if I will feel really vulnerable telling someone all sorts of stuff like that.

ViperaAspis: Funny post... I think that getting involved in activism is a good reason to get a diagnosis... good on you, Im sure you will help make a big difference .


Anyway. Im thinking more in line towards going for the diagnosis this morning. I realise that the number one reason is because it provides a sort of insurance policy for me.. with anxiety disorders there is a lot of pressure to take a whole lot of meds and get back to work, and I dont want to take any more meds.

I think you hit it right on the head.... I'm on disability for PTSD and anxiety disorders, and have been treated with medications that caused horrible problems. I had severe side effects over 3 years from various medications that I actually shouldn't have taken. I've been trying with therapy to get back on track and it hasn't got me where I want to be, because the underlying AS has never been part of the equation.

the docs always assume that my sleep problems are caused by depression, and that my anxiety is transient and will change when my life settles down.

however, this is the real picture I've puzzled together:

I have AS, and with it I'm prone to a general state of anxiety because of being overwhelmed by family problems and ongoing litigation with my ex.
I have AS, which is actually the root cause of my strange sleep issues.
when I don't sleep, I get depressed and irritable.
so... I don't need to be on antidepressants, I need to be on sleep medication, and I need strategies to help with the anxiety.
I also need the legal battles to end.

so far sleep medications have helped a lot, and a diagnosis of AS will protect me from doctors experimenting on me with medications that I don't need and which won't help.

You seem to have a good understanding of what I am going through. Yes I also took meds, which ended up making my anxiety a lot worse.. the doctor I had last kept going on at me to take even more meds.. its almost as if doctors and psych professionals see meds as a sort of Holy Grail or something.

Sounds like you are under a lot of stress, I hope the litigation gets sorted out soon.

Many aspies have a sort of reversed sleeping pattern anyway, and are pretty much nocturnal I personally dont see anything wrong with being a night person.

Im weird because I feel pretty sluggish during the day but very active in the early morning and the evening... Im both a morning and a night person.

As for the anxiety, for me it is caused by my executive dysfunction: trying to do the sort of stuff a normal woman does, multitask, do lots of chores, etc, makes me really stressed and overloaded. As I tried to hold down a secretarial job for years, my stress levels skyrocketed until I could no longer work.

My father has an even worse problem with executive dysfunction. It bothers me that it isnt mentioned on the DSM... I think it should be. It is so hard to explain it to people, they just end up thinking I am lazy

I totally understand your quest for clarity and answers to questions.

Go through with the neuropsychological testing and a diagnoses. It may not be AS or it may, however knowing your cognitive abilities and psychology will assist in treatment options.

bhetti has made some important observations via self experiences with the system. Many psychiatrist assumed I had clinical anxiety and OCD.

Eventually an AS specialist dx me with AS and stated I have generalised anxiety and obsessive behaviours. I do not have OCD, my obsessive behaviours manifest to find stimulation from an interest. OCD manifests to relieve anxiety. My psychiatrist has appeared skeptical of the AS dx, his was ADHD with GAD & OCD. He finally sent me for a review with a Prof of Neuropsychiatry at my request as I would no longer experiment with psychotropic meds which make me so sick.

Long and extensive consultation with the Prof & the hospital registra of Neuropsychiatry was positve in treatment options, sent for neuropsychological testing for cognitive abilites etc. In the report he suggested to all treating professionals to accept that I have a Neurodevelopmental sequelae and develop treatments on that basis. Believe he made this comment because I remarked my psychiatrist becomes frustrated with me at times due to my non response to his treatment options.

Be patient and do not procrastinate over an assessment as you will later regret this decision. Diagnoses of a neurodevelopmental disorders can be frustrating and exhausting to ones' psychology because most professionals have limited knowledge of this specialised area.

Thanks, EvoVari. I see your point, perhaps it is a good idea to get a diagnosis, as it would help me gain specific treatment, and not be put in the anxiety box, which can have its problems.

I used to frequent an anxiety board, but I felt out of place as most of the people there had either panic disorder, PTSD, or social anxiety that often related to experiences in their lives. They would tell me stories of abuse, or talk of their shyness, and I would be confused as to why I had anxiety as I didnt go through either of those things...

They would say to me "So what stresses you out," and I would say "Work." and they would be very confused.

I know I need to try and take my stress levels seriously though and make a commitment to myself to get my stress levels back to a normal level or I will continue on the same spiral.

I feel frustrated with the whole AS thing as the DSM seems geared towards a certain type of aspie. I am wondering if perhaps I should be instead seekind a diagnosis of something like: ADD with fine motor dyspraxia and milder AS traits and Generalised Anxiety.

Anyway, thanks for reading, I will make my decision this week. If I decide to go ahead with the diagnosis I will bump this thread and write of my experiences.