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ODDyseus
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Joined: 26 Sep 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 5

27 Sep 2007, 2:19 pm

Ha I must have found some kind of home, no other forum in cyberspace could possibly have so many gramatically perfect posts and so few emoticons, just the way I write!

I'm in my early 50's and believe myself to be a fairly classic Aspie. I have two sons in college, one particulary has symptoms as well, though possibly milder. I have enjoyed some professional success harnessing my strengths but the social deficits continue to complicate life. I've already been through the worlds of psychiatry and psychology a few times and have been treated for various other diagnoses, therapy helps a little and medications may help with some aspects of my problems, but eventually seem to cause problems of their own. I understand this, I'm a physician myself, and currently am recieving no treatment. I found an environment where my quirks are tolerated, my assets are appreciated, and overall, life is worth living and then some.

I also understand that psychiatry is still mainly a descriptive science, and one diagnosticians zebra is anothers horse with striped markings. Objective testing for unique neuroanatomical, genetic or chemical traits associated with Asperger symptoms is probably decades away, and therapies addressing these problems with any specificity likely just as remote.


So are there any real benefits to undergoing diagnosis and treatment for myself, and does anybody in the SF Bay area have any provider recommendations?, by PM if you prefer.

Thanks.



KingdomOfRats
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Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,833
Location: f'ton,manchester UK

27 Sep 2007, 3:05 pm

ODDyseus,
if able to cope without support or accomodations,there isn't any use in going for assessment/diagnosis,diagnosis can damage high functioning unsupported people as they are going to be automatically labelled and stereotyped as having a disability-there are a lot of problems it can and has caused,such as threats from social services to take children away from innocent aspergans,being refused jobs,
aspie related prejudice and abuse.......with diagnosis,the benefit of having it should always be stronger than the risk.