Today... to the day, it marks my aspieversary. Exactly a year ago, January 18th 2012 I got my official results in.
So that made me wonder what happened after. Or in short; What did the diagnosis actually do for me?
I remember that after I got my diagnosis my therapist asked me if and what kind of treatment I would like. Perhaps I should add, treatment for autism not so much. Treatment for comorbid disorders mostly. Suffering from mood swings, ADHD, slight hints of antisocial personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder and a handful of sprinkles. Anyhow, it was my own choice if I wanted treatment.
I asked what options there were. Medication, therapy and a bit of coaching were available. I didn?t pick any and just want on with my life. In an extensive letter I wrote my therapist why I shot down all options offered. It opened new perspectives for her and things to consider.
Medication would most likely trigger my OCD and autistic traits way more. And I rather not mess with meds. More recently my girlfriend has been suffering some emotional instability due to ADHD meds, and I rather just have a natural flow of how I feel. No, I didn?t know that a year ago, but my reasoning was perfectly valid to my therapist. It could open the floodgates, and wouldn?t benefit me a lot.
Therapy; I?m quite sure I?d need therapy to deal with the fact that I?d be broke after the first week of getting my monthly benefits. Those expenses would likely prohibit me from doing anything I actually like with my life. Besides; I figured, therapy only works if your surroundings are cooperating. In the past I?ve had therapy and I saw it all crumble because it?s not all about me.
Coaching? coaching for what? Coaching to deal with my issues? I can handle myself perfectly when I?m in my natural habitat. Coaching will not help me if I?m being put in an ?unnatural? habitat and people are in fact just a-holes. That?s what any guidance counselor told me in the past. If people in your direct surroundings don?t cooperate to some degree coaching isn?t a lot of use. Imagine me being taught how to deal with my sound sensory issues and people I have to deal with not having any of that and turn up the volume a bit louder. Those are in fact people you can and have to deal with.
Besides; meds and coaching weren?t covered by my health insurance as far as I checked, so for what it?s worth I?d be even more broke and on perpetual expenses for the rest of my life. Or the very least the next few years.
And that wasn?t an option back then, because back then I actually needed to move out of the house in about 3 months, so any expense on anything therapeutic didn?t help me a lot. That luckily got cancelled because of the demise of our house of representatives? if they got along fine, there would?ve been a way more bitter situation for me. I wrote about that a while ago I think, so I?m not going to start about that right now.
So in that period of a year I filed for disability and subsequently got denied that. Again, due to a change of law. I touched that in more specifics a while ago on my blog. Yet, besides the law, the specialist there told me ?I don?t see you get a job anytime soon? you?re too far into the spectrum. It?s surprising how you manage a lot of stuff and how that fares. But because of those lucky instances you?re also screwed because law doesn?t cover you?.
Boo-hoo. It means I have less money to spend (since disability is more than unemployment benefits). The upside; for the time being, it also means I have less BS to deal with.
I also managed to find myself some help in the form of a social worker. The service is free of charge and pretty much a ?lite? version of what you?d get if you pay someone for this. But for my needs that is fine. I?ll drop by for questions about legal issues, I can bring along this person every once in a while if I need to see someone in terms of employment. People like this are apparently needed so others don?t ignore my claims about issues I have. If there?s a professional around, who actually read my files, she can acknowledge the complications.
I did by the way file for a compensation for disability to hire a professional like that. That also got denied. It?s interesting to see how you file for a compensation for disability aid, yet they claim ?try therapy first?. Well, I would like to claim this aid to afford some kind of therapy, thank you very much. As an analytical aspie it?s becoming apparent that this system is not run, nor set-up by people with actual issues, but just by upper class management that has a severe fixation on numbers and statistics.
So, what did a diagnosis do for me?
Not a lot legally speaking. I didn?t get any benefits for being ?disabled?. For the time being I?ve been exempt from looking for a job. At least, until a qualified coach with a rough idea with what works for me contacts me. And even then, one can wonder if that?s going to work.
Recently I read a report that 7,2% is unemployed in this country. That?s not a lot technically speaking. I mean? Greece is well over 25%. From what I?ve gathered 7% is on the average low side for western countries even.
But, it also means? I?m part of those 7%. I?m not disabled, so I?m technically just ?jobless?. But from those 7%, I guess that at least 75% are people that have way more experience, diploma?s and no actual issues compared to me. I?m also convinced those are priority. Not that lone aspie who legally speaking gets only a small amount of unemployment checks because he?s still at mom & dad?s and isn?t in any big danger in terms of income. Other people lose jobs and might lose their house because of a increasing decline of income.
So anyhow, that was statistics.
What did it do for me ?non-legally?? Well, it gave me some perspective. It gave me a different perspective than ?I think I have Asperger?s?. It doesn?t change who I am. I?m just me and I?ll continue to be me. To be honest I think it would be silly to all of a sudden act differently and act all ?aspied up?.
A bit of irony for someone who like me has a slight obsession with dates. I touched about it on a thread here a bit in that I like to have closure. The day before I could celebrate my aspieversary? so yesterday, I got a book in the mail by an author named Rudy Simone (not sent by the author self though), which a lot of you people here might know by name (and as such know what she writes about).
I thought it was a ironic thing to get that in the mail on that specific day.
Well, up to the next year I guess.
So that made me wonder what happened after. Or in short; What did the diagnosis actually do for me?
I remember that after I got my diagnosis my therapist asked me if and what kind of treatment I would like. Perhaps I should add, treatment for autism not so much. Treatment for comorbid disorders mostly. Suffering from mood swings, ADHD, slight hints of antisocial personality disorder, avoidant personality disorder and a handful of sprinkles. Anyhow, it was my own choice if I wanted treatment.
I asked what options there were. Medication, therapy and a bit of coaching were available. I didn?t pick any and just want on with my life. In an extensive letter I wrote my therapist why I shot down all options offered. It opened new perspectives for her and things to consider.
Medication would most likely trigger my OCD and autistic traits way more. And I rather not mess with meds. More recently my girlfriend has been suffering some emotional instability due to ADHD meds, and I rather just have a natural flow of how I feel. No, I didn?t know that a year ago, but my reasoning was perfectly valid to my therapist. It could open the floodgates, and wouldn?t benefit me a lot.
Therapy; I?m quite sure I?d need therapy to deal with the fact that I?d be broke after the first week of getting my monthly benefits. Those expenses would likely prohibit me from doing anything I actually like with my life. Besides; I figured, therapy only works if your surroundings are cooperating. In the past I?ve had therapy and I saw it all crumble because it?s not all about me.
Coaching? coaching for what? Coaching to deal with my issues? I can handle myself perfectly when I?m in my natural habitat. Coaching will not help me if I?m being put in an ?unnatural? habitat and people are in fact just a-holes. That?s what any guidance counselor told me in the past. If people in your direct surroundings don?t cooperate to some degree coaching isn?t a lot of use. Imagine me being taught how to deal with my sound sensory issues and people I have to deal with not having any of that and turn up the volume a bit louder. Those are in fact people you can and have to deal with.
Besides; meds and coaching weren?t covered by my health insurance as far as I checked, so for what it?s worth I?d be even more broke and on perpetual expenses for the rest of my life. Or the very least the next few years.
And that wasn?t an option back then, because back then I actually needed to move out of the house in about 3 months, so any expense on anything therapeutic didn?t help me a lot. That luckily got cancelled because of the demise of our house of representatives? if they got along fine, there would?ve been a way more bitter situation for me. I wrote about that a while ago I think, so I?m not going to start about that right now.
So in that period of a year I filed for disability and subsequently got denied that. Again, due to a change of law. I touched that in more specifics a while ago on my blog. Yet, besides the law, the specialist there told me ?I don?t see you get a job anytime soon? you?re too far into the spectrum. It?s surprising how you manage a lot of stuff and how that fares. But because of those lucky instances you?re also screwed because law doesn?t cover you?.
Boo-hoo. It means I have less money to spend (since disability is more than unemployment benefits). The upside; for the time being, it also means I have less BS to deal with.
I also managed to find myself some help in the form of a social worker. The service is free of charge and pretty much a ?lite? version of what you?d get if you pay someone for this. But for my needs that is fine. I?ll drop by for questions about legal issues, I can bring along this person every once in a while if I need to see someone in terms of employment. People like this are apparently needed so others don?t ignore my claims about issues I have. If there?s a professional around, who actually read my files, she can acknowledge the complications.
I did by the way file for a compensation for disability to hire a professional like that. That also got denied. It?s interesting to see how you file for a compensation for disability aid, yet they claim ?try therapy first?. Well, I would like to claim this aid to afford some kind of therapy, thank you very much. As an analytical aspie it?s becoming apparent that this system is not run, nor set-up by people with actual issues, but just by upper class management that has a severe fixation on numbers and statistics.
So, what did a diagnosis do for me?
Not a lot legally speaking. I didn?t get any benefits for being ?disabled?. For the time being I?ve been exempt from looking for a job. At least, until a qualified coach with a rough idea with what works for me contacts me. And even then, one can wonder if that?s going to work.
Recently I read a report that 7,2% is unemployed in this country. That?s not a lot technically speaking. I mean? Greece is well over 25%. From what I?ve gathered 7% is on the average low side for western countries even.
But, it also means? I?m part of those 7%. I?m not disabled, so I?m technically just ?jobless?. But from those 7%, I guess that at least 75% are people that have way more experience, diploma?s and no actual issues compared to me. I?m also convinced those are priority. Not that lone aspie who legally speaking gets only a small amount of unemployment checks because he?s still at mom & dad?s and isn?t in any big danger in terms of income. Other people lose jobs and might lose their house because of a increasing decline of income.
So anyhow, that was statistics.
What did it do for me ?non-legally?? Well, it gave me some perspective. It gave me a different perspective than ?I think I have Asperger?s?. It doesn?t change who I am. I?m just me and I?ll continue to be me. To be honest I think it would be silly to all of a sudden act differently and act all ?aspied up?.
A bit of irony for someone who like me has a slight obsession with dates. I touched about it on a thread here a bit in that I like to have closure. The day before I could celebrate my aspieversary? so yesterday, I got a book in the mail by an author named Rudy Simone (not sent by the author self though), which a lot of you people here might know by name (and as such know what she writes about).
I thought it was a ironic thing to get that in the mail on that specific day.
Well, up to the next year I guess.
