Do you think I should try to get a diagnosis?

[TheArronaut]

I have difficulty connecting with my emotions. To compensate, I will ask others what an appropriate reaction is to any given situation so I can determine if I'm having it. I don't like being touched unless I'm initiating, it gives me a crawly gross feeling. Sudden loud noises are distressing, which is terrible for the place I work.

I have a few self-soothing gestures, like tapping and finger-spelling the asl alphabet, when I'm tense I'll rock back and forth when sitting down, and I'm trying to overcome the habit of banging my head when I'm angry or stressed.

I feel little to no desire for social interaction of any kind, even online I prefer to leave my comments behind on forums and then flee and only come back later, so it feels as little like a conversation as possible. Sometimes I feel like I've been compiling a dictionary of human behaviors to reference over the years, but it's woefully inadequate. I don't know how to feign interest in other people's lives.

There is a possibility that I might suffer from dyscalculia, I have failed every single math class I have taken since third grade, and I'm only capable of basic addition and subtraction without a calculator. I have no chance of remembering anybody's phone number, and I will screw up if I have to write down a long string of numbers, even if it's written in front of me.

I have gathered by context that I tend to say inappropriate things, and I have been accused of rudeness when I thought I was simply pointing out facts. I have trouble maintaining friendships, I go through long periods where I simply cannot tolerate the presence of other people. I prefer the company of animals to people, but sometimes I can't stand to be around them either.

I have very intense if transient interests and tend to focus on them almost to the exclusion of anything else. I feel anxious in larger groups if the attention is on me, however, anonymity in large groups can be comforting.

 

[metalminx24]

It depends entirely on what you want. Some people find a diagnosis helpful, sort of a relief to learn that they're not 'wrong' and find that it helps others around them understand why they react/behave the way they do in certain situations (I know it helped my mum hugely, as she could see the reason behind my actions). Some people find it hard, as they feel they've been 'labelled' and that others will judge them by that label. They may worry about being stigmatised or discriminated against. (My dad is in complete denial and we are no longer in contact)

I'm sorry if I've not helped much, just trying to give some pros and cons, but it truly is just a matter of you doing what is right for you, it's a very individual thing.

 

[Tom]

Your basic choice is self diagnose or get an official diagnosis.

A thorough self diagnosis is to my mind about as good if all you want to know is the truth about it and then proceed with a self help program. There's no medication for Aspergers or any other HFA, but you can still get meds if needed for the co-morbids like anxiety and depression by getting seen for those problems separately. Generally in this case you keep the info mostly to yourself and only tell very close/trusted people.

Official Diagnosis is useful/needed if you are going to/have to go public to some extent, such as seeking accommodations in the workplace, seek certain health benefits, etc. There can be a down side in that autism still has a lot of stigma attached. Some people are really good about it and some are negative, most are uncertain as they do not really understand the varied nature of it. But if you need the diagnosis you need the diagnosis.

 

[Progster]

Hi and welcome to the forum I think that the others before me have summed up the diagnosis dilemma pretty well, I think you have to look at your personal circumstances, perhaps write a list of pros and cons, then see how you feel about it.

 

[Nisk]

Hello and welcome. There's is always another option. You could seek out a psychologist who specializes in aspergers make some appointments talk to them awhile and tell them your not sure if you should get a proper diagnosis or not. Most of them I think will either tell you that it would be worth it and the benefits or they'll tell you that they don't think it's worth your time (probably not aspergers). I don't think they can give you a proper government diagnosis without testing but if they specialize in aspergers they will probably give you there opinion based on your meetings.

.... Run on sentence to tired for punctuation...

 

[ancusmitis]

Hello there. I grew up diagnosed, so I feel like I have experienced all the negative reactions people can have from knowing you are different. Here's hoping I'm not wrong, as I barely scraped by a few of them. I must be honest, I haven't really gotten a whole lot of useful accommodations. That said, if diagnosis and requesting accommodations don't work out for you, you still have the option of keeping it to yourself. That's what I do nowadays. And my mother says it helped her a lot to understand me, so it has had some positive value.

 

[Cosmophylla]

Hi, I'm in the same boat regarding whether or not to pursue a diagnosis. Aspergers in the only explanation I've ever found for feeling so 'different' from everyone else...no other diagnosis has ever fit properly. I've been asking myself whether I should or shouldn't be assessed. I can easily accept self diagnosis for a while, but inside me there is still a desire to know definitively whether it's autism or not. My personal circumstances (struggling with two noisy kids) are now pushing me to seek help through a diagnosis, so I've started filling out a self referral. I think that I can get the answers I need and decide later who I tell.

Like others have said, I think that weighing up the pros and cons - I like to draw a chart to compare them - might be the answer for you.