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Hello everyone

marcadam

marcadam

Active Member
I have been contemplating an introduction since I came across this forum a few days ago but I've been putting it off because I always feel uncomfortable talking about myself.

Anyhow, I'm 40 years old and live in the UK. I am currently self-diagnosed/undiagnosed, however I began to ask questions of myself quite recently. I have always been socially awkward, and I really struggle to engage with people.

I am currently having problems at work, and I appear to be in the middle of a meltdown. I recently went to my doctors to discussion my anxiety and depression, whilst I was there I decided to ask for an AS/ASD referral. Long story short my doctor laughed at me a couple of times, he then suggested I should go to counselling (my idea of hell). After being persistent he finally agreed to look into the referral options, he said he had not encountered any adults asking for an AS diagnosis before (he's gotta be close to retirement age). I will be going back to see him in two weeks time.

I kinda feel like a fraud, that being said the more I've researched the more lightbulbs have gone off in my head and I have scored well into ASD territory in both the AQ and EQ online tests. Is it normal to feel like this prior to getting a diagnosis?
 
Welcome aboard. It can be a "odd" feeling, seeking a diagnosis. I saw a psychologist and a psychiatrist about my possible diagnosis as ASD at age 32. Both did not agree or "see any indications" but still refered me to an autism specialist in LOs Angeles area. The specialist identified it immediately and after conversations and an interview diagnosed me officially.

Don't feel discouraged, :)

Glad to have you join our community, diagnosis or not.
Best wishes
image.webp
 
Thanks Rocco. You're right, regardless of diagnosis it's nice to find a community of people who I can relate to. Everyone seems to be really nice too ☺
 
Hello marcadam,

I think it is normal to second-guess your intuition, when the supposed "experts" question it. I am in the same position here in the US with doctors. Most of them think ASD is a "childhood disorder" and they write me off as hypochondriac. But you know yourself better than anyone, you know what your experience was / is, and chances are the description of Asperger's / ASD would not resonate with you if there wasn't some truth in it.

I recently found this site which had some very good advice about how to discuss the topic with your doctor:

http://www.autism-help.org/adults-diagnosis-aspergers.htm

I hope that helps! Welcome to AC.
 
Hi, marcadam, welcome to AC. :) I, too, am 40 and undiagnosed. Just this week I finally had my first appointment to discuss it with a psychologist. He was skeptical but will indulge me, and so with time I'll show him. :D
 
Hey!
I'm in the same boat, I'm almost 30 and it wasn't until maybe a year ago that I started suspecting I have an ASD and started researching... I'm on the fence about pursuing a diagnosis but for what it's worth, there is something liberating about letting go of this feeling of, "waiting to feel normal," that I've experienced. Plus I can let go of feeling like I should have/be able to do things I can't or simply have no interest in. There's a lot of really awesome people that know the feeling you have!:) welcome!
 
marcadam said:
I am currently having problems at work, and I appear to be in the middle of a meltdown. I recently went to my doctors to discussion my anxiety and depression, whilst I was there I decided to ask for an AS/ASD referral. Long story short my doctor laughed at me a couple of times, he then suggested I should go to counselling (my idea of hell). After being persistent he finally agreed to look into the referral options, he said he had not encountered any adults asking for an AS diagnosis before (he's gotta be close to retirement age). I will be going back to see him in two weeks time.

I kinda feel like a fraud, that being said the more I've researched the more lightbulbs have gone off in my head and I have scored well into ASD territory in both the AQ and EQ online tests. Is it normal to feel like this prior to getting a diagnosis?
Click to expand...

Yay work meltdowns been there!

I'm working on my diagnoses officially too.

Self diagnosing can be a bad idea but I find a lot of us feel this way.
 
Hi guys, thanks for the warm welcome it really means a lot. I have to go back to work next week, which should be interesting. I'm not sure if I should mention my pending assessment to my employer. I know my boss thinks I'm hard to deal with, and he has often mentioned that I get stressed too easily. I really struggle to deal with the office dynamics/politics, not really looking forward to next week :(
 
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