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Hi!

K

Kenzie.Tay

New Member
My name is Kenzie. I am new here and am self-diagnosed autistic. I was wondering if anyone could help me decide if it is worth getting an official diagnosis. I have several autistic traits including avoiding eye contact, not catching on to social ques, not understanding jokes and sarcasm, special interest, stimming, wearing the same clothing with familiar textures, oversharing, etc. I could go on.

I have been diagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder, Bi Polar, anxiety, and CPTSD. Autism just seems a much more accurate fit for me, but I know it won't be accepted as valid by my loved ones. But I guess I don't need their validation? IDK! I'm so lost!
 
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Kenzie.Tay said:
I know it won't be accepted as valid by my loved ones.
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After having gone through the official diagnostic testing regimen, I can tell you it's a series of standardized tests. The interview process is somewhat subjective. Never-the-less, the results are valid.

You say you've been diagnosed with other conditions,...why not autism? There is a fair amount of cross-over with these other conditions,...in fact, it's actually not uncommon for females to be misdiagnosed with other conditions,...when it was actually autism.

I do understand certain family members not accepting certain diagnosis's. My parents never knew,...one sister called autism "a label" and didn't believe me. My wife, who literally was part of the interview process,...still took a good year, or so to accept,..."You're not THAT autistic." was one of her comments. This is the love of my life. So,...I get what you're saying. In the end,...you're absolutely correct,...you, me, any of us,...we don't need anyone's validation.
 
Welcome. I was your age before I was socially mature and along the way had to reclaim my agency, the 1950s through 70s and we were never recognized as Autistic. I had to change myself without help. My diagnosis at age 60 explained a lot of my teen and young adult years, and I think it is helping with my processing the pain and hurt from social isolation that developed into PTSD because I now recognise just how much I had to overcome and how well I did. I recognize that there are experiences that I missed, and I will grieve for that, then feel good about the now.
 
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Welcome! Whether you decide to seek a formal diagnosis or not really comes down to
1) Why do you want it? Does it potentially open up access to programs and services you might not otherwise be able to get? Might it help with work accommodations and adjustments?
2) Are you willing to take a potentially long and expensive journey? (e.g. several years of waiting as access may be limited in some places, and several thousand dollars)
 
Kenzie.Tay said:
I have been diagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder, Bi Polar, anxiety, and CPTSD. Autism just seems a much more accurate fit for me, but I know it won't be accepted as valid by my loved ones. But I guess I don't need their validation? IDK! I'm so lost!
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Hi @Kenzie.Tay and Welcome to the Forums.
IMHO I would say yes it is worth pursuing a formal diagnosis. My step daughter has had a number of the diagnoses that you list and she also feels that ASC is a better fit. However, I would say that you may need to fight for the diagnosis, depending on where you live and what the accessibility of diagnostic services are where you live.

I have found this site Embrace Autism | The ultimate autism resource to be a good one.
 
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