Therapist thinks I have Asperger's. 43 year old female

[Wyllowdaemon]

Hello. I'm not entirely sure what to say. I'm looking for some advice and help. I'm 43, married, work full time to a hospital. I've had bad anxiety and depression most of my life and problems with social interaction and making friends most of it. There were periods I did though, but time moves on and people move and change etc...

I recently was told by my therapist that she thinks I meet several of the criteria for Asperger's. I'm sure I meet some, but definitely not all, from the basic information I've been able to pull up online. Where should I start in understanding this? She wants me to see a psychiatric nurse, what would this accomplish?

Thoughts? Any advice on where to start would be appreciated.

 

[tree]

 

[Isadoorian]

Welcome to the Forums! I hope you make new friends and enjoy your stay in the process!

One thing you need to remember is that Autism, much like our Fingerprints and Snowflakes that fall from the sky during the Winter Season, is an absolutely unique thing and is what sets all Autistics apart from one another. Some are able to make perfect eye contact, others are unable to do so.

Here's an article that may help you understand what I'm attempting to convey a bit better: “It’s a Spectrum” Doesn’t Mean What You Think | The Aspergian | A Neurodivergent Collective

I don't believe a psychiatric nurse would be able to diagnose you, you'd have to see a Professional who specializes in Autism, unless of course this Nurse does specialize in autism, then you'll be set on the road to getting an Official Diagnosis.

 

[Rectify]

Hi @Wyllowdaemon and welcome to the forum

This stood out to me too:

I don't believe a psychiatric nurse would be able to diagnose you

But, I don't know where you live. Maybe things are different there. I'm in Australia and my understanding is a psych nurse would not be able to diagnose. A psych nurse could help you to understand yourself and your possible symptoms though.

I note you are female. It is now well accepted that women can present differently and that good, strong tests have not been developed for female presentations yet. Given this, I hope you would talk to an expert (an asd/autism expert) and if diagnosing is something you want, get them to do it for you. You have no doubt developed some coping mechanisms to get you through life and that might cloud the issue.

I like this:

One thing you need to remember is that Autism, much like our Fingerprints and Snowflakes that fall from the sky during the Winter Season, is an absolutely unique thing and is what sets all Autistics apart from one another.

Again, welcome to you and I hope you find some good info and support here.

 

[Nitro]

Hi Wyllowdaemon

 

[Bolletje]

Welcome

 

[Suzanne]

I got my official diagnosis this year, at 49 and it was by an "expert in autism" who I sent to by my psychiatrist.

For me, the benefits for getting diagnosed are very important, but perhaps if I was working in a similar environment to yourself, perhaps it would not be beneficial to be diagnosed.

I weighed getting a formal diagnosis up before attempting it. What was my goal? And once I found that out, I saw it was extremely important to receive a diagnosis. And is proving so.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

I've had bad anxiety and depression most of my life and problems with social interaction and making friends most of it

Think of it like an exercise.
If you imagine you have it, will you be able to reframe your life experiences (past,present and future) that will :

1. Change your current perception of self into one with a more positive base.
2. Gain a better understanding of the origins of anxiety,depression.
3. Be more forgiving of yourself.

These 3 things I have observed in others who have come (and gone) to this board.

The realisation comes with homework.
It's more or less going through everything you remember that ever happened then going 'ah! Now I see'

Worth every step.

Also the work never really ends.

 

[RMX07]

Thoughts? Any advice on where to start would be appreciated.

Hello and welcome!

I started my research by watching a bunch of YouTube videos by psychologists as well as autistic people (there’s some great talks about autism in women by Tony Attwood, Judith Gould and Sarah Hendrickx on YouTube) and then reading a bunch of books (some I recommend are The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome by Tony Attwood; Pretending to be Normal by Liane Holliday Willey; and Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate by Cynthia Kim).

Of course, hanging out here a bunch helps, too.

 

[Running Girl]

I am in the same boat. The diagnosis was suggested to me years ago by a psychiatrist, but i didnt believe it. Yeah, i was comparing myself to some of the classic presentations , or stereotypes, of what this can look like. But over the years i find that i score in the aspergers range on all the tests. And i strongly recomment reading a bunch of discussions and threads on the forums here. Doing so left zero doubt for me. See if you identify with what you read. I dont know what i can do with this knowledge though. I think we're an underserved population.

 

[zurb]

Welcome to the forum.
If you have time to read, I highly recommend Tony Attwood’s “The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome”, or any of his other books.
Or for a girl’s perspective, maybe “Aspergirls” by Rudy Simone, or “Pretending to be Normal” by Liane Holliday Willey.