There is no specialist of adult-autism in my country!

I believe that is also the case in the country where I am now live. 

I have found here only specialists who work with children and young people. I can only guess that is because it cannot be admitted that certain high status adults are anything other than 'supreme'. Politicians here seem to create a situation in which no one can discuss adulthood autism. They are obviously trying to protect their own 'elite' role in the system, and are most unempathetic to anyone above or below them who even considers that they might be autistic. I reckon many specialists believe that it is more trouble for them than it is worth to update their skills for use with adults; And so they also go out of their way to make sure that no local adult will ever admit in public that she or he might be autistic. If individuals were identified as autistic when young, they are thus expected to forget it as adults. It is essential that they should seen as 'cured'. Autism in young people is undoubtedly present in numbers roughly comparable to other countries, so it is almost inevitable that there are similar 'silenced' percentages in the adult population.

Even as an expat I am also reluctant to talk about this issue in public. I have actually seen specialists become visibly angry because people persevered in discussing their own issues without an official diagnosis. And such specialists will also invent (somewhat fictive) alternative diagnoses like General Anxiety Disorder; perhaps thinking to themselves that a course of anti-depressants will suppress any desire to self-diagnose. I also see similar forces at work within local families. I even see some evidence that local specialists are also increasingly being 'asked' to gloss over their work with autistic young people.

Apologies for the coded post! Local firewalls definitely have ears!

I'm just wondering if in Turkey, something similar is happening. I left this country to get a diagnosis to confirm my own self-identification. I'm glad I did, but I still live here very much alone and with very little support. But I'm very  used to it! :-)

Hi Senor, thank you for your 'coded' respond :) I wonder which country is this you live in if its okey for you to share. 

In Turkey, what happening is mostly related to ignorance actually. Its just unknown. Increadibly! The first one who i asked was my ex therapist. When i told him that i was suspecious of autism for myself, he immediately tried to ''protect'' me from formal diagnoses. Regarding to him, diagnoses are all for professionals and they might made people ignoring their uniqueness. After that he told me, the traits of mine could be the traits of narcissistic personality disorder or obsessive personality disorder at the same time. 

After that, i told it to my psychologist friend who is working with teenagers. She asked me if i can make eye contact. I said yes and she said you are just fine!... It was just the same when i called to national autism society. The guy who is teaching autistic kids ask me the same question. When i insist on there is another subject called adult-autism and when i search it in English, i saw too many typical stories like me, he surprised and told me that i should call him and give feedback if i learn something. 

I even reached one of the most famous psychologist of Turkey and he confessed that this is a dark zone in the country and they are disgussed it with his collagues sometime. And he told the same thing, tell us if you find something :D 

Long story short, they just don't know about adult-autism at all. 

As for the politicians... I don't want to use any word or expression because there would be some ears just like you said and i prefer to shut my mouth than i tell the truth about them. 

King regards

Tolga

i don't know how important it is to be reverential when talking to specialists in Turkey, but I imagine it is similar to Thailand in being a very 'top-down' country. Would it be possible, for instance, for you to ask specialists if THEY can give YOU some feedback on what is suppressing your chances of a diagnosis? I doubt that would work here, but it might be worth trying there; if only once! You have my empathy.

Here, right wing populists eleminated the militaristic right-wing reaction couple of years ago. Almost all of the world is under attack by the populist right wing charlatans. We will see that this paradigma will change someday but i can't see what will be come instead. 

Here, right wing populists eleminated the militaristic right-wing reaction couple of years ago. Almost all of the world is under attack by the populist right wing charlatans. We will see that this paradigma will change someday but i can't see what will be come instead.