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Advice on going for late diagnosis

Speranza

I'd like to ask if any of you have any advice. I know it's a long process, and looking at the forms the GP would have to submit, I see they ask "What is the patient hoping to get from diagnosis?" The truth is, I don't know. It's a few years since I realised I wasn't neurotypical but hey, I'm 61. I know it's not unusual to be diagnosed later in life but... I have hundreds of strategies in place which had me fooled, let alone other people.

I've been in counselling for a while and have been addressing 'emotional numbness' and it keeps coming to me that this might just be normal for me if I do have Autism. As I also have anxiety (again, coped until my fifties without diagnosis or medication) I can see this could related back to something else undiagnosed.

Mostly it's the feeling of 'being other' which I know people on here will understand. However I have lots of traits which would belie an ASD/C diagnosis. If I met the 5 year old me I would be referring her directly for assessment, but I'm obviously great at masking after over half a century!

Do you think I am right to think about seeking diagnosis? I feel there is a lot of effort going on beneath the surface which might be easier if I had some explanations... or should I just leave well alone as for the most part I am fine and very few people would suspect on meeting me that this is going on.

I am not in the least bit bothered about possibly having that label, in fact I might be more worried if I didn't have it. But do I NEED it?

Your thoughts would be very welcome. I have my last counselling session soon and so it may be the point to try something different and go for diagnosis. What do you think? I also fit the profile for ADHD and I don't know how to go about raising both as a possibility... 

Many thanks,

Gill

Parents

  • I was in the same position as you at the age of 59. The diagnosis came as both a relief, (I finally can make sense of certain aspects of my life, and realise that I've managed to play a bad had quite well in life, rather than my previous (externally imposed) belief that I was playing a good hand badly. On the other hand, I now know I am carrying an issue that will never be resolvable, by simply learning to "straighten up and fly right" which has taken me two years to adjust to. (I've read elsewhere on this forum that some people require even longer to settle down post diagnosis). 

    The BIG bonus, for me is that there is a whole load of "people crap" that I no longer have to put up with. When the bullying starts, I now just mock them for their bravery in "picking on the disabled". It does seem to shut that crap down real quick, which I like very much!

    I just wish I had known in my twenties...

    The only advantage to a formal diagnosis, is that it stops people questioning my autism. Normies only respect paper qualifications, so a DIY diagnosis from aspergersite.com which in my case was very accurate, isn't enough to convince some people.

    At your age you should be entitled to be fast tracked through the system like I was, after I made the point that I have suffered for fifty years from living in a state of misinformation, and at my age I have not got time to waste in limbo waiting for a diagnosis. I got in and out of the system withing 3 months. The are dragging their feet about the ADD diagnosis that I requested though. Time to raise another complaint I guess.

    Although, I might let that slide, and just self prescribe the appropriate medication. I've found in my case on multiple previous occasions, that the psych' profession are far better at "affixing labels" than they actually are at rendering any sort of useful assistance.

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  • I was in the same position as you at the age of 59. The diagnosis came as both a relief, (I finally can make sense of certain aspects of my life, and realise that I've managed to play a bad had quite well in life, rather than my previous (externally imposed) belief that I was playing a good hand badly. On the other hand, I now know I am carrying an issue that will never be resolvable, by simply learning to "straighten up and fly right" which has taken me two years to adjust to. (I've read elsewhere on this forum that some people require even longer to settle down post diagnosis). 

    The BIG bonus, for me is that there is a whole load of "people crap" that I no longer have to put up with. When the bullying starts, I now just mock them for their bravery in "picking on the disabled". It does seem to shut that crap down real quick, which I like very much!

    I just wish I had known in my twenties...

    The only advantage to a formal diagnosis, is that it stops people questioning my autism. Normies only respect paper qualifications, so a DIY diagnosis from aspergersite.com which in my case was very accurate, isn't enough to convince some people.

    At your age you should be entitled to be fast tracked through the system like I was, after I made the point that I have suffered for fifty years from living in a state of misinformation, and at my age I have not got time to waste in limbo waiting for a diagnosis. I got in and out of the system withing 3 months. The are dragging their feet about the ADD diagnosis that I requested though. Time to raise another complaint I guess.

    Although, I might let that slide, and just self prescribe the appropriate medication. I've found in my case on multiple previous occasions, that the psych' profession are far better at "affixing labels" than they actually are at rendering any sort of useful assistance.

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