Adult Diagnosis - Embarressed

Goatworshiper said:

....... I told her about having trouble taking meds as I struggle with tablets.

I undersatnd that some meds can indeed be helpful. But for myself I am pretty much against them, if there is also not an attempt to discover the underlying cause of the problem. Knowledge of the 'cause' may in itself rule out taking particular medication.

David said:

The NAS have procuced leaflets saying that if Autistic people are in good conditions they do not have to be mentally ill as well.

I wonder if this is why the CPN is wanting to see me every month, she mentioned making sure that things don't deteriorate. I think I have subconcious anxiety.

When I went to the appointment the CPN said she just wanted to let me know I havnt been forgotten about and she is chasing my appointment up. She also said if I have not had a appointment within another month she is going to see me every month. I told her about the anxiety and she said next time I see her she will have a look at that. So I told her about having trouble taking meds as I struggle with tablets.

Hope:

Yes a lot of what you say is correct.

A diagnoses can be very useful and accepting that one is Autistic.

In the olden days it was a rather funny situation.

I remember in 1980 the equivalent of the DEA wanted me to go to Papworth a Village for disabled people.  He told me that I have a disability and he would not tell me what it is.  I said you have to tell me my disability.

He said  No I do not have to tell you.

My Mother told me that he means Autism as when he visited us he went into the kitchen to explain about Autism.  He probably knew as he might have read Dr.Samuel report from a few years back saying I was mildly Autistic or read a report when I was nine recommending an Autistic School.

It is very strange not wanting the Autistic person to know.

I think with current legislation one is not allowed to keep it secret from adult Autistic people.

David.

Yes new situations for Autisitic people can cause anxiety.

In general being anxisous is not directly to do with Autism.

The NAS have procuced leaflets saying that if Autistic people are in good conditions they do not have to be mentally ill as well.

We have to be very clear what Autism is and what it is not.

I think Autism is often not understanding other people.

If someone has a melt down in the streets or breaks the law.i

That is not Autism but the way the person speaks to the Policeman or the Judge afterwards might convince them that they are Autistic.

I watched a Court Case the defendant was given a suspended sentence over two years so she asked will I go to prison in two years time.

The Clerk of the Court said loudly no no if you keep the law you can forget about the sentence.  May be she was Autistic as she took the Magestrates literally.

David.

We call people with ASC high-functioning if you have strong verbal abilities, can cope with mainstream academic tasks, can  perform everyday basic living skills, and are more self-aware and have a higher degree of sociability than someone with 'low functioning' ASC. Obviously, the high-functioning scale encompasses a wide range of abilities, and Asperger's syndrome is right at the top of the scale. Even people with AS vary significantly as to how 'high functioning' they are. However, you can be 'high functioning' and still have disabilities which affect your everyday life, be it with employment, relationships, associated mental health problems etc. 'High-functioning' can be a deceptive label, and is more there to help clinicians than anyone else.

David, while I understand that labels should not define a person, and we are more than a label, having a diagnosis is vital for many people because of the everyday disabilities they face, which leads to low-self esteem and unhappiness.If I was not diagnosed when I was, I would not have received any support and would no doubt be in a very bad way, bearing in mind that I hardly left the house at all before diagnosis.

Hi David. I've got confused as to what end of the spectrum I think I am there. 

It's probably because usually if you can function to some degree, medical people use the term mild for things like anxiety and depresion.

I'm going to talk about nervousness/anxiety tomorrow. I' have to go to my nephew's christening on Sunday and I don't like church. So that might be something they can help with too. Im definately going to ask about counciling, It's certainly something im interested in exploring. 

I think you are at the Higher End of the Autistic Spectrum.

The more intellegent end.

I consider myself at the higher end of the Autistic Spectrum.

As I said before Counselling can be good for anyone regardless of label although it is good to take account of your label during counselling.

David.

What I mean is lower end of the spectrum, is I don't think I need much help with care needs. I struggle at work, but when I'm away from work I can get along fine in my own world. I also get nervous when I meet new people or find myself in a new situation so I could perhaps talk about this.

I think I could do with some kind of couselling if I do have ASD, as a means of coming to terms with things and then looking at what skills I can improve. 

By proactive, yes I mean productive. Thanks for the tip about taking the autism leaflets, I will do that. I still have everything aranged from when I was asking to be tested. I will take it along.

May I ask what you mean by being at the lower end of the spectrum?

When you say Proactive do you mean productive?

For instance although I have Asperger Syndrome I still have two A Levels so I would call myself at the top end of the spectrum.

One can be intellegent but have poor life skills.

Before I knew I had Asperger Syndrome at a Resource Centre where I was turned away from courses the co-ordinator said he would give me a life skills course if he had one.  That was in the 1980s.

If I were you I would go to the CPN for a chat and bring leaflets about Asperger Syndrome for her to read.

That way she could help you better.

If you really believe it is a waste of time stop seeing her.

When the Family Therapist looked up my diagnoses she was able to advise my Parents better.  Before that they were still able to advise us.

This is going back about twenty years.

I have not really had counselling for years may be I would benefit from it.

No that isn't what I'm saying. What I am saying is that I will waste an hour of my life and an hour of the CPN's time. If they could offer me some legitimate help or guidance I would be more enthusiastic.

The one thing I don't want is a false diagnosis. The CPN has already said to me she knows very little about autism, I am not involved in the outpatients services for anything else.

If I have ASD it's probably the lower end of the spectrum. Even if I ASD I don't want to see people unless it is proactive.

The last two E Mails.

Goatworshiper

Are you saying that you do not want a meeting unless you have a label of Autism?

Well some people do not want to have a label.

It just meant that I was different without falling into any category.

I remember in 1990 the family therapist was even reluctant to tell my Parents that my medical records show a diagnoses of Asperger Syndrome.

She did not want to tell me as I might trade on it.

What is the point of diagnosing people if they do not tell the Autistic person?

I think they always do now.

At that time there was a separate related issue.

I was on an Employment Training Scheme and there was a GRAND MEETING IN SEPTEMBER 1990 over twenty years ago to justify why they could not help me or give me an extension.

There was a grand meeting of my Parents and a colleague of the Family Therapist and me and the staff of the training scheme  That meant at that meeting there were a lot of people in the room who knew I had Asperger Syndrome but I did not know.

I think the argument should have been used for letting me stay on the Scheme that I have a recognised disability.

It probably would not have made any difference.

The young manager of the scheme thought all along I was not disabled so should not be on the scheme.  He told me that the scheme was for physically disabled people mentally ill people and people with learning difficulties so I do not fit in to a category.

The older manager thought I was disabled by my personality and he said that early on.

He told my Father that my most important problem is getting on with other people as he used to speak to my Father on the phone.

He told my Mother sadly that he could have helped me if I was dim.

In other words I was too intellegent for the scheme.

(Sadly the young manager has since died of lung cancer in his fifties.

More sadly my Father died six years ago so at least two people at that meeting are no longer alive.  I was thirty three at that meeting.)

He smoked a lot.)

I do not know if I would have fitted into a category on the scheme if we had all known that I had Asperger Syndrome.

I think my Parents were informed by the family therapist a few weeks before that meeting but to this day over twenty years ago I think it should have been mentioned at that meeting that I have Asperger Syndrome but it was not.

David

T

Maybe I'm being unusually thick, but I'm still failing to see how what happened to you over 30 years ago has to do with whether a person should seek a diagnosis now or not, David.

Because I'm seeing a CPN who has already referred me to an Autism specialist.

Since I don't suffer with depression, highly unlikely to harm myself, have no careplan I think it will waste people's time.

If it was an assesment or they just wanted to get to know me better, I could see the point as I certainly don't want a false diagnosis. But I think it will be they are oblidged to support me, however they probably can't support me without a careplan. 

If I could have help with anything it would be reduce my subconcious anxiety so I stopped teethgrinding. But I can't imagine they could do that.

Why do you not want a second visit?

It is good idea to be careful before labelling someone Autistic or any other label.

Some people do not like a label because of stigma.

David.