Autism diagnosis??

Hi Maisy. I'm in pretty much in the exact same position as you, except others haven't told me as I the people I know don't much about autism & I've a very limited circle of friends (& always have - I'm 55 by the way)... Oh yes I'm also a massive masker/avoider.

For myself I'm deferring going for a 'proper' diagnosis/assessment. At my age I can't see how this would be of any benefit. I'm a good & diligent researcher so I'll be doing that first. I can always change my mind later. Once diagnosed gettinung diagnosed is likely to be much more difficult.

As Always what do is give advice,opinion & personal experience in the hope this will help you chose a course of action suitable for you :

With a complex situation like this I always slice it up into small one issue chunks. Trying to deal with it as one lump, for me, ends up with cyclical procrastination. If you're not a good researcher try & find someone you know & trust to help you.

For instance with your problem;

What would you be hoping a diagnosis would accomplish for you ? - is that a realistic outcome? research just this question only.

related - what would be the possible negative repercussions of a diagnosis if any? How would you handle such a possibility if it arose ? (just realised this is a risk assessment :) )

How pressing is it to do this now? Clearly you've had this all your life (assuming it's not something else) & have had to deal with it. So is there time to take you're time deciding? (This is what I'm doing. I'm still me, no matter what & I'm positive I'm Aspie but I did look into every other possible cause that I've seen mentioned before settling on that. If I come across anything else I'm prepared to change that self diagnosis too.)

Should you decide to go ahead, be prepared. What if they say you're not ? How certain are you you are ? would/could you stick up for yoursel & get a second opinion?

Try & check on the how you'd be assessed in you locality. I understand this can vary a lot, as can provisions for assistance once diagnosed.

& lastly - should you go ahead & be correct, look at the pros & cons of disclosure & who you disclose to.

(feel free to add to my list - they're just the first things I thought of.)

As for nervousness about seeing your doctor about it, can you write down all your evidence & feelings on the subject before hand & let them read that ? explain why you've written it & not spoken it.  For me the greater the motivation the more likely I am to tackle awkward meetings. Once you've sorted out what you want/expect from this situation you may be more motivated.

I hope that helps you in deciding on what(/not) to do next.

Hi Maisy. I'm in pretty much in the exact same position as you, except others haven't told me as I the people I know don't much about autism & I've a very limited circle of friends (& always have - I'm 55 by the way)... Oh yes I'm also a massive masker/avoider.

For myself I'm deferring going for a 'proper' diagnosis/assessment. At my age I can't see how this would be of any benefit. I'm a good & diligent researcher so I'll be doing that first. I can always change my mind later. Once diagnosed gettinung diagnosed is likely to be much more difficult.

As Always what do is give advice,opinion & personal experience in the hope this will help you chose a course of action suitable for you :

With a complex situation like this I always slice it up into small one issue chunks. Trying to deal with it as one lump, for me, ends up with cyclical procrastination. If you're not a good researcher try & find someone you know & trust to help you.

For instance with your problem;

What would you be hoping a diagnosis would accomplish for you ? - is that a realistic outcome? research just this question only.

related - what would be the possible negative repercussions of a diagnosis if any? How would you handle such a possibility if it arose ? (just realised this is a risk assessment :) )

How pressing is it to do this now? Clearly you've had this all your life (assuming it's not something else) & have had to deal with it. So is there time to take you're time deciding? (This is what I'm doing. I'm still me, no matter what & I'm positive I'm Aspie but I did look into every other possible cause that I've seen mentioned before settling on that. If I come across anything else I'm prepared to change that self diagnosis too.)

Should you decide to go ahead, be prepared. What if they say you're not ? How certain are you you are ? would/could you stick up for yoursel & get a second opinion?

Try & check on the how you'd be assessed in you locality. I understand this can vary a lot, as can provisions for assistance once diagnosed.

& lastly - should you go ahead & be correct, look at the pros & cons of disclosure & who you disclose to.

(feel free to add to my list - they're just the first things I thought of.)

As for nervousness about seeing your doctor about it, can you write down all your evidence & feelings on the subject before hand & let them read that ? explain why you've written it & not spoken it.  For me the greater the motivation the more likely I am to tackle awkward meetings. Once you've sorted out what you want/expect from this situation you may be more motivated.

I hope that helps you in deciding on what(/not) to do next.