Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone,
I would really appreciate your opinion please. I have had a therapist and GP say I have ASD, but no formal diagnosis. Apparently that's as elusive as matching socks. I've just been on a 3 day research binge and I no longer know which way is up. In your opinion is self- identifying acceptable? I honestly don't know if it would make me a fraud or others would see me as a fraud. All I've ever wanted is to just make sense of myself and find a place where I feel I belong. I would really appreciate your thoughts, right now I have too many of my own. Thank you
We're all here trying to make sense of life, get some support, and learn something to make life easier. If the forums, reading, other places and adopting the identity help you do that then I think that's fine whether in the end you have autism or not. The only problem would be if you're actually suffering from something else and digging into the autism world stopped you realising that and the life improvements that'd bring. In your case I'd trust your therapist and GP, neither will have said it lightly, and both probably have some experience of other autists to compare you with.
I guess those of us with "high functioning" autism might often suffer imposter syndrome if we're managing to navigate life ok. For me it just explains why some things are just so hard for me, but knowing the dynamics from reading means things are less hard as I now know the tricks my brain plays on itself.
Thank you. I had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and with generalised anxiety disorder, hence the therapist. At first he was confused as to why I had them without a cause. Then things I had said led him straight to ASD. The more I spoke, the more convinced he became. My mind has always been my greatest asset, and by far my greatest enemy. I'm so pleased your finding a way to navigate the brain tricks.