Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I'm new here. I'm a 57-year-old male who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome last year. The diagnosis was a positive thing for me because it's enabled me, at last, to make sense of my life and the difficulties I've always faced. Previously, I'd been GP-diagnosed with 'Depression', 'Anxiety Disorder' - but they were all symptoms of the underlying ASD. It took a therapist to finally notice traits that suggested something deeper.
I work in care (with learning disabilities), so have a lot of identification with my clients! I'm currently doing a work-related distance learning course in 'Understanding Autism'. I'm reading as much as I can on it, too, and it's all making a lot of sense. It's my new obsession!
Anyway... it's good to be here. I expect I'll see you all around.
All the best,
Tom
Hi, Martian Tom
I am trying to decide on whether to get a formal diagnosis myself, and at 51 I thought there was not much point. I only became aware of the condition of Aspergers a couple of years ago, which is surprising in itself given how much I am affected by it - probably more so than most people on the spectrum who are considered 'high functioning' - and after reading a couple of books, I realise how much a diagnosis would have helped me earlier in life. But I am encouraged by what you have said and would be interested to know a little more about your path to diagnosis, because frankly I don't know where to start.
Did you go through a GP initially or take some other route, such a private therapy? I'm not receiving any help at the moment (although I think I should be) so I need to start from scratch here. I have concerns about being treated rather dismissively because of my age, so did you experience anything like this? And how long did the process take?