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Thoughts on seeking diagnosis?

wob5

Hey,

I’m new here and thought I would give this space a try to maybe learn a few things about coping with the busy world we all live in. So heyyyy.

So, after 4 straight weeks of constant online digging, intense research on autism and doing a deep dive into myself from childhood to now, i am certain that I have Autism. And boy is it an eye opener. When I initially came to this conclusion it was the missing piece of the puzzle which I didn’t even know was missing myself. It explains so much about how life has gone for me so far and I feel a great sense of peace with myself now that I know this and that is ok - it’s even better as my friends also have autism and I can finally connect with others around me properly. Also you guys will likely share the same experiences I experienced so it’s nice to know I wasn’t alone in my troubles in things like my social life, sensory challenges etc so thank you :) my friends were the ones who initially prompted me to do this deep dive as from the minute they first met me they thought I may have had autism but didn’t strictly ask until later on.

now, seeing as I know this to be true, what are you opinions on self diagnosis/identification? I did think very hard about pushing through to the GP and asking for a referral for an assessment, as daunting as this did feel, and decided not to for now. I’ve been in constant interventions with services like CAMHS, NHS mental health aswell as private therapy all through my life from about the age of 11 - I’m 18 now- and thought to myself “do I want to be in this system again when life is finally going really good for me and coping really well?” The only reason why I would go for an assessment would be for just for an answer - nothing more or nothing less. But all to be told something I already know and re completing said assessments I have already done? (For context, I have mapped my entire profile on the DSM-5 criteria for autism, taken the screeners the NHS use, reviewed this with my parents/friends to review what I have wrote and many more lists and anecdotes I have used as evidence on this multipage document I have compiled). Do I need to have this officially on paper?

Thank you all for making this a space where I can talk about this :) 

Parents

  • I do have a diagnosis, though I think it's totally fine to not seek one if you are dealing with life well at the moment. Diagnosis can bring your problems to the surface which some find hard. As all the language is defecit based, meaning you can feel bad about yourself while doing it so you need to be prepared for this before hand, though sounds like you've already done all the soul searching already. There is also things I wasn't aware of, like some countries won't let you emigrate there if you do have it on paper (Canada, New Zealand, Australia etc.), so it's worth thinking about before hand.

    And it's not like deciding you don't need it at the moment is a forever decision either, if you decide later in life to pursue it, then you already have a personal folder full of evidence to show. It's great you have done that, so it's there for future you if you need it. It might be worth getting your parents to write and sign notes, so if you need parental evidence from when you were little (normally a thing they look for), you've got something in the bag too while it's still relatively fresh in their minds.

    I think it's lovely that you've already found acceptance with your friends, and certainly you don't need it to get support on places like here, your just as part of the community at anyone else!

    It can be worth finding out what it can mean to get it officially, like it being a protected characteristic, but not having it on paper doesn't mean you can't shape your life around what works for autistic self, and live life with your new understanding. Wishing you a happy and self-compassionate future.

  • in reply to Cinnabar_wing

    Hey, this is really nice to hear. So thank you. Since leaving school, meeting new people like me and understanding my needs, my QoL has improved so much. I no longer feel like this jester which full on collapses through the door when I get back home from being at a social event or school/college. It’s a great feeling to no longer be plagued with constant anxiety, burnout and weekly shutdowns. I was in a terrible state. 

    I think I’m just going to live life to the fullest and make the world work me for rather than make me work for the world and if I want to pursue this later, I will. Just as you said, the  reams of evidence are there if I ever wanted to pursue it later on to receive an official diagnosis. I still struggle with some things like understanding dating, uncertainty and other bits but I’m sure in time I’ll work it out. If I can conquer dating then I will be the happiest man alive. It’s just where you start?!? How do I learn the rules?! It’s not like I can watch people again to learn from them in this context ha.

    Do you know of any other charities/websites I can look at so I can potentially do some further reading to aid in further tools/strategies I can implement to support myself?
    thanks a million :) 

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  • in reply to Cinnabar_wing

    Hey, this is really nice to hear. So thank you. Since leaving school, meeting new people like me and understanding my needs, my QoL has improved so much. I no longer feel like this jester which full on collapses through the door when I get back home from being at a social event or school/college. It’s a great feeling to no longer be plagued with constant anxiety, burnout and weekly shutdowns. I was in a terrible state. 

    I think I’m just going to live life to the fullest and make the world work me for rather than make me work for the world and if I want to pursue this later, I will. Just as you said, the  reams of evidence are there if I ever wanted to pursue it later on to receive an official diagnosis. I still struggle with some things like understanding dating, uncertainty and other bits but I’m sure in time I’ll work it out. If I can conquer dating then I will be the happiest man alive. It’s just where you start?!? How do I learn the rules?! It’s not like I can watch people again to learn from them in this context ha.

    Do you know of any other charities/websites I can look at so I can potentially do some further reading to aid in further tools/strategies I can implement to support myself?
    thanks a million :) 

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