Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi there,
I am self diagnosed with ASD and high masking. I am pretty much comfortable with my diagnosis. I use a lot of material (articles, podcasts...etc.) to understand myself much better and be increase the quality of my private, as well as, professional life.
I have been considering having a professional diagnosis, yet it costs a lot of money in Berlin (where I love). I was wondering if there are any benefits of having my diagnosis documented apart from finding an explanation to the way I experience life, I have that already covered, and I am pretty comfortable with my self diagnosis, therefore I don't see a need for a professional diagnosis for the matter.
Also considering that autism is neurodivergence and not a disorder, I am not sure if there would be any benefit of a documented diagnosis work wise.
What are your thoughts on this?
Many thanks in advance!
P.s. I am not judging or doubting the professional diagnosis, but just thinking out load!
I look at it from two points of view.
Firstly, a psychiatrist suggested to me that I might want to investigate an autism assessment and I did all the usual research and online tests and self diagnosed. But there was always an element of uncertainty and imposter syndrome associated with that. I needed the certainty of an official diagnosis.
Secondly, there is the potential for material benefit. For me this has only been in the form of informing my employers, who have actually been quite good about it and worked with me to make my job more sustainable. I don’t think I’d have done that on the basis of self diagnosis.
But this is just me, we all have different needs.
Similar to Amerantin, I notified my employers, and they provided some degree of support. However, my ability to work was hindered by other health issues, rendering my position unsustainable. I am currently unemployed and contemplating my next course of action, even questioning the possibility of returning to work in the future.
In the UK, there are laws designed to offer protection to individuals with ASD to some extent. However, for these legal safeguards to be effective, a formal diagnosis is necessary.
Thanks for sharing. In the UK's context I understand the usefulness of the formal diagnosis considering the laws protecting individuals with ASD. I live in Germany, I don't believe there are such laws designed specifically for ASD, especially that the country is rather behind on this topic. Yet, there are many strong employees protection laws in Germany anyways, that an additional extra layer of protection does not feel needed, well... at least not at the moment.