I was reading LiveJournal today, the Asperger’s Syndrome community, and encountered the recurring topic: “I’m an Aspie, but my therapist denies it.”<\/p>\n
Okay, I’m not a therapist, but I’m about to play one online. (That’s sarcasm.)<\/p>\n
Self-diagnoses can be valid. They can be necessary when you need to start on a path of discovery.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Yet, if your therapist and doctor don’t agree with you, they might be right.<\/p>\n “I want to be autistic,” a person wrote on the thread. What? Really?<\/p>\n Be sure your therapist is listening to you. Get a second opinion. I understand needing a second evaluation.<\/p>\n Yet, some people with two and three evaluations (and those are not cheap) continue to disagree with the diagnoses offered.<\/p>\n I was diagnosed with other labels. I get it. But three times?<\/p>\n I believe most therapists, regardless of their educational backgrounds, are now quite familiar with the terms “Autism Spectrum Disorder” and “Asperger’s Disorder \/ Syndrome.” It takes a lot of hubris on the part of a patient to assume that he or she knows more about autism than a clinician. It takes even more hubris (or something else) to self-diagnose yourself with any mental health condition in the face of several diagnosticians suggesting another label.<\/p>\n People wonder why I think autism is approaching the level of “trendy” once reserved for ADD\/ADHD need only read any of the online communities for more than three weeks.<\/p>\n Yes, there are a lot of people with an ASD in these communities. There are also a lot of people looking for a mix of explanations and excuses for whatever social difficulties they experience. I fear there are a lot of people seeking an autism diagnosis when there is really a much more complicated problem present. If you want\/seek a diagnosis of autism, I wonder if there aren’t also more pressing issues to address?<\/p>\n Understand that I am resistant to the label while recognizing I have “autistic” traits from a very real, physical trauma. I just think a lot of people are seeking the Asperger’s label when they might be better served forgetting particular labels and dealing with their social challenges apart from being categorized.<\/p>\n Why not deal with the social issues and not keep asking for a label? What am I missing? Does the label suddenly solve problems? Or does it create yet more expectations of difficulty and oppression?<\/p>\n Self-diagnosis is understandable for financial reasons, but contradicting your healthcare providers means you might be ignoring the conditions they do suggest you might have to address.<\/p>\n Worst example: \u201cI couldn\u2019t have OCD and ADHD. I have autism.\u201d Well, maybe you do have OCD. You could even have both. But you need to ask why you are rejecting a professional opinion.<\/p>\n Autistic self-diagnosis is valid for many people. Diagnosis begins with, “I wonder if I’m autistic?”<\/strong><\/p>\n But, when health experts suggest you might not be, at least give them a listen. You might have another diagnosis or comorbid diagnoses.\u00a0No matter what your label, it might change when experts change their standards.<\/p>\n