Quote:
Originally Posted by Tucson
I know you want to get the correct diagnosis and be provide with the correct treatment. Let me ask you some questions. How is your current diagnosis not working for you? How can we help you? Are you just wanting to voice your concerns? Are you expecting us to help you make a diagnosis? Sure, I will listen to you. But I myself have concerns for you.
I think you need to approach this more objectively. Self-diagnosis is IMO not a good idea. The words listed as criteria for Asperger, or any MI, that you read and think you understand, can have different significance to the trained professional. Many DX’s have overlapping symptoms. You may not be able to be entirely objective and self-aware to be in the position of attempting such a self-diagnosis. If it were this simple, then all you would need to do is take one of these tests available here at PC, letting the test determine your MI. At least this would be a more ovjective way toward a diagnosis.
Do you know what Aspergers actually is? What behavior to expect from people with such a diagnosis? How they would function in different situations? What they are and not are capable of? What life situations that they simply cannot deal with? I am simply saying that there is much more to understand here than whether you have flat affect. I talked to a trained professional about this who dealt with such a person on a daily basis. There are different behaviors to be expected that you probably would not glean through the straightforward descriptions available online. I was not able to do discern this for myself. There is much more involved than going through a checklist of symptoms.
I would be careful with your approach to this. Heck, get another opinion, even though I have no idea how this can help you. But then, I think you would be shopping for the pdoc that would give you the DX that you are specifically wanting to hear. How would this help you? But yes, they can make mistakes too.
Let me provide you with one last thought. I think the purpose of professional diagnosis and the following supportive care is to determine if there is a MI, and then one that is getting in the way for a person to function in their day-to-day life. If your life is working for you, you are not suffering, you are able to function like feed yourself and pay the bills, and may even be able to maintain a certain quality of life, then diagnosis and treatment may not be necessary for you to consider. However, if this is not the case, then I would heed the advice of your pdoc. Remember that there was a reason you went to them in the first place.
Well, this is all I will say about this matter. I hope I have helped you at least in some small way, even if this just gives you something to consider. So I will stop here. Good luck!  |
Thanks for your reply.
There is a disconnect between what my current diagnoses say and what I personally feel symptom wise, which means I have difficulties in finding appropriate ways for me to cope with my main symptoms. The meds I take only help me cope with anger, voices, visions, and depression, but I have more symptoms than that and I can rarely pinpoint where those remaining symptoms stem from, if that makes sense. So the main issue is me having a lack of understanding of myself. For example, consider someone with legitimate BP who is on BP meds and in therapy for symptoms but never got an official BP diagnosis and therefore doesn't know they have BP. Sure, symptoms are being treated, but the label helps you understand yourself more because now you can dig deep into books, research papers, YouTube videos, whatever, to really understand what BP is and what it means. Otherwise, you're kind of aimlessly (and frustratingly) trying to understand yourself with nothing to help direct you.
And yes, I'm aware of what Asperger's implies. I think I said in another thread (but I can't remember, so maybe I didn't) that my cousin has ASD. I've "seen it in action," or so to speak, and I can relate to a good chunk of her symptoms—although my symptoms are in no way as severe as hers. But the fact ASD runs in the family kind of makes me wonder a little more, if that makes sense. And lots of professionals are pointing out my "odd behavior" nowadays, but that "odd behavior" that they speak of doesn't align with BP behavior when I do research on it. I know there is something
more to it. I'm just trying to go off family history at this point (as well as professionals pointing out my symptoms) to direct me in my research.
I would definitely love a 2nd opinion, and I'd be fine with a professional who says no to Asperger's. But I would try to push for said professional to help me figure out what's wrong if it's not Asperger's. I definitely don't want a diagnosis of Asperger's if it doesn't fit, because how useful is that diagnosis if the criteria doesn't align with my symptoms? I'd also rather be tested by a psychologist rather than a pdoc, but as I said to Wild Coyote, I doubt my insurance would cover it at this point. So testing for Asperger's is a no for now, or at least until someone fights my insurance to let them test me for it.
Anyway, my current therapist thinks that my "unusual behavior" is partly why people tend to avoid me (my behavior "can sometimes be off-putting," as she says verbatim), and as such, I need to work on coping mechanisms to help fix that. She is also concerned about my inability to emotionally and socially respond to people, as my flat affect makes them think I don't care about them or what I have to say. Plus the sensory issues.