Hi. I'm hew here.
from my Bio:
b. 1972
In 2002, a longtime friend of the family suggested I might have AS. I looked into it and I think she's right.
as of Jan 2007:
Aspie Quiz Version 9
AS: 123 of 200
NT: 77 of 200
...
A little later in 2002, I realized my friends were intimidated by me. I had finished graduate school but was still working on-campus and getting tired of it. Apparently it was showing on my face, because one of my friends informed me that I looked like I wanted to hurt somebody (not the case, just stress). Well I was scaring my friends (not meaning to), so I decided it was time to go see a therapist and come up with a strategy for dealing with anxiety. My mother had been nagging me about the AS issue since her friend suggested it, and offered to pay for some if the sessions if I ask about it. Remember, I said I was still working on the campus and hadn't moved into my field yet. That soon after grad school, you don't look a gift-horse in the mouth. (Sure, I'll ask about!!!) So I asked, the therapist just kind of grinned and said something about self-diagnosis. He then went on to explain how he didn't believe in AS (he thought it was just another somebody trying to make a name for himself in the journals) but that almost any other therapist would diagnose without hesitation. So we let that issue drop. In the end, I got Lexapro for the anxiety and eventually found a job in-field and moved away.
Though I don't have an official dx, I can tell you that I definitely have OCD, and also something that I am quite certain is synesthesia. I'm not so sure I would WANT an official dx, considering it might put me at a disadvantage in a legal situation. (It shouldn't, but what is and what should be are two different things.)
I bring this up five years later, because lately I've been bothered by the past. After much thought, I figure the best way to deal with it is to do my part to help others, even if it's just watching forums like these and answering if I think I have useful information.
Gotta go now. I look forward to talking to you people later.
Hi garmonbozia, welcome to AFF! I get that scary "stress face" myself...hope you are happier in your current job than you were in the old one. I think you will get lots of useful information here. 
" I don't have an official dx..."
Maybe you do, garmonbozia. That doctor said, "I'm an idiot who doesn't believe in AS, but if you went to a non-idiot doctor who understands AS, he would say, yes, you have AS."
Sounds like the doctor was telling you that you had AS as clearly as he know how (being an idiot, of course.)
Sounds like he should stick to proctology...
What does this mean?
That soon after grad school, you don't look a gift-horse in the mouth.
I get told my facial expression can look quite aggressive. I think it might be because I squint alot in light.
If you want an official diagnosis I would suggest going for a second opinion. He seems like abit of an idiot if he doesn't beieve in AS.
I have heard of therapists that don't believe in ADHD, they say all you have to do is stick them in a room with somebody with ADHD for 5 minutes and they quickly change their minds. It just goes to show that therapists aren't always right.
What does this mean?
[quote=garmonbozia]
That soon after grad school, you don't look a gift-horse in the mouth.
That's just a metaphor I once heard, meaning that if something useful is being offered to you free of cost, then don't fight it. In this case, I was compensated the amount of a co-pay for one visit. All I had to do was agree to ask one question, even though that question didn't seem relevant to the treatment for anxiety.
You don't have to disclose a diagnosis of AS to anyone; so I don't see how it could be a problem for you unless you committed a felony or something.
What I always say to people who aren't sure if they have AS:
Don't label yourself one way or the other; labels don't help. Just know yourself; know your own attributes, your strengths and weaknesses. If that profile fits the definition of "AS", then fine; you're an Aspie. But you are still YOU; no label can ever define you. You are just as different from other Aspies as any NT is from other NTs... Whatever you do, you can't apply cookie-cutter solutions to your problems, because they are as unique as you are. Creative, thoughtful problem solving is the only thing that will really make your life better. Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't consult others whose minds are similar to your own; or consult people who know a lot about the AS brain configuration; but ultimately, it's you who collects the information, decides which part of it to use, and decides how to apply it. You're the only one who can change yourself; everything else, including counseling, medication, and even institutionalization, is just a resource you have at your disposal.
You don't have to disclose a diagnosis of AS to anyone; so I don't see how it could be a problem for you unless you committed a felony or something.
Fair enough. I cannot see myself ever wanting to commit a felony, but if I ever do, I'll be sure to smoke some crack first and leave the crackpipe where the police are sure to find it. That way, they'll blame it on the crack. (I'm joking, of course.)
Actually, I was thinking about much later in life when, let's say, I'm 90 years old and lying brain-dead in a hospital bed after a stroke. My siblings interpret my living will and see that in this situation, my instructions are to pull the plug, and then one of them chickens out and looks for any excuse to invalidate the will, like having AS when I signed it. (I'm just using that as an example. Not that I waste time thinking about stuff like that.)
...Whatever you do, you can't apply cookie-cutter solutions to your problems, because they are as unique as you are. Creative, thoughtful problem solving is the only thing that will really make your life better. ...You're the only one who can change yourself; everything else, including counseling, medication, and even institutionalization, is just a resource you have at your disposal.
Thanks. Actually, the only thing I see as any kind of problem these days is the OCD. I've been thinking about getting back on Lexapro, because last time I was on that, it tuned the OCD down to a reasonable level. On the other hand, I like the synesthesia and everything else the way it is. I figure that since I'd be going to a psychiatrist to ask about medication, I might as well ask about AS while I'm there. I just figured an official dx would let me share knowledge from a stronger position.
Hi garmonbozia -
Welcome to AFF
FYI: you really don't need an official dx to "share knowledge from a stronger position".....quite honestly it's possible to self-educate about AS to a level better than many professionals (such as your, er, interesting doc - since when does a neurobiological condition require "belief" in it to exist? Sheesh.)
Unless you have a very well-educated and understanding psych, they'll probably be predisposed to see AS as a "sickness" or "disorder" because that's what the establishment teaches them to do.
It's your call.....I'm just saying, be careful about who you get your info from and how much you tell them...
BTW, I like the "Twin Peaks" reference in your username.
Meega
Hi. I'm hew here.
from my Bio:
b. 1972
In 2002, a longtime friend of the family suggested I might have AS. I looked into it and I think she's right.
as of Jan 2007:
Aspie Quiz Version 9
AS: 123 of 200
NT: 77 of 200
...
A little later in 2002, I realized my friends were intimidated by me. I had finished graduate school but was still working on-campus and getting tired of it. Apparently it was showing on my face, because one of my friends informed me that I looked like I wanted to hurt somebody (not the case, just stress). Well I was scaring my friends (not meaning to), so I decided it was time to go see a therapist and come up with a strategy for dealing with anxiety. My mother had been nagging me about the AS issue since her friend suggested it, and offered to pay for some if the sessions if I ask about it. Remember, I said I was still working on the campus and hadn't moved into my field yet. That soon after grad school, you don't look a gift-horse in the mouth. (Sure, I'll ask about!!!) So I asked, the therapist just kind of grinned and said something about self-diagnosis. He then went on to explain how he didn't believe in AS (he thought it was just another somebody trying to make a name for himself in the journals) but that almost any other therapist would diagnose without hesitation. So we let that issue drop. In the end, I got Lexapro for the anxiety and eventually found a job in-field and moved away.
Though I don't have an official dx, I can tell you that I definitely have OCD, and also something that I am quite certain is synesthesia. I'm not so sure I would WANT an official dx, considering it might put me at a disadvantage in a legal situation. (It shouldn't, but what is and what should be are two different things.)
I bring this up five years later, because lately I've been bothered by the past. After much thought, I figure the best way to deal with it is to do my part to help others, even if it's just watching forums like these and answering if I think I have useful information.
Gotta go now. I look forward to talking to you people later.
Hi garmonbozia, welcome to the forums!
If you're not 100% certain that you want an official dx, then perhaps it may not be the best thing for you. As you said, it puts people in a disadvantage. I know that having an AS diagnosis caused a lot of problems during my childhood and I'll be sure to get my diagnosis removed once I'm finished college.
If you're not 100% certain that you want an official dx, then perhaps it may not be the best thing for you. As you said, it puts people in a disadvantage. I know that having an AS diagnosis caused a lot of problems during my childhood and I'll be sure to get my diagnosis removed once I'm finished college.
If you don't mind me asking, what are a few examples of the problems it caused you in childhood? Are you certain it was the dx and not the condition itself? (Though personally I believe AS itself is just a personality type, and that all the suffering results from a lack of knowledge of how to live with it.) I had never even heard the phrase "Asperger's Syndrome" until I was 29, but yet SOMETHING made a living hell out of my chlidhood.
Why wait until college is over? If you're over 18, why not go ahead and get it removed now?
I can't see how a person can get a diagnosis removed once they have it (unless they were misdiagnosed in the first place). Personally, I don't think it a good idea and it is like being in denial about being on the autistic spectrum.
I've been here a while now, but just one more thing to add to my initial thread. Thinking back to the past, here's something that has me 95% certain now, despite being unofficial:
Between the ages of 8 and 13, I had a habit of thrashing my head (similar to what heavy metal fans do as they listen to the stuff), deliberately making myself dizzy. I'd catch myself doing that, and it occasionally got me some weird looks. It must have been my adolescent ego that finally put a stop to that. (These days, I keep it to my hands and feet, out of sight.)
I may have been addicted to dizzyness, because my grandparents used to have this chair (I believe it's called a "whirligig chair") slightly smaller than a recliner but that rotates instead of rocks. At age eight, I used to get in it and get it going up to maybe 20 rpm, to see how dizzy I could get when it stopped.