Aspies For Freedom

I really need help. I have a 28 yr old brother that has been in therapy for anger management. His therapist told me that he may be autistic, asperger's. I am having a lot of trouble finding a place where he can get diagnosed. He doesn't have medical insurance because he has no job. I can pay for the diagnosis as long as it is not thousands of dollars. I had a feeling that he had a mental disability but I didn't know what it was. My mom is in complete denial. It is very obvious if you talk to him that he is different. I really need to get him help. He is very frustrated, he loses things all the time, he does things that don't make sense to us. He keeps papers that he finds on the streets, he collects unnecessary things. He doesn't have many friends, Just a couple and they are mentally disabled too. I really want to help him but have no clue where to start. I am afraid that he may hurt himself if he doesn't get help. He is in therapy and he is taking medication for depression, but I know he is just frustrated with life itself, he can't keep a job because he has trouble keeping up. He needs things to be explained to him slowly. He is high functioning. He just lacks common sense and judgement. He gets in trouble and taken advantage of because he is gullible. He is basically a kid in an adults body. He has so much debt because he loves buying music and guitars all of which he has lost! I am afraid he will get hurt or end up in trouble. He already got in trouble for trying to help someone. I reallly need advice on what to do. I am at my wits end. I have called regional center and they say they don't deal with asperger's. He has applied for SSI and hopefully he will get it. He told me some of the questions that they asked him for the screening and he was able to answer all of them! so I don't know what will happen with that besides it may take months to get a reply from them. I want him to be in a safe place, like a group home. He really needs it now. We can't watch him 24 hrs a day. He doesn't listen to us when we tell him to call us if he's coming late, etc. He has slept on the streets before. I am pregnant and cannot deal with this stress. Please help any information will be appreciated. I just feel like there is no support. We live in los angeles. Thank you so much and sorry for all the rambling!

Seems to me if his therapist suspects autism then it is HIS job to make a referral.  And if he can't, then it's HIS job to find someone who CAN make a referral.

And it could cost one or two thousand dollars.

I agree with jewelie the counsellor should at least give you an idea where to go, it was very irresponsible of them to just leave you with a suspected diagnosis and no suggestions what to do about it!

Try your national autistic society though they usually have addresses of places to go.

I believe my last therapist suspected Asperger's, but he never brought it up to me.

The reason I say so (I am paranoid sometimes but often correct) is because my brother went to see him a while after I stopped going, and my brother (initially, in the first two sessions or so) said he thought he had Asperger's.

The therapist's response was:  "You may have some outward signs of that, but there's no point to just give you a label."  (factual comment)

Further on it was: "You don't have it as much as other patients I've seen, and other patients I've had with it are doing a lot better than you in life."  (something to that effect)

I realize the poster of this thread is in a much more dire situation than I've ever been in, so I don't mean to "distract" from that.

Sorry..  I just thought I'd give my petty thoughts/experiences, etc.  In comparison, they are quite petty.

I was listening to the local A.M. radio hear on the East Coast and heard of what a bad situation it is for those in California who don't have medical insurance.

Sometimes your best route to diagnosis, and medical care is through the local crisis intervention center. For this to help your brother he must be cooperative and be aware of his issues. Often times the system is like a revolving door, since those who need treatment most are not aware of their symptoms, and thus, will talk their way out of services.

Many times antidepressants will cause a depressed person to get even more depressed. I don't wish to ramble and explain the reason for this: instead, read the label or literature that came with the prescription.

Typically, AS is not marked by disorganization or slowed mental abilities. These could be the signs of depression or some other disorder.

What I'm trying to say: You may need to seek more immediate medical attention, and in doing so you may have to be rather persistent.

Another thing that you could do is to drop by the local mental health association, or peer drop in center. The former is the official mental health association for your county, while the latter is a drop in center for the patients.

This is best done in person so that the staff or persons attending the center can see you on a personal level, and thus, they will be more apt to give you accurate advice.

I know that this is asking alot of a normal functioning person such as yourself, but many of the staff and persons at these places have had personal experience with the system and are able to get things done.

I dont understand therapists or rather why they do that. I mean they are not usually qualified to diagnose but if they suspect something they might as well SAY it. Seems so silly not to!

It's why I apologized and said my experiences were petty, compared to what the poster said.  I was aware that I "derailed" and that I didn't want it to go that way.

That's what I think as well...

And again, apologies to the original poster--best wishes in getting the appropriate help.