it's difficult, many psychiatrists we tried in the US weren't interested because it's just a one off rather than an ongoing treatment.

I think it's only a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist that can do it in the US.

If you're working with a therapist for your anxiety and depression, they can do a preliminary review and diagnosis, and then they can refer you on to a psychiatrist or psychologist for the official diagnosis. An LCSW can do that, I don't think an MSW can.

Hope that helps. Hugs....

My insurance does not cover treatment for Aspergers or Autism. I had to make sure my doctor did not mention either of these terms and only mentioned that my daughter was being prescribed medication for anxiety. I had a problem getting her therapy sessions covered because the therapist mentioned Aspergers as well as Anxiety. The therapist was nice enough to contact the insurance company and refile things so I could at least have my expenses count toward my deductible. Why are you looking for a diagnosis anyway? You can diagnose yourself. Just look online for the list of symptoms or behavioral characteristics. There is no blood test. This is not a disease. I disagree with it even being called a syndrome. It's just a label given to people with certain characteristics.

The online tests are only half of what needs to be reviewed for an accurate diagnosis. There are a lot of things that have to be ruled out before you get to an AS diagnosis.

Why get the diagnosis? This is always controversial. One reason to get the diagnosis is so that you know you are not a fuck-up, you have a problem hard-wired into your brain that makes some things difficult for you and makes other things easier for you than the average person (neurotypical) on the street.

Another reason is so that if you are being treated for any other problems (comorbid conditions) like anxiety, depression, etc., that the professional working with you knows your tretament has to be different from an NT with those problems. Some treatments given to people with AS simply don't work while they seem to be very effective fore people who are NT. In other words, you get more effective healthcare if you know and your doctor knbows what you're up against.

It also depends on where you are in your life - i.e., schooling, work life, relationships. For example, Enigmaticloner is college age (more or less), and many universities and colleges have special autism counselors and can provide additional support for students with autism spectrum disorders. AS should not be a bar to an education, whether it's for an 8 year-old or an adult.

Is it hard living with the diagnosis? In some ways, it is. As a parent is it hard? Absolutely. But living in the denial that there is a lifelong problem that is going to have to be faced and factored into everything won't help anyone. I didn't want to face that with my older son, in large part because my younger son is more severely affected. We were so busy dealing with our younger son's disabilities that my older son was short-changed in the added help he needed. Don't make the same mistake.

There is no treatment for Asperger's, but there is training so one knows how to deal with the world. It is more occupational therapy than psychiatric treatment.

Having the diagnosis can also give you added legal protection in some circumstances. That is a subject for another discussion, but basically both state and federal laws have safeguards for people onn the autism spectrum. This wasn't always the case, and that was hard fought to get over the last 25 years.

Hope this helps....hugs...

No one's a "f-up", diagnosed or not...just saying.

No one.

Thanks for the responses. I was curious more so to know for myself. I'm trying to get a better understanding of myself. I also would feel more comfortable talking to other people of the same nature, as I often find myself feeling quite isolated and misunderstood by people.

hi, there aren't actually too many people here who are diagnosed..and with the best will in the world there is a gap between knowing about asperger's and actually being it.

Latest medical opinion is that Asperger's is a number of spectrum disorders - it isn't a single spectrum from severly autistic, high functioning, asperger's.

For that reason you might find some people with asperger's who are as equally alien as people without ASD.

You might try "Wrong Planet" as that may help you see the range of people on the spectrum - but be aware there are bunches of people that have self diagnosed who may or may not be asperger's.

Cliffskat's advice is good. I'[d add that I did a bit of reserach that indicates online tests are mostly useless. The better ones have all sorts of caveats in them if you look at the detail. Most are very poor - as said, with a spectrum of disorders it's hard for a simple online test to be created. To give a very small example, the inability to read the emotion on people's faces is a classic asperger's symptom, but like some other people with asperger's I am better than most normal people.

There are tons of things that look like asperger's that psychiatrists are trained to screen out. Most of the public haven't heard of them, so they don't look that up and so they get a false positive from reading about asperger's.

One benefit of a proper diagnosis is that it gives you are a starting point. There are books which offer techniques for dealing with the NT world which probably won't apply if you are not actually asperger's.

i was diagnosed by a speech therapist, psychatrist and psychologist. yes i had to see all three!