This week I have mostly been self diagnosing

[mr.k]

hello,

Ok so I started the self diagnosing nearly 10 weeks ago and have been getting used to all this new info which helps explain my life history, traits and behaviours - so far so good but now i have a few questions and would seek opinions about how folk deal with different scenarios to see if that helps - asking other folk for help is not really how i would normally proceed but understanding myself better is helping me break the mould a little.
so hello I'm mr.k a 40yr old bloke from england, I live with my partner, little girl and cat, I work for myself (obviously avoiding all that unnecessary social interaction and politics that I couldn't deal with, but that's another issue). Unsurprisingly I am not particularly sociable and this is one area I'm trying to be proactive about for a change rather than veering away from which is what I have tended to do.
So far only me and my partner know about all this and if or how you might tell other people if one of the things I'm interested to hear your opinions about.
At present I have no interest in getting an official diagnosis as I don't know whether this would help or hinder in any way.
That's far too much information to be giving away so that'll do for now!

 

[142857]

Hi Mr K.

For starters, do not get a diagnosis unless you have a specific need for it. Being diagnosed with autism or aspergers syndrome can lead to discriminiation.

The same goes for telling people: you should only tell people on a need-to-know basis. For example, you may have friends who are put out that you don't want to go to crowded and noisy places with them, in which case you may let them know so that they understand that it isn't personal.

 

[. . .]

 

[Geordie]

On the ASD spectrum, everyone's different with similar characteristics.

But you're not alone.

 

[kasmanaft08]

Hi Mr K.

For starters, do not get a diagnosis unless you have a specific need for it. Being diagnosed with autism or aspergers syndrome can lead to discriminiation.

The same goes for telling people: you should only tell people on a need-to-know basis. For example, you may have friends who are put out that you don't want to go to crowded and noisy places with them, in which case you may let them know so that they understand that it isn't personal.

I completely agree with 142857. I would be careful what you tell to whom, and unless you have another issue that needs attention (like anxiety, depression, etc) an official diagnoses won't do much for you. The problem is not the people who understand but the people who don't. But that would be up to you of course. If you're lucky to be in environments where people will be positive about it, then by all means. But that's my input.

I'd really just research the hell out of it for your own understanding/explanations. I haven't done THAT much research, but the research I did do is what helped me the most.