Should I care if I have Aspergers?

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MuD3

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#1  Edited By MuD3
Member since 2011 • 2192 Posts

I have suspected I have it for a few years now. I was recently recommended an online quiz by someone in my extended family who has Aspergers. He says it's a pretty good indicator... i'm pretty suspicious of online quizzes of any sort.

My results in the pic.

But should I even care if I have it? As far as I understand it's not something that's treatable. I'm 27, married, have a kid and kind of a job... What is getting a diagnosis really going to help me with?

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simuseb2

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#2 simuseb2
Member since 2014 • 178 Posts

I was diagnosed with autism at a young age, and then later with high-functioning autism (sort of in between aspergers and autism), so I'm going to do that quiz out of curiosity. I'll post later with the result, but for now I'll do my best to answer your question. What is a diagnosis going to help you with? That's a good question. It's largely dependent on whether or not you are even having any sort of trouble that could be related to aspergers. I mean, are you? I can honestly say that if I was never diagnosed with autism from a young age, I would not be the functioning and almost able-mind person I am today. I was a mess. I could not cope with anything. I couldn't cope with social situations; I couldn't cope with my anxiety. To put it bluntly, I couldn't function properly in a society. I would have never been able to pass high-school and go to uni. I wouldn't even be able to get a job. I would have no friends. I wouldn't be able to date. I'm certain it would have lead to depression and suicide. So for me, it did help. It explained not just to myself, but also to others, why I was the way I was.

I'm not doing a very good job at explaining myself, so I'll cut it as short as possible. I'm a little confused as to what you mean by "not very treatable". Yes, it's not something that can be removed through surgery if that's what you mean, and in fact it's doubtful it can be removed at all. But it's definitely manageable, and that's the whole idea of being diagnosed. Because we (myself; doctors; my family) knew what was "wrong" with me, we could take the effort to manage and improve it. So, instead of freaking out and shutting down every time I get a little bit stressed, I can cope with it. That's just one example.

So, OP, what problems are YOU having? It seems obvious to me that you must be having some kind of problem if you are even considering being diagnosed. Do you ever have difficulty understanding people? Can you read emotions? etc etc. Really, being diagnosed with aspergers will simply help you understand yourself better, and then you can take the steps you need to manage it.

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MuD3

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#3  Edited By MuD3
Member since 2011 • 2192 Posts

@simuseb2: Well, I really think it's something worth looking into after reading that honestly... I am really wishing right now It was something that was looked into when I was young.

I have sever social problems, the only reason I'm married is because my wife was very forward in asking me out and making most of the important first moves in the relationship. I just never really thought of social behavior as something I should maybe work on. I just know I'm bad in social situations and I don't really like being around most people.

I kind of panic in groups of large people... I know know if that's related but even going to a crowded store can make me want to curl up under a shelf or something (I don't, I just want to)

I didn't graduate high school due to me almost never going to class. Not doing any work outside of school didn't help either.

I've been struggling with depression on and off since I was a teenager as well. I don't really know what to do about that, can't really afford help, one of the reasons I haven't gone to get diagnosed as well. I mostly discuss it with my wife whenever it gets really bad and that kind of helps.