When I was having my ADHD assessment in January, my clinician said something about Autism in general and Asperger’s in particular. “Have you ever been assessed,” he said. “You exhibit certain symptoms.” I was still coming to terms with the positive ADHD diagnosis at the time and mumbled something along the lines that I had never been assessed for anything other than clinical depression and anxiety. “Maybe you should have a think about it?” Being me, I’ve thought about it constantly and came to the conclusion that since I had spent an arm and a leg getting an ADHD diagnosis, which changed nothing in my life, I was buggered if I was going to shell out another fortune on more tests. So, instead, I went online, as you do, and did a number of cheap and free tests. I was not surprised by the outcomes.
First, I did a few Autism tests. All of them came back suggesting I seek advice and guidance of medics. One said: “Based on your responses, you may benefit from seeing a mental health professional for an evaluation, particularly if any of the items on the list impact your ability to be successful in your work or personal life.” The general conclusion was that, yes, there was a decent chance I’ve got a touch of Autism. What a thrill and what a time of life to find out.
Next came Asperger’s. It concluded I had “fairly prominent Asperger’s symptoms” and that I should print out the results and take them to my GP and request a formal assessment. Decisions, decisions, eh? This one was quite easy. As I indicated above, it’s just not worth the hassle.
Actually, I’ve re-read the last sentence and it needs some kind of qualification. I’d love to know whether I have, and have always had Autism and Asperger’s and if there was any prospect of a diagnosis and then treatment, I probably could put up with the hassle. But see above. A fat lot of good the ADHD assessment did me, although I’m so glad I had it. However, there comes a time when you have to throw in the towel.
I have to say that it feels as if once I get diagnosed for one thing, I feel like getting diagnosed for something else. I was told that I might even have some long standing PTSD, too, although the online tests were inconclusive.
You have to be totally honest in these tests, so I definitely don’t have OCD or anything else, at least not yet. There’s always time. If I hear of someone having a test for something that’s not occurred to me I might have, I’ll certainly have a go at that one.
For the time being, maybe forever, having ADHD will have to do. As regards the other stuff, if I get into a conversation about them, I’ll just say I may have them because I’ve got plenty of symptoms. Or better still, I’ll say nothing at all.
When you’re online, you can make a case for all manner of conditions and illnesses that you may have or have had so there must be a chance that you’ll design your symptoms to fit in with a condition. I swear I’m not doing that, but I’ll bet it would be easy.
The internet has a lot to answer for, but I wouldn’t be without it for the world!
