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I suspect that I'm autistic and every time I mention it my friends (and especially my husband) discourage me from the idea of getting a diagnosis. :/
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@Tarale in my (second hand) experience a diagnosis is very expensive and doesn't have much benefit, but any mental health professional will be able to informally say, hey yeah sounds about right
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@atinyfairy my psychologist just said she doesn't know much about that kind of thing, and that's it. The only reason I guess I'm interested in diagnosis is because I alternate between being sure and doubting, and because I would then at least know? It would explain many things.
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@atinyfairy oh
also
it's kind of relevant if I'm raising a kid regardless of if he is autistic
It could/will affect my parenting.
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@atinyfairy well, I definitely find a lot of stuff I read either very relatable, or it explains things, but I'm hesitant to self diagnose, mostly because I also wonder if it's just… other stuff. Or I'm wrong. I'm not very confident in making the call, I guess, same with the other question hanging over my head about sexual identity. So I just have this constant wondering. I don't even know myself.
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@Tarale Sure, but a formal diagnosis is intended mostly to get you access to accommodations due to you from things like government offices or your workplace… in the absence of that need, you can still self-diagnose, "proceed as if", and see if the resources and writings and stuff available to you have anything to offer