How does one get diagnosed?

Sorry if this is in the wrong place or has been asked before.

It seems like a lot of people dislike self-diagnoses (and sometimes even real ones). To me, a diagnosis would be a huge relief as I have always wondered what's "wrong" with me.

I had always suspected I was on the autism spectrum, but I as I've been dropping my fake persona lately I'm starting to realize I really have no use/desire for friendships, relationships, romance, or sex. I just don't get what the big deal is.

I've had "friends" and (very strained online) relationships in the past (my second one recently ended; he said I was "indifferent" to his love). These were mainly just to appear normal, so people would not notice/worry about me.

I really don't enjoy anything, I have no hobbies, but I do a lot of things just to make use of myself and to distract me from negative thoughts.

I also relate to the fantasy worlds, I have several, some which are years old, that I slip into when I'm bored.



On the other hand...

I do like conversing with people, but that's really all I can handle. It is partially just "for show" and for practice appearing normal. I like to be kind to those who deserve kindness, but I cannot imagine getting too "close" with them.

I sometimes get lonely (or more accurately: bored with being alone). People are fun to watch, and I get obsessed with some of them (from a distance - like fictional characters. I sometimes turn real people into my own made-up characters in my mind).

I also feel empathy for some people, animals, and even inanimate objects, in situations I can imagine myself being in.

and I am very attached to my parents. They have always been my only real friends.

I am 25.



So, what do you all think? And what should I do now?

Find a psychiatrist or psychologist or some other kind of professional who can ask you effective questions and look at your history. Once you've done that you can expect a diagnosis, whether or not it's SPD depends on the opinion of the professional.

hermelin wrote:To me, a diagnosis would be a huge relief as I have always wondered what's "wrong" with me.

Be careful of the answer that you find a 'huge relief' as it may stop you looking further.
It may be that you have a combination of different personality traits, some of which may fade as you mature and some deepen.
That's possibly why some people spend a lifetime in therapy - though I'm personally dismissive of most therapy.

I was diagnosed during unrelated treatment for stress, it sort of came up after several hours worth of CBT (therapy). You can go the diagnosis route if you want, but I think it's more awkward than people generally mention. Clinicians like psychologists and psychiatrists apply treatments to mental illnesses. So basically, if you go into an appointment requesting their opinion on a self-diagnosis, but you don't want actual treatment for something considered to be a health disorder, then they're going to wonder why you are there.

I think that their opinion is valuable but they get kind of confused and underestimate our introspectiveness. Just be prepared for the "So exactly, why are you here?" issue to come up, and figure out exactly what you want out of a professional diagnosis.

hermelin wrote:Sorry if this is in the wrong place or has been asked before.

It seems like a lot of people dislike self-diagnoses (and sometimes even real ones). To me, a diagnosis would be a huge relief as I have always wondered what's "wrong" with me.

I had always suspected I was on the autism spectrum, but I as I've been dropping my fake persona lately I'm starting to realize I really have no use/desire for friendships, relationships, romance, or sex. I just don't get what the big deal is.

I've had "friends" and (very strained online) relationships in the past (my second one recently ended; he said I was "indifferent" to his love). These were mainly just to appear normal, so people would not notice/worry about me.

I really don't enjoy anything, I have no hobbies, but I do a lot of things just to make use of myself and to distract me from negative thoughts.

I also relate to the fantasy worlds, I have several, some which are years old, that I slip into when I'm bored.



On the other hand...

I do like conversing with people, but that's really all I can handle. It is partially just "for show" and for practice appearing normal. I like to be kind to those who deserve kindness, but I cannot imagine getting too "close" with them.

I sometimes get lonely (or more accurately: bored with being alone). People are fun to watch, and I get obsessed with some of them (from a distance - like fictional characters. I sometimes turn real people into my own made-up characters in my mind).

I also feel empathy for some people, animals, and even inanimate objects, in situations I can imagine myself being in.

and I am very attached to my parents. They have always been my only real friends.

I am 25.



So, what do you all think? And what should I do now?

My view is that you don't need someone to diagnose you. YOU can diagnose YOU. As long as you've studied your material on what mental ailment you think you have and have ruled out other ailments and what not, a self-diagnosis is the best.

The advantage here is that you are not misguided by a "mental health expert", who may not really have much knowledge about what your condition really is. There is that whole deal with hiding behind "credentials" or "signals". It's important not to take any "mental health expert" overly serious, as a rule of thumb.

Ultimately, it is up to each individual to define who they are.

I was diagnosed after being seen for 6+ months about an unspecified bipolar disorder, but I didn't find out until my third therapist mentioned it to me about a year later.

Personally, I don't know if getting a diagnosis really changed anything. It gave me an explanation for why I've been the way I've been since childhood, sure, and I guess in a way having that was a "relief" in that it helped my therapist and I decide that trying to fight it as much as I had been was causing half of the problems I was having, but really, it was just...a thing that happened, being diagnosed. Nothing special, even more so since my therapist at the time didn't really see it as a problem that needed to be "fixed"; certainly not in the way that my being bipolar did/does.

That is not to say that I don't think you should seek a diagnosis if you well and truly want one, just don't go into it expecting that Something's Going to Change as a result of having it. I guess it'd really depend on why you want one, and what you think you'll get out of having it, because the professional doing the diagnosing would probably want to know.