I haven’t been diagnosed with autism. If this question comes across as entitled or ableist, I offer my sincere apology in advance.
My wife thinks I’m autistic. Occasionally I wonder myself.
What is involved in getting a diagnosis?
If a diagnosis is acquired, what is the benefit? AFAIK there is no treatment, right? In fact, based on my reading on Lemmy, there may be downsides to being officially recognized (not due to the individual but due to the responses, especially by bureaucracy).
If I am, the only downside in my life has been being shunned and referred to as weird. Maybe being unsure of how to respond to the loss of those close to me. My career has been excellent because of things related to my apparently unusual personality.
Should I pursue this?
the decision of whether or not to pursue an official diagnosis is a pretty personal one. there’s a lot of variables, depending on your individual situation, but yeah there’s not usually a whole heck of a lot of material benefits if you aren’t still in school.
most adults who go for a doctor’s diagnosis do so because they value getting that second, professional, opinion on the matter. it can help settle down all that second guessing. but, it isn’t strictly necessary. most autistic communities are perfectly fine with self-diagnosis; you can learn the diagnostic criteria yourself and do your own research, and no random doc is gonna know you better than you know yourself.
It would be nice to know. I’m long out of school, so the only potential real impact on my life is socialization and fortunately I don’t need to worry about that too much.