r/autism•
Merlinmast

M43 Does it matter if I get diagnosed?

Newly Diagnosed

Hey guys, super new here. I have been seeing a psychiatrist for 2 years, a therapist for 6 months. it initially started because of my general anxiety and panic attacks. then I found out I was depressed (sertraline made a HUGE difference) which then cascaded into other weird symptoms leaving me with an ADHD diagnosis and Ritalin to help with brain fog and general lack of energy/motivation/focus.

Recently I've been talking to the therapist about more broad issues like emotional regulation and social anxiety/aversion and as the symptoms stack up it points more and more to high functioning autism. Some other traits I only recently noticed:

extreme fixation on my interests both in time investment and depth of info

I have weird rituals which I justify intellectually but in hindsight seem odd, like checking my keys before going through ANY doorway, even ones that don't use keys or 5 seconds after the previous doorway

I struggle learning/following directions if I don't understand why

etc etc

Main question is, if I AM autistic... does it matter? at 43 I feel like I've coped all my life. what would a diagnose change? I'm not seeking disability or anything. I'm just not sure if there's a point.

thanks for any feedback.

Posted Mar 1, 2026, 2:20 PM UTC

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