Published on 12, July, 2020
Hiya (Waves) I am Vistauk and from East Midlands looking for friends
I am 35 but look alot younger for my age and still a child at heart and still have to wear nappies for my mental heath
Hugs & Cuddles to all
Hello!
Hi qwerty, how are you and what brings you here?
Thanks for sharing. I'm happy for you that you have finally found the answer! I have been really stressed thinking about assessment, as I feel I might not know how to deal with the results. I'm glad that you have reached the acceptance phase, and I hope this additional understanding of yourself will help you in the future.
After my first appointment I kinda guessed i was asd. The second appointment when I was officially diagnosed came as a huge relief. I walked out of his office a different person. I finally find out who I really am. It mainly came as a "differential diagnosis" for 20 years I had been treated for depression/ social anxiety by various gps. The previously undiagnosed asd was the cause of my problems, rather than any particular "external factors". It's around 6 weeks since now, I must inform you for me it felt a bit like bereavement. There's an initial relief that finally you have an answer, next came a very flat numb feeling, thirdly depression. Now I'm in the acceptance phase. So beware even after diagnosis it will probably be an emotional rollercoaster for you.
Hi NAS37390. Nice to hear your reply. Thanks for sharing your experience! I have gone to the GP and did a questionnaire with a nurse, and am still waiting for the assessment. I also feel it is a very long exhausting process. Congratulations on finally getting a diagnosis! Did you find the assessment stressful at all?(I hope we're not digressing too much from Vistauk's original thread. Vistauk, please feel free to tell us more about yourself.)
From my gp writing a referral to the psychiatrist and getting the final diagnosis was around 10 months. What stage in the assessment process are you? In my case I visited the psychiatrist twice with an 18 week gap between times. 18 weeks is supposed to be the upper limit on seeing a specialist according to nhs guidelines. It was a long exhausting process, and I pity anyone who has to endure it. I could have been diagnosed privately in Birmingham (I'm based in Nottingham) if I had £850 for the 2 or 3 hour assessment!
I'm actually quite new here too. I'm in the process of waiting for an assessment. I found it helpful to read people's experiences on here, and try to help out when I can by answering other people's treads.