Published on 12, July, 2020
I am in the midst of the diagnosis process. I have given up waiting for the NHS - I am now into the second year of waiting - so Have gone private. The company I have chosen employs psychiatrists who are expert in all kinds of mental health issues including bipolar, depression, self harm, personality disorders etc etc and also ADHD and ASD.
Please can someone tell me why I need to see psychiatrist for an ASD diagnosis when surely ASD (and ADHD) are neuro developmental disorders not mental health disorders?
That's a very good question.
I think NHS commissioners are now realising they can cut waiting times for diagnosis by getting psychologists and allied health professionals (who command much more modest salaries than psychiatrists) to do autism diagnoses so long as they are fully trained in ADOS-2. A neurologist might be more appropriate in some cases. Many psychiatrists have unhelpful preconceptions about autism and little relevant training - rather shown in this other thread today. That presumably won't be the case for the specialist you see. My diagnosis on the NHS involved a psychiatrist, a psychologist and a social worker, and took about a year. I do think you need at least two opinions to confirm a diagnosis.
Good luck, anyway.