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Do I do it?

Kippen

Okay, so I'm at this point, do I or don't I go for an autism diagnosis?

I'm 20, female, and starting uni in September, I've always 'functioned' in society but was always different and for the last few years really have just kind of accepted that I am autistic and the few people I've spoken to about have agreed, I shan't bore you all with the details but 'fits like a glove' is pretty close to what I mean. However, I've never bothered with looking to get a diagnosis since everything I've read just says about how long and draining it can be with the nhs, and I can't afford to go private.

Now my issue is that the older I get, the more problems I am experiencing with my ability to adapt to adulthood, and my differences from others are become more and more obvious. So would a diagnosis be worth it at this point in my life? What are the pros and cons? Would it affect what support I can get in uni? Especially with how long it would take. How would I go about getting it started? 

I'm just really stuck as to where I go from here, and the fact that I'm worried about people disbelieving me because of how good I've gotten at acting 'normal' for the small amounts of time that I have to. Anybody have experiences like mine or any advice? Would be much appreciated :) x

Parents

  • Thank you for all your replies, you've all been so helpful :) 

    I was just wondering what the best list would be for female autistic traits? So I've got something I can check through as good points to bring up with my GP and specific evidence of traits I express. 

    Also, would having a formal diagnosis mean I have to declare it, for example, to potential employers? Or would I still be free to disclose that information as and when I wanted to? 

    Thanks for all your help :) I've been building myself up to approach my mum about wanting a formal diagnosis as she'll be my main support throughout the process... logically I know I should have to 'build myself up' to it, but the idea still makes me nervous! Hah! :/ anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm going to go for it, then even though I probably won't be through the system before starting uni at least I can say I'm in the process and they'll hopefully be able to give me the right support. 

  • in reply to Kippen

    You should seek a clinical psychologist with experience in diagnosing adults.

    As an adult, female and with a developed ability to mask, an assessment by someone just seeking to 'tick the boxes' is likely to lead to an unreliable diagnosis.

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