Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi
I spoke to a GP last week through my work health cover and obtained a referral letter to speak to a psychiatrist. Today I spoke to a case worker and will have a conversation with a mental health specialist on Sunday, which will initially be a Q&A session before confirming next steps. The organisation handling this is called CBT Clinics, although looking at their website they do more than just CBT (it may just be a name).
Can others share their experience of beginning the autism diagnosis process as an adult? Is it normal to speak to a mental health professional and do a verbal questionnaire before confirming which route to take? Has anybody else done this privately (such as through a private health cover) as I have? Have you used or heard of CBT Clinics? Sorry, lots of questions. My priority is to obtain a diagnosis.
Hello Bennsky
Welcome to the community. I have listed a couple of pointers below that you may find useful to assist you as well.
You may like to look at our information about autism spectrum disorders: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is.aspx
If you were interested in finding out if you are on the autism spectrum, you would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis.aspx
Furthermore, it is important the professional you see has experience of autism spectrum disorders. You can find details of diagnostic services on our Autism Services Directory in the Assessment and diagnosis section: http://www.autism.org.uk/directory.aspx
You may like to have a look at the following page which includes personal accounts, which may help: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/adult-life/stories.aspx
It might also be useful to pass on information about autism to health professionals when seeking a diagnosis. The following page includes information for a range of health professionals: https://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/professionals-involved.aspx
You may like to contact our Autism Helpline team who can provide you with information and advice . You can contact the team via telephone on 0808 800 4104 (Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm, Friday 9am to 3pm). Please note that the Helpline is experiencing a high volume of calls and it may take a couple of attempts before you get through to speak to an advisor. Alternatively, should you prefer to send a message, you can do so via their webform:
https://www.autism.org.uk/services/helplines/main/questions.aspx
Best Wishes
Lorraine Mod
Thank you so much for summarising everything in one place