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Getting a diagnosis

Mike J-C

Hi everyone. I'm very nervous to be even typing this to be honest. I'm 40 years old and have in the past year been thinking that I may be autistic. For my whole life I have felt different and I originally thought it was just because I'm gay. The more research I've done the more it has made sense and started to click. 

I've always been very anxious about social situations, found it hard to make friends and even harder to keep them as people say I come across as rude. I have to stick to a routine and make lists for everything. I get "stuck" into certain habits - using a particular colour glass etc. I notice small details that others don't, I pick up on background sounds especially from lightbulbs. I also get very passionate about certain things, sometimes to the point of nearing obsession. 

A couple of weeks ago I had a bad anxiety attack that has lead me to talking to my GP, starting anti anxiety meds and therapy sessions. I spoke to the GP about my suspicions of being autistic and she agreed I have autism markers but suggested that there wasn't much in the way of NHS Scotland resource in terms of getting a diagnosis for adults. I'm now at a bit of a loss at what to do next. 

I'm kind of also struggling with the aspect that I remember my parents taking me to a psychologist as a child but my Mum was resistant to the process so it didn't go anywhere beyond the first session. 

Any guidance on what I can do to try to get a diagnosis would be a great help, thank you. 

Mike 

  • Thank you all for your replies - all very helpful thank you. I think I'll do the online tests as suggested and go from there. 

  • Spreadsheets&Pizza said:
    and I actually got my confirmed diagnosis today.

    S&P... Welcome to 'the club'. I hope your diagnosis brings you the peace of mind mine has. But give yourself a little time to get used to it, after all, it is an incredibly important piece of knowledge to take on board.

    Ben

  • Mike J-C said:
    For my whole life I have felt different and I originally thought it was just because I'm gay.

    Hi Mike........ I could have written that line myself!    It took me a long time to work out that I actually had two things going on.

    I have received abuse all my life for my sexuality and for a long time thought that was my 'difference' yet there was always a nagging doubt.  I was not assesed for ASD until I was in my sixties, they just didn't consider it when I was young. I saw various psychologists over the years (or decades!) but they all thought I was burying a past trauma deep inside, or was hung up about my sexuality, or had a bad relationship with a parent or something else of that nature.  Well,  they were all wrong.

    I'd just about had enough of the NHS mental health services, all they'd done was turn me into a prescription junky, so about three years ago I went for a private assessment.... and ticked so money boxes that I was soon diagnosed. 

    Simply having my condition recognised has done more things for my mental health than anything else has; I now know better than ever just who I am.  

    By the way, we are not rude, it's just that many of us tend to see things in black and white, right or wrong, truth or lies.... and don't see 'grey' areas in the middle, so we tend to tell things how they are.

    I think you should consider getting a private assessment, although I must warn you they can be expensive... you have to 'shop around' as the price can vary tremendously.  The NHS don't actually recognise a private assessment as a diagnosis, but as there's no treatment and no cure, that doesn't really matter, just having it recognised changed my life for the better.

    Btw, there are a number of posters on this forum in exactly the same position as you and I. A late diagnosis seems pretty common. Also, some folk do their research and simply self-diagnose and leave it at that.

    I wish you well, whatever you decide to do.

    Ben

  • I feel a bit like that too. Some bits fit other stuff not so much. Dr have said all sorts of things ADHD Autism, BPD & C-PTSD and to be honest bits of all ‘fit’ but I’m left feeling more broken and confused than ever Disappointed 

    will it even make a difference to find out? I think I’m a piece of a puzzle in the wrong box so I’ll never ‘fit’ or belong … 

  • Hi Mike,

    When I asked for a referral my GP sent the 10 question AQ survey which I filled in (can't remember my score, but it was strongly suggestive of autism). They referred and I got initially rejected by the company they outsourced the assessments to as there was insufficient evidence of autism. I think my GP literally just sent the questionnaire with none of the details of our conversation. As I had a copy of the letter I contacted the company directly and asked then what info they needed - I then wrote several pages of all of my traits in different categories (social issues, sensory, behaviours etc) and what the impact on my life was. My wife and my manager at work also noted things that they had observed. Soon after that I got a reply and they accepted me onto the waiting list for assessment, and I actually got my confirmed diagnosis today.

    I would put together something similar for your GP that details your traits and the impact that it has on your life. You may want to do the AQ10 or AQ50 test (free online) and add your score too. Given your history as a child and your current situation (I can relate to this bit as I'm also doing therapy for anxiety) tell them it's important that you're getting something that is appropriate to your needs, and understanding that you may think and respond differently to a NT is an important part of that.

    good luck.