Hi All,
TL;DR My question is whether it is necessary that a medical doctor makes or supervises an adult ASD diagnosis as opposed to some professional? I am not asking whether a diagnosis is necessary, but when a diagnosis is made does it need to be be made or supervised by a medical doctor.
I was diagnosed with ASD last year by an absolutely brilliant diagnostician who has decades of experience diagnosing adults within the NHS and privately. The assessor is not a medical doctor, but the whole experience was illuminating and really made me feel understood for the first time in my life. My wife was part of the assessment and it really brought us closer together as we learned more about the way my brain works. The diagnosis was a private referral as the NHS wait list for c. 2 years long. We couldn't wait that long and, fortunately, we had the means to go private. The diagnostician can be found in the NAS directory and was responsible for training medical professionals in how to diagnose adults. Their experience, availability and two-stage process were all factors we considered when deciding to proceed with this particular professional.
By contrast, I was also diagnosed with ADHD last year by a psychiatrist (i.e. a medical doctor). That experience was fine overall, but could have been better. It felt the whole process was impersonal and an inflexible box ticking exercise. It didn't make me feel understood or tell me much more about the struggles I was facing.
Today, I had a call with my GP as I feel I have been suffering from severe autistic burnout and have been for some months. My GP was professional and courteous, but raised some concerns that the ASD diagnosis was not conducted or supervised by a consultant medical doctor. I told him that even with an NHS diagnosis, I would have likely been assessed by someone who is not a medical doctor. He went on to say that he had a number of patients who have been assessed and that the assessor would have been supervised by a medical doctor (if they weren't themselves a doctor) and that he felt there may be some ethical concerns. He added that he was reassured that the diagnostic report didn't recommend any "treatment" for ASD.
I know that, technically speaking, an ASD diagnosis is not required in most circumstances and that many people are satisfied with their own conclusions that they have ASD. However, in some situations, a diagnosis may be useful (if not required) when dealing with certain agencies who will rely on that diagnosis (e.g. other medical agencies, mental health teams, local and national government departments, benefits agencies, educational institutions and authorities, etc.).
So my question is: When an ASD diagnosis is made does it need to be be made or supervised by a medical doctor?
Admittedly, my GP's comments have distressed me a little bit and so I am reaching out this community for some insights. Thank you in advance.
