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Advice for diagnosis

NAS81524

I have recently been volunteering this summer for a play scheme for special needs. One of the ladies there has a lot of experience with autism and she can see the characteristics in me. My family, friends, partner and Myself have thought I am autistic for a while now but my doctor told me that I get through life fine so I don’t need a diagnosis. However, I feel that I am struggling with life more than ever because I am struggling to understand who I am and why I do/feel the way I do. I find social situations hard, struggle with social interaction which makes work hard as I feel very isolated, I struggle to regulate my emotions and often have meltdowns and cause arguements because I feel so overwhelmed. I find it hard to maintain healthy relationships with friends, family and partner. I try to be as ‘normal’ as I can so I am accepted in society but after social interaction I am drained mentally and physically from trying to act socially acceptable. Is it worth me fighting for a diagnosis as I am looking to go to university and would like to try to understand myself as much as possible 

Parents

  • Bless you!  I am sick to death of hearing stories like yours about GPs trotting that "maybe you are, but you can cope" line.  They aren't living your life.  I'd make a list of all the reasons why you think you might be autistic, print off and do an AQ50, and a list of reasons why you think you would benefit from a diagnosis. Aside from the problems you list above, you might get better support at university.  I'd then talk to another GP.

    It isn't good enough for them to sit in judgement on our lives like this.  YOU are living your life, not your GP and you are the best judge of whether or not you need an assessment, not the GP.  And I strong believe that every self-identified person who wants an assessment should get one.

    That said, even if you make it past that hurdle, the waiting times are awful.  For that reason, you might want to go private if you can afford it.

    Honestly, some GPs need to wake up to the fact that for every autistic adult who is identified in time, there is potentially an autistic adult who may look OK now, but in being identified avoided a mental health problem later.  Ignoring us could cost the NHS a lot more in the long run.

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  • Bless you!  I am sick to death of hearing stories like yours about GPs trotting that "maybe you are, but you can cope" line.  They aren't living your life.  I'd make a list of all the reasons why you think you might be autistic, print off and do an AQ50, and a list of reasons why you think you would benefit from a diagnosis. Aside from the problems you list above, you might get better support at university.  I'd then talk to another GP.

    It isn't good enough for them to sit in judgement on our lives like this.  YOU are living your life, not your GP and you are the best judge of whether or not you need an assessment, not the GP.  And I strong believe that every self-identified person who wants an assessment should get one.

    That said, even if you make it past that hurdle, the waiting times are awful.  For that reason, you might want to go private if you can afford it.

    Honestly, some GPs need to wake up to the fact that for every autistic adult who is identified in time, there is potentially an autistic adult who may look OK now, but in being identified avoided a mental health problem later.  Ignoring us could cost the NHS a lot more in the long run.

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