How long can it take to get an Adult diagnosis in London? What kind of help will a diagnosis be to me? What support can I get?

Kat said:

My psychiatrist sent a letter to my GP saying how urgent it is that I get an ASD diagnosis. How long do you think it will take? Do you think my psychiatrist's letter will speed up the process?

Your GP should be able to give you an indication of how long the waiting list is in your area. I don't think that the letter will make any difference to that. As stated already there is an option of going private if you want to speed things up.

Kat said:

What kind of help will a diagnosis be? What kind of support will I get?

A diagnosis will help you to understand yourself better and why you have struggled so much in your life. It won't automatically entitle you to support. It will entitle you to 'reasonable adjustments', including at college and in any workplace in the future. 

Kat said:

I have great difficulty with change and missed many years of school because of this. I want to do my a level exams but every time I tried I didn't go last minute because the anxiety was too overwhelming.

Anxiety is unfortunately very common among the autistic population. I know I have suffered with it for as long as I can remember and like you missed a lot of school because it was so overwhelming.

If you try again for your A levels you could try applying for reasonable adjustments as self diagnosed. Just explain that you are on the waiting list and how your anxiety affects you. It's worth a try and you may be allowed extra time or the possibility of sitting the exams in a less overwhelming place.

Kat said:

He says I am supposed to be able to get support and help from autistic services.

A lot of people have a perception that there is support and help available for autistic adults. The reality is that for most it simply does not exist. The best support is from joining peer groups, such as any local autism support groups in your area or places such as this.

Kat said:

My life is ruined.

Please try not to panic. You are just starting out your life as an adult and there is plenty of time to either catch up or choose a different path. Many of us on here have been diagnosed much later in life.

Kat said:

What kind of therapy can I get to help force myself to adjust to a normal life?

Kat said:

I have tried various forms of therapy and am on antidepressants now and I'm still doing very bad. What therapy can make me force myself to get an education, do my exams, etc?

It is generally not a good idea to try to force yourself to do things to be 'normal'. That will only lead to more pressure on you and you will likely feel even more overwhelmed. Taking things slowly at your own pace is the key and there is no quick fix therapy.

I would question if the antidepressants are actually helping you. I have been prescribed them in the past and found that they actually made my anxiety much worse and I became extremely agitated on them. They don't necessarily work in the intended way on autistic brains.

Kat said:

My psychiatrist says ASD is most likely underlying my mental health issues. He says I need support to manage my ASD properly so I won't be mentally sick anymore...

It is an unfortunate fact that the prevalence of anxiety and depression is much higher among the autistic population. We are living in a world designed for the other 99% of the population and everything so often feels so confusing and overwhelming.

Your psychiatrist seems to misunderstand ASD somewhat. It is not a mental health condition to be 'managed'. It is a lifelong difference in the way the brain is wired and how it works. 

While you are waiting for a diagnostic assessment you could do a lot of research yourself online, to discover more about autism and how you think it may affect you. There is a lot of information on this website. Another good one to start with is https://aucademy.co.uk/starting-your-autistic-discovery-journey/

There are often a lot of posts like yours, it doesn’t mean yours isn’t valid. If you have the money for a private assessment, then you are looking at between £1500 to £1800, cheaper for online assessment. The NHS waiting list is about 2-3 years. You can ask for “A right to choose” from your provider. The NHS will fund a private provider which will be quicker. To be honest all the private providers have waiting lists now. Unfortunately you are now an adult, so you might not even get any follow on care.

Thats the harsh reality, sorry if I sound blunt. Spend time now looking into autism and see how you can start to piece it all together and work out how you are different. It’s not a sprint, look at as more of a marathon. You will soon start to see why certain things affect you so much and hopefully see how to start to manage them.

Nothing really helps my current challenges. Strategies don't help me. I don't have friends and my mum does everything she can I guess. I need everything fixed urgently or I will get worse and worse. There is no pressure on me but I feel miserable. My psychiatrist says ASD is most likely underlying my mental health issues. He says I need support to manage my ASD properly so I won't be mentally sick anymore... This is why a diagnosis is urgent.

Hi Kat - I can really sense the sense of panic in your message - I’m so sorry you are feeling like this. I understand why as your psychiatrist is talking about things being ‘urgent’ etc. But I think this vibe is really not helpful. Getting a diagnosis through the NHS will mean a long waiting list. In the meantime you need help with your current challenges and difficulties - so you need to access all the support you can. Is your psychiatrist giving you effective strategies to help you? And do you have good support from family or friends? 
Don’t worry - you will get through this. I imagine that you are feeling overwhelmed at the moment. But you are very young and you have plenty of time to work everything out. It’s ok - please don’t feel everything is ruined - it really isn’t - you’re just experiencing a bit of crisis but you will get through it. What helps and comforts you? I think you need to remove/reduce (if you can) some of the aspects of your life that are pressurising you. You’re not alone - people in this community are very supportive, understand the sort of things you’re struggling with, and we’re here for you.