Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello,
I haven't told anyone about getting a diagnosis, mostly because I am afraid of being wrong or their reactions. A few months ago I worked up the courage to go to the doctor after being terrified of getting help for over 6 years, to request a formal diagnosis. Filled out a really long form in which I scored likely to have autism, doctor herself said she thinks I'm ND, so we fill out this questionnaire together and she sends it off to the ASD team. A month later I find out I have some missed phone calls and see from my patient record I was denied a referral for not having enough traits despite having a 'high score'. They recommend getting a further appointment with the team for a further questionnaire and referral. I don't have the courage to pick up the phone and I've been struggling alone for years feeling like an alien. Every 'help' that is offered always requires phone call or verbal communication which I struggle to cope with. When I went for the initial appointment I couldn't get the words out of my throat and ended up crying in front of the doctor. Are there any resources where I can communicate with someone or get help through messages or email? And what should I do regarding the referral denial? I know private is an option but I doubt I can afford it and it still involves the whole process of communicating with people. I've been trying to get a formal diagnosis so I 'know' for sure and I can finally tell people and lift this weight that's been on my shoulders for several years, it gets so overwhelming I feel like I can't breathe sometimes. I don't want to tell people I have ASD and be self-diagnosed without an expert opinion.
Could I please have some advice or suggestions and has anyone else felt this way or had this experience?
Thanks.
In my experience, they always need you to call/ talk to someone which is really annoying. For some people who are ND that's hard, and for me and a few of my friends it was really difficult for us to get help for our anxiety/ depression due to having to make contact with a bunch of people when our condition made it super hard.
Is there any possibility you could go back to the GP and have them advocate for you? Could you write down what you want to say on a sheet of paper and either read off of that or have whoever read it themselves?
That's how I managed to get through seeing a GP about my anxiety. I wrote everything down and then read it out to them.
I definitely think you should keep going, though! I know it can be really hard, but you deserve to get this diagnosis.
Thank you, this is very encouraging. Usually when I make appointments I write down what I want to say and read it aloud to the GP, it does help getting my thoughts in one place.