Published on 12, July, 2020
I'm getting more stressed about my assessment. I think it's the not knowing what will happen, where will it be, who will be there. I get really stressed when it's something new and I have no way of doing any research. Can you tell me what will it be like, how many people will be there, what sort of questions get asked, how long does it last for. Sorry I'm just trying to get a picture in my mind of what could happen on the day
Does a psychiatrist assess you for autism or is it someone else?
In the NHS not usually.
I was assessed by a (mental health?) nurse and a speech therapist.
( Technically autism is a childhood developmental disorder and not a mental health disorder but often they are dealt with by the same people particularly as people who are autistic may have other co-morbidities such as anxiety or depression which can be mental health disorders depending on how severe they are.)
I found a list on line and it could be:-
- a speech and language therapist
- a clinical psychologist
- an occupational therapist
- a psychiatrist
- a nurse
- a specialist gp
or
- a specialist diagnostician whatever they are
This is for adults in Scotland but the list should be similar elsewhere although slightly different for children
ideally you would be seen by at least two people with different qualifications
Of these I think I am correct in saying the highest qualified is a psychiatrist. Certainly as far as I am aware only a psychiatrist could have diagnosed your bipolar.
Given psychiatrists are scarce in the NHS it makes sense for the NHS to use psychiatrists just for work only they can do and leave work like autism assessments to more junior staff.
in the private sector however psychiatrists will do whatever they are qualified to do as long as you pay them enough.
if you have a look on the nhs website there is a link to what to expect during an assessment.
It wasn't for me (NHS), but I know at least some of the people who got assessed privately were seen by psychiatrists.