Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi everyone. I’m in need of little guidance and help please in understanding how I get can get a diagnosis. I’m reading posts and guidance on this great site but finding it a little overwhelming and unsure where to begin. Thank you
CedarWood84 said:how I get can get a diagnosis
My first stop would be to try a free online diagnosis to see if you come close to the requitements otherwise you may well be wasting a lot of money going private. Try "autism online test free" in yout search engine of choice and look for .ORG sites (ie non profits) and try their free tests.
I would suggest doing this in a private browser window on your computer so the cookies don't get retained.
In the event this does indeed suggest you are autistic then the NHS will take forever. I used Harley Psychiatrists about 3 years ago and it only took a few weeks for my meeting - there were a bunch of questionaires to fill out and tests to take then I had a zoom meeting with the psychiatrist to review the test.
I would suggest reading up on what are autistic traits so you can identify which you have and take time to document how you exhibit these and the impact they have on your life. This is great material to take into the meeting so you are not going in blind and can get the most out of it.
The site for the company is:
https://harleypsychiatrists.co.uk/
I have no connection other than as a patient.
Once you have a diagnosis (or not) then it is worth taking time to find a psychotherapist with experience of autistic patients and take some time to talk over the issues that are most concerning you - these are worth it when you find a therapist that can really understand you and help you process all the trauma that the traits have caused over the years plus how to develop effective coping strategies going forward.
Good luck.
This is great advice. Thank you very much