Published on 12, July, 2020
I have suspected that I am autistic for the past 5 years, but haven't sought a diagnosis because the process and the wait time sounds intimidating. When I mentioned my belief to a friend she dismissed it and said that she thought I was more likely to ADHD then autism. To have the idea so soundly dismissed has made me question everything again. I do fit a lot of the criteria for ADHD as well as ASD though. That said, there are points in both which don't fit so well, leaving me unsure whether this is because I'm female and the criteria set forth in the DSM for both conditions is still very much based on the evidence from studying boys, or because I have other mental health issues and a history of trauma. It certainly doesn't feel there is a clear answer.
It has also made me both more interested in seeking an assessment, because I hate the uncertainty, and more wary of it. And knowing that either assessment journey can be both grueling and protracted I would really like to be sure, at least in my own mind, that I'm pursuing the right thing.
What I would like to do is find a professional to speak to who could help guide me through all this and see which, if any, assessment I should pursue. To be clear, I am not expecting them to diagnose me, just sort through things and give an educated opinion. But I'm not sure who I should turn to for this, would it be a psychiatrist or a psychologist or someone else? I've had a lot of counselling, which has been great, but therapists aren't qualified or allowed to assess this sort of thing, they can only guide you through your own thoughts and feelings, and I really want someone with some expertise to offer an educated and evidence based opinion. I'll be honest and say that I don't really trust my GP to know enough about any of these things as they are not specialists and I don't think they would refer me on as what I'm asking is too vague.
Can anyone offer any thoughts or suggestions about this? Do you think someone like a private psychologist or psychiatrist would be able to help or guide me on this or should I be looking for a different type of professional all together? Or am I looking for the type of guidance that doesn't exist and I'm going to have to work this out on my own?
Any advice would be welcome. Many thanks.
It was a psychiatrist who first suggested that it might be worth me having an autism assessment but she was very clear that she was not an expert and it was only a suggestion.
I subsequently used one of the private clinics listed on the NAS website. They do an initial discussion with you - for an hour or two - to determine if it’s worth doing a full assessment.
That initial assessment cost £250, but obviously I might have wasted a lot more on a full assessment if I wasn’t autistic.
Also worth remembering that a large proportion of autistic people are also ADHD and many carry trauma, so it could be any or all of these things in your case.