Published on 12, July, 2020
My school finally sent through a request to CAMHS for an autism assessment when I was 16 after years of bad mental health and ‘failed counselling sessions’. I was told by a psychotherapist from CAMHS that she was ‘certain’ I’m autistic but that nothing could be done until I had made my way through the long waiting list. Two years later, they told me I had to be transferred to adult services as I had turned 18. They did not give me the details of the NHS service I was being referred to. Another 18 months on and I’ve still not heard anything and am moving house next month to the other side of the country, but have no details for who to contact regarding an update on my position in the waiting list, or to inform on my new address to makes sure I receive any letters for appointments.
How do I find out who I have been referred to in order to get in touch with them? I feel that getting a diagnosis is just as important as it was 3.5 years ago when my mental health was bad as I am now struggling with multiple disabling conditions that only make my existing struggles with socialising and sensory difficulties worse and am not taken seriously by accessibility teams and the benefit system because I do not have a formal diagnosis.
I am also confused because someone I know who lives in the nearest city to my town has managed to get an ADHD diagnosis and a date for an autism assessment long before I’ve had an update on my referral, even though she has only contemplated the idea of a diagnosis for either within the last year. I do begrudge her the opportunity to get those diagnoses but do feel that it unfair for people with severe mental health problems to wait years for the help they need while others can do it very quickly.
Hi and welcome to the community.
If you are in England, then - given that you have already been waiting for such a long time - you might wish to consider asking your GP (existing or upcoming new one) to arrange for your assessment to be carried out via "Right to Choose".
RTC allows you to have your referral changed (or made originally) to an NHS-approved external provider of your choice (eg Psychiatry UK, Clinical Partners and others) rather than typically waiting for much longer by staying on the NHS waiting list. A description of the option as it applies in England is provided here, for example:
> https://www.calderdaleccg.nhs.uk/patient-choice/your-right-to-choose-a-clinically-appropriate-provider-of-neurodevelopmental-services/
More info from the NAS here:
> What is 'Right to Choose'?
This may be how the person you discussed obtained her ADHD diagnosis and autism assessment date so soon, compared with your own wait.
Otherwise, I'd suggest calling CAMHS and asking where your referral was redirected to.