Published on 12, July, 2020
Following a recent ASD 1 diagnosis by a Psychologist who specialises in Autism I've been referred to a Psychiatrist by my GP in relation to other complex health issues. Can anyone offer advice on how I should approach the appointment? I'm actually wondering whether it may be advisable to not mention my ASD diagnosis and see if they come to a similar conclusion however I'm apprehensive that they may contest my ASD diagnosis and concentrate unduly on mental health issues.
I can't think that it's a good idea not to disclose your diagnosis although, as Bunny says, they are likely to be aware of it anyway. I have been referred to a psychiatrist for assessment for autism and they said they were not able to diagnose it. We are complicated and it's quite possible for autism to present as being due to other conditions because symptoms overlap. If you yourself are happy that the diagnosis of autism is sound I should have thought that it can only be helpful that health professionals are made aware (either by you or through medical notes); it should be more straightforward for them and consequently more productive for you. Otherwise they might easily come to a false conclusion, particularly as you are being referred for "other complex health issues" which may well overshadow your autism in that appointment.Mind you, I didn't know that a psychologist would normally be qualified to make a formal ASD diagnosis on their own, though maybe I'm not right about that, and you did say they specialised in Autism, so maybe that's different. If the psychologist has given you their professional opinion that you likely have ASD, that may not constitute a formal diagnosis. In that case the psychiatrist may not be aware, and they might well come to a different conclusion as they don't know you so well and might not have enough evidence to diagnose autism. The important thing then, I suppose, would be to make sure that they have the evidence which would put autism clearly in the frame.
If you haven't had a formal assessment, I guess that may be why your GP is unsure. I think it's probably particularly important then that you make the psychiatrist aware of the factors which led the psychologist to form their professional opinion. The psychiatrist may suggest that you should be referred for formal assessment by a competent team, but for them to do that and for the referral to be accepted they would need to have good grounds for suspecting that you have are autistic.