Diagnostic Assessment

Hi all, I have my autism diagnositic assessment next month and it is causing me alot of apprehension and anxiety.

I am 32 female and like many will be late diagnosed, I have a lot of bad experiences with metal health professionals where I have frequently been misdiagnosed or not listened too, or simply told medication will fix it all.

I am due to previous experiences worried I will again have a bad experience not receive a diagnosis and essentially feel like I fail at life due to all the struggles I have being autistic. 

Did anyone else in a similar situation have the same concerns? How was your experience? 

I am also aware the assessment can be quite draining so any advice on what to expect would be great

Thank you 

Parents
  • Hi, I just got my diagnosis two hours agoGrinning. Qom exhausted but I think that’s to do with all the worry and tension beforehand, rather than today’s interview. 
    The thing is, different assessment providers seem to use different approaches. Mine was 1) the DISCO test, which is just questions about symptoms/traits, no telling stories or describing tooth brushing. It took a long time though, almost two hours. 2) an interview with a psychiatrist. Lots more questions about your life from childhood, work issues, relationships, mental health. I’d made lots of notes beforehand which was really useful. 
    Both interviews needed another person to be with me and answer questions about me. The longer they’ve known you the better, but it didn’t have to be family of origin. I had my husband and he was really useful. 
    Like you, I’ve been thinking and worrying about this for weeks. It’s a great relief that it has gone the way I wanted, it means so much to me.

    i really hope you get what you want and need too.

  • Hi, I just got my diagnosis two hours ago

    Congratulations!

Reply Children