Published on 12, July, 2020
I am a young adult currently at University and I have suspected for a while now that I have AS. I have always been very hidden about my emotions etc and haven't really spoken to anyone about this. From what I have seen from the symptoms and online testing (although I'm aware these may be nonsense) it seems to fit exactly the way I feel.
Having seen many stories from others who have been diagnosed in adulthood I think this seems to be the best way forward in order for me to either get some closure or start to deal with it. I'm aware of the process for a diagnosis, however I'm absolutely terrified to speak to my GP about this, especially if it turns out I'm just being paranoid. Is there any way to bypass this stage and simply go straight to the psychiatrist (not sure how I would cope with this either, but it would be one less step) or otherwise does anyone else have any tips on how they approached their GP?
Any help at all really would be greatly appreciated.
Hi. I was in the same position, not keen on broaching the subject with a GP. I rang the psychiatrist who had been rcommended and got an appointment without a GP referral. I fully understand your hesitation but I felt much better after diagnosis. I live in Ireland.
Hi, my fisrt post on this forum was similar to this a few weeks back. I basically went to the GP's with my girlfriend, mention the scores on test, how I struggled to open up and dint feel the urge to cry often and when I did it was frustration. I mentioned eye contact which he was trying to get with me, and I tried to give him as much as possible but failed miserable. He noticed I was struggling and got the answer from me he needed for a referal.
It wasnt as bad as I thought. I mentioned about struggling in a work environment too.
However I must say...I got a dyslexia diagnosis at uni, It's easier to deal with uni people rather than a gp. They do it all for you (setting appointments up etc), were with the GP you have to cancell stuff and fit it around them. Going through the uni will probably get your support quicker as they will have time frames. TBH other support such as councilling will be way better than NHS too.
For dylexia diagnosis at uni it took me 3 months for an appointment with an Ed Psyche and 3 months for a report.
Some folk were kind enough to advise and put links on the thread I started. Maybe it's worth reading that thread as some of the advice will be relevant? Its only a few post below.
my son is almost 10 and he hasnt got a diagnosis and im struggling to get him one. he is alittle star at school so quiet and placid and goes with the flo although he is due to go into yr 5 in sept he is leveling at 1a/2c for maths and science but for reading and writing he is a 1a i know he his slightly behind but the school says he doesnt warrant an assesment doing because he doesnt have behavioral problems. in the meantime im left feeling like im failing my son as he has terrible out bursts at home and struggles with most every day things. he has sensory issues which school also say he doesnt portray these in school. im just wondering has anyone heard of or been diagnosed with pathological demand aviodance. if so could you please tell me a little about it has i have read a little bit about it and it sounds soo much like my son. thankyou for reading this post
Talk to your university disabled access team. They should be used to this kind of request and have a system in place.
Unfortunately GPs don't seem to be taking adult diagnosis seriously, at least in some areas. But the University disability team may be able to give you some interim assessment options. For example there may be a SENDA research team in the faculty of education and sometimes they can talk to a student.
The main thing is not to let anxiety about this detract from studies, if you can avoid it. Also while the symptoms may seem to read right, there are other causes.
University support teams are supposed to be geared up for this kind of help, but it does vary university to university. First thing is contact them and arrange an appointment. It might take time if they have a waiting list for appointments, but the staff there ought to be familiar with this kind of question.