To all who have been, or are in the process of, being diagnosed as an adult.

My experience has been that I worked this out for myself initially. I have avoided going to the gp for depression and stress over the years so I have avoided drug treatments. When I eventually went, in the middle of a crisis, with a list of reasons why I thought I had ASD the GP was sceptical but agreed to refer me for diagnosis. I was offered a 12 month wait for a diagnosis so I ended up going private. I have now discovered that the local mental health services are gearing up to deal with ASD in a systematic and proper manner. The local Autism Support Service run by the local mental health trust is now being very useful and supportive.

I don't think that GPs are thinking about the cost, I suspect that many adults present with a very confusing picture and they have little experience of untangling our stories when we present. Their training probably wouldn't have covered it in any detail and they may not be really properly aware of how much benefit there can be from a diagnosis. A diagnosis of ASD should be much cheaper for the NHS than a lifetime of failed drug treatments and all of the consequential comorbities that accompany undiagnosed ASD.

My experience has been that I worked this out for myself initially. I have avoided going to the gp for depression and stress over the years so I have avoided drug treatments. When I eventually went, in the middle of a crisis, with a list of reasons why I thought I had ASD the GP was sceptical but agreed to refer me for diagnosis. I was offered a 12 month wait for a diagnosis so I ended up going private. I have now discovered that the local mental health services are gearing up to deal with ASD in a systematic and proper manner. The local Autism Support Service run by the local mental health trust is now being very useful and supportive.

I don't think that GPs are thinking about the cost, I suspect that many adults present with a very confusing picture and they have little experience of untangling our stories when we present. Their training probably wouldn't have covered it in any detail and they may not be really properly aware of how much benefit there can be from a diagnosis. A diagnosis of ASD should be much cheaper for the NHS than a lifetime of failed drug treatments and all of the consequential comorbities that accompany undiagnosed ASD.