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Diagnosis through the NHS

NAS72515

Hi there.

I'm 19 years old, and me, my family, doctors, teachers etc have suspected that I am autistic for as long as I remember. I've been on the waiting list for an assessment for a year, and my local assessment centre have told me that the wait is likely to be another four years at least. My mental health is at a crisis point meaning that I cannot wait that long. I also cant go private as I dont have the means to, and I cant get a job because I have significant social impairments. I've seen a lot of people talk about being able to speed up the wait, but I'm thoroughly confused about if there is anything I can do. Waiting four years just isn't an option for me. If anyone has any experience or advice I would really really appreciate it. 

Thank you for reading, I hope you have a nice day

  • A diagnosis if autism gave me no more support for my mental health than I had before.  They still jsut refer you to the anxiety and depression serivce in my area who i have tried twice and had no joy with.  You can acsess a lot of this mental health stuff anyway, your GP can diagnose anxiety or depression or something like that and you can start councolling or something.  There is sadly not that many specialists for adult autism hence the long waiting lists and I had to wait nearly three years to be diagnosed and that was pre covid lockdowns.

  • Another thing would be to consider why you are looking for a diagnosis and to see if you can get something you want/need before diagnosis. 

    If you need access to certain government benefits then you may need an official diagnosis.

    Other things are achievable without an official diagnosis.

    If you are struggling with mental health, there are services you can access without diagnosis like those mentioned by the other people here. There's also other things like friends, family, certain apps, etc. that can help depending on the nature of the issues.

    If your ability to do day-to-day looking-after-yourself type things is impaired, you may be able to talk to your GP to be needs assessed for care. Which may not require a formal diagnosis.

    If you're looking for information on understanding yourself better then there's a lot of information available out there without a diagnosis. Like on this website. And there's also the forums like this one.

    It's not the same as getting the formal diagnosis but you might be able to fill in some of the gaps while you're waiting.

  • I asked if I could be contacted at short notice if someone else cancelled their appointment. I self-referred after speaking to my GP in January and I've now been diagnosed earlier this week. I know this is quick as my area told me there is up to a 2yr wait. 

  • Hello ,

    I'm really sorry to hear that you're struggling at the moment. I understand that the lengthy wait list is frustrating.

    If you were interested in counselling (NHS & private), you may like to have a look on the Autism Services Directory: http://www.autism.org.uk/directory  under 'Health' & 'Counsellors'

     If there are no counsellors in your area on the directory, you may like to try the links suggested at end of this web page :

     https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/strategies-and-interventions/strategies-and-interventions/counselling#H2_6

    You may like to contact our Autism Helpline team who can provide you with information and advice.

    https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/help-and-support/helpline

    You can call them on 0808 800 4104 (Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm.Please note that the Helpline is experiencing a high volume of calls and it may take a couple of attempts before you get through to speak to an adviser.

    I hope this helps,

    ChloeMod

  • the only way u can speed it up is to tell your GP you are getting worse --- u should report this anyway  so u get the help you need in mean time. You may be suffering from depression and or anxiety so tell your GP.