Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I'm a 28-year-old woman and I strongly believe I have high-functioning Asperger's - I was just wondering if anyone here had successfully obtained a private diagnosis of ASD without having to be referred by a GP? I'm in the North East but there doesn't seem to be anywhere offering this around here.
My reason for seeking a diagnosis is just to put the problems that I've had all my life into context - I'm not seeking any NHS help or any benefits.
I very much doubt I would get a referral from my GP (or any other doctor) as I'm sure it seems that outwardly I am 'coping' - I have a partner and a full-time job, and a range of (fake) social skills that I have been able to mimic from others, but this is all very much an act which is exhausting to perform every day.
I also fully accept that my Aspergers is not causing me as many problems as it does for others, and this is another reason that I would feel uncomfortable taking up a space on an NHS diagnosis waiting list.
Many thanks in advance for your help :)
(PS - Yes I know I'm extremely lucky to be able to afford a private diagnosis - I'm only able to afford it because I was left a small amount of money when my alcoholic mother (who I believe also had AS) died last year. I'm certainly not rich by any means)
Just posting here again as I've really been struggling to actually make contact with people who carry out private diagnoses - I emailed a psychologist in Preston (100 miles from where I live) who I found through Google, and she seemed quite promising, however I can't find her on the list of Chartered Psychologists that's on the BPS website - is a diagnosis worthless if it's not done by a chartered psychologist? I've emailed a couple of other places that seemed to be local to me, one hasn't got back to me at all and the other one turned out to be based in Bristol despite the postcode on the BPS search being about 20 miles from me!
I had a look at the list brought up by the 'aspergers/adults/north east' search linked to above, but I think unfortunately it's a bit misleading as it brings up a lot of people who offer 'Aspergers counselling' as part of the many counselling areas they cover, but few who seem to offer actual Aspergers assessments. Also I would only feel comfortable being diagnosed by a woman, so that's limited my search even more :(
Would anyone be able to give me details of who carried out their diagnosis, as I really feel like I don't even know where to start looking at the moment. Thanks :)