New here!

You're most welcome, and not a bother at all. Pretty much everyone here joined with an awful lot of questions to ask, and the more detail you give, the more likely that you'll find someone who's had similar experiences.

Arrogant doctors who don't know autism half as well as they think, and having a misdiagnosis on your records that no-one else looks beyond, are sadly, rather common.

There are a couple of points that I think it's important to keep in mind right now

Firstly, the questionnaire. These are designed specifically to test whether you have a significant subset of autistic traits. They are not enough for a definite diagnosis, but their entire purpose is to identify people who should be assessed further. They are are not just internet surveys; they are scientifically validated clinical tests. Any doctor or psychologist who ignores this indication is not doing their job properly!

Secondly, you now have your referral, albeit maybe some time off. Once this happens you will be seeing people who are trained to understand your condition. As I've said before, they're usually not just better at diagnosing autism, they're better at taking what autistic people say seriously, and better at treating us more kindly!

MiniBluberryMuffin said:

You are a strong individual for baring? bearing? with that

Thankyou, I often wish I felt more like I was myself. Maybe if I took my own advice more often it would help!

MiniBluberryMuffin said:

Oh and I am finding all of these responses beneficial and reassuring!

I'm glad to hear that. They have been a massive help to me too - far more than any of the professionals with fancy letters after their name have been. (no disrespect to any members with fancy letters after their name intended! )

That is nice to know. Thank you!

Well done for being patient...must've been a struggle. That applies to everyone else who had to wait a while, or struggled in general.

I hope I would find the assessment worth it. I fear when I do I would be treated, well, unfairly because of my past experiences, but I will, or try to remain optimistic :)

Thank you for your time~~

Brace yourself I have a bit to say, sorry. I hope I am not too much of a bother.

I believe I did use my intellect to mask some of my possible traits, and when I broke down, i.e, a particular tragic life event that took place or just finding dealing with change all the more harder, I became suicidal, which is why it was said I have BPD.

I got a lot of nonsense for researching my symptoms. Dr's were certainly not fond of it. The Dr ended up saying I replicate people's symptoms since I have been to a few services (I wouldn't dare; besides, what she said was silly. There was nothing to replicate lol). She also said since I write about mental health at university (was a creative writing student), I replicated the symptoms I supposedly researched. I write about my own mental health. She said all of this is explained by my personality. I know some of the things that I mentioned were a bit weird, ie, having odd beliefs, but I wasn't necessarily psychotic, but I wasn't lying. Makes me feel insecure and that the Dr is correct since she is a professional and they always have to be right (I am beginning to understand this view is a bit flawed based off of my friends response to that, but I can't help but think this way). What she said is written on the system and the team I am under now would believe this and think I am liar. I do struggle with explaining myself and expressing my emotions, and she said every appointment I state something new and I am jumping from one symptom to the next so I am a liar. Basically I am hurt but that is my fault I am very sensitive.

I apologise for your experiences. You are a strong individual for baring? bearing? with that, and all the others who have dealt with similar experiences. I am too emotional so I can't deal with what the Dr said oops, so I applaud you and the many others who have been through a similar thing.

Oh and I am finding all of these responses beneficial and reassuring! I'm glad I joined this community~~

See you soon,thank you

Nice ramble, all this talk about multiple mental health teams and confusion about diagnosis.  Is very familiar to me and you sound as if you belong here.

I also got bounced about from one mental health service to another.  

I was very ignorant about autism at first.  After my latest suicide attempt, my mental health workers starting talking about autism and Asperger's .  I was confused because I don't shout abuse at strangers in the street. I got Asperger's confused with Tourette's syndrome.

I have not been diagnosed with ASD either, but I certainly got sent to plenty of shrinks as a child. I hope you find the tools to understand yourself

Welcome to the forum.

Your experience of multiple "you might have this" suggestions that never become formal diagnoses isn't unusual, unfortunately. I had this problem for several decades before my autism was recognised and diagnosed. As the video posted by Graham shows, this can be particularly true for women, and also for those of us who have learned to use our intellect to compensate for our autistic traits - for example, the way that we can swing from being able to mask our traits well sometimes, and then at other times barely at all due to stress etc., is often mistaken for bipolar disorder or BPD.

Don't worry at all about your diagnosis not being formal yet; a lot of people end up in your situation of waiting a long time for the suggestion to be confirmed, and we're used to that around here. It is quite normal to experience a certain amount of "imposter syndrome", and many of us here know exactly what that feels like. Doing some research before your assessment is no bad thing, as you may learn things about yourself which you otherwise wouldn't think were relevant. What really matters is whether or not you recognise the issues discussed here, and if so, whether the advice you pick up is beneficial.

Hi,

You've come to the right place for rambling . And there is need to be sorry. For me the forum is for all sorts . People with all sorts of questions around autism and the myriad of spectrum related conditions whether you have one, think you might or just want to find out more .

The pricepr can be very different dependant on where you are. For me in Suffolk it took over a year from initial appointment to diagnosis but was worth it as i have  learned more about myself and this has helped me to cope and make positive changes in my life. 

The fact that you are interested in finding out more is a good thing, and you have nothing to lose by moving ahead. You can stop it at any time!

Stay positive and keep rambling!