Hello

Well I went to my GP today to ask for a referral.  His response was that he is 100% committed to helping me.  He said he had written a letter to the PCT back in February/March  and hasn't had a response.  He has said that he will chase this up and that if I haven't heard anything in 2 months, i'm to book another appointment with him.  I feel as though I am no further to getting a referral and am wondering whether he will actually chase the PCT up and do something.  I have said to him that I will go and see another GP if I don't hear anything.  I think he also said that he has contacted an organization called OATS?  I'm a bit despondent as I'm not sure if I feel I can trust my GP and not sure what I should do next, I guess just wait for 2 months to see if I hear from somone about a referral.

Hi Muselib,

Good luck with the doctor. I'm Shelley mother to Jack aged 21 with ASD. After he was diagnosed we realised my (now ex) husband probably had it too so we went to the GP. I guess it was easier because of the diagnosis of my son but I recall that if you present some research and point out how the signs correlate with you they should take you seriously and refer you to a psychiatrist or psychologist for an assessment. There are definite advantages to being diagnosed, you may be able to get Disability Living Allowance for a start. My ex chose not to go down that route but it's available to claim for. Also should you ever need to be rehoused you should be given priority because they will consider you 'vulnerable'. You may have social groups in your area where you can meet others with ASD. Above all you can learn to like yourself because you'll know that there is a reason for everything.

I've booked an appointment with my GP this Thursday and have printed out some information that hopefully will be usueful for him to look at.  My mum is still not sure what it will achieve going to see my GP.  I KNOW that I have nothing to lose by seeing him  and I will say to him that if he won't refer me to someone that I will register with another dr if he is unwilling to help me.

That, like so many things, varies depending on where you live, and how good your GP is.

For me, it was a matter of weeks rather than months. But I know for some it can months, if not years.

I think, however, it helps if you already suspect you have Autism/Asperger's (as I did), because that way you can ask to be refered to a psychologist who specialises in diagnosing autistic spectrum disorders, rather than going to your gp and being all vague about 'not being like other people', which will get you referred to a general psychatrist and probably having to go through several misdiagnoses and failed treatment for conditions you don't have.

I DO feel I need to be diagnosed as I can't go on the way I am.   I know I have to forget what other people think and do what I think is right.  Life sucks for me right now and hopefully being diagnosed will help somehow go towards solving some of my problems .  I would like to know out of interest, how long on average does it take to get referred, in all of your experiences might there be a waiting list to see someone?  Is it a long process and do they (the psychologist) tell you straight away after assessing you you whether you have AS?

muselib said:

I have taken your advice and have booked an appointment with my GP to see if I can get referred with a psychologist and will take it from there.  I realise that I need to do something and need to take one step at a time.  I'll let you know how I get on.

good luck

remember tho, disagnosis is important but if it does'nt happen it does'nt change that you KNOW you have a.s and you can deal with that, even just suspecting you have it and not having a diagnosis is enough to change your life and make it easier for you

I have taken your advice and have booked an appointment with my GP to see if I can get referred with a psychologist and will take it from there.  I realise that I need to do something and need to take one step at a time.  I'll let you know how I get on.

muselib said:

Hi guys thanks for replying.  I think the main thing for me is if  I do get diagnosed with having Aspergers that I will feel like i've got a big sign on my forehead.  I know i'm odd,

  what's the use when you can't even have a proper conversation with other 'normal' people and they shut you out all the time because you are boring and uninteresting and are seen as odd.  

if YOU want diagnosis , get diagnosis, if YOU dont, dont

forget what other people want,

yes it will mean society sees you differently, but, dont they see you that way now?

and yes it could affect future jobs etc but from my experience my partner with as who IS diagnosed, people still dont seem to get it, they still treat him 'normally' and still expect the same things they expected before

so in reality, it doesnt change societys view or expectations, unless you know the people in you rworkplace well enough to be able to explain to them how it affects you , and they listen and understand, its probably not gonna make a big difference , sad as that is

you cant have a 'proper' conversation, ok i understand how thats frustrating, but for me, the best conversaions ive had (and yes i admit im very biased here ) is with my partner, he has this 'insight' that i never knew about, his way of looking at things, you dont get that same thing with 'proper' conversation, and i can tell you, a lot of the time 'proper conversation is not very fulfilling, especially if you can have more with someone else who actually knows you

Hi guys thanks for replying.  I think the main thing for me is if  I do get diagnosed with having Aspergers that I will feel like i've got a big sign on my forehead.  I know i'm odd, i've never felt like I've had a normal life, but hey what's 'normal' anyway.  I suppose I have done normal things like go on holiday, go to work, but what's the use when you can't even have a proper conversation with other 'normal' people and they shut you out all the time because you are boring and uninteresting and are seen as odd.   There is this autistic guy and his girlfriend that get on my bus ocaasionally and I get on well them, but it's not enough, I would love to get on with normal people, be able to crack a joke, understand a joke, etc...

first things first, hey there muselib, second, why hate yourself? your a person with aspergers, its nothing to hate , its just a fact of who youare

i dont have a facebook account, but from what i hear its not a great place for trying to talk 'seriously' with people, and is losing favour all the time and i wouldnt take much stock in the fact you dont know what to say on it, i wouldnt know what to say on it either and im an nt 

ok, your doctor, whether hes 'interested' or not is irrelevant, if you feel you need to be diagnosed, then you get a doctor who is willing to listen to your concerns and  not put up with someone who you feel has dismissed you in any way 

i think you might be suffering some depression as well, and that isnt gonna be helping you so you need to talk to the doctor about that as well

and as talking to a general consillor hasnt helped you, you need to discuss having one that will meet your needs, tho id be prepared for a wait, you know the waiting lists 

Hi muselib,

Some of what you wrote in your post sounds awfully familiar to me - I'm 39 and was diagnosed with Asperger's about 2 years ago.

Now, I'm not going to kid you, in some senses being diagnosed doesn't make a huge difference - I still get depressed, still have very few friends, and so on.

But, in another sense, the difference it's made to me is massive! Finally I have an explaination for why I am the way I am and why I've always struggled with life.

It's also meant that I am starting to get some help with things, such as housing, from the council, am in the process of getting help from social services (though that leaves a lot to be desired), and hopefully soon will get access to some specialist councilling (if you are on the autistic spectrum then normal councilling will be of little use - you need councilling from someone who understands autistic spectrum disorders).

All-in-all, I am happier, more self confident, and feel like life is finally starting to go the right way again.

So, I would suggest you do seek diagnosis, it won't make everything change over night, but it's likely to help you to feel better about yourself, in the long run.

One thing to note on that, though, is to make sure you get a referal to a psychologist who specialises in diagnosing autistic spectrum disorders. GP's often refer people to a psychiatrist as a first step, which can lead one to getting mis-diagnosed (because the outward symptoms of autistic spectrum disorders can look like one or more mental health conditions), but a specialist psychologist will be able to rule out an ASD if you are indeed not on the spectrum.

Hope this helps.

If only because you now know you're not alone, there are others like us out there.