Published on 12, July, 2020
I am an adult female, 48, who has just had a remote assessment funded by the NHS but carried out by a private company I think to reduce the waiting list times. I felt really lucky to be seen more quickly than waiting for a face to face assessment but the experience hasn't been satisfactory and has left me feeling low and confused. I prepared thoroughly for the assessment and have read a lot of books about autism. I feel convinced that I have autism after reading about the experiences of other adult females but I know it can be really tricky to get diagnosed unless the clinician has the right knowledge and experience dealing with adult females. My assessment was in 2 parts with a different clinician for each part. The first doctor said that she thought I was autistic and would write a report to say so. The doctor for the second part was a consultant psychiatrist who said that he wasn't convinced and that anxiety was the issue although I had autistic traits. HIs recommendation was to try different medication and a higher dose, although I've tried that before and it doesn't change anything. As he's the consultant he isn't going to take the first doctor's opinion into account and said that she was asking me leading questions! This leaves me in limbo! I have read that you are either autistic or not on a spectrum and that you can't have autistic traits unless you are autistic. Also, I don't want to be fobbed off by being called simply anxious, which is what people have told me my whole life, but I want to understand more the reasons for the anxiety, things I have worked hard over the last year with my therapist to find out and have really helped me. Sorry to rant but I'm so angry and would love to know if anyone else has had a similar experience and if they have any advice for me. Also, should I consider a second opinion but I guess I would have to pay privately for this. Many thanks.
i read that researching and preparing and rhyming things and terms off will make them suspect you have munchausens syndrome instead.
when i asked my gp about my suspicions after having read on the internet and realised it almost fits me, he asked if i want to be autistic lol as if it was a desire to just be diagnosed as that rather than get help, even though i primarily asked for help with getting on in life, just got snubbed and he asked if im only bringing it up because i just want the diagnosis. so called referred me but i never got a assessment so i guess they snubbed me.its all good as they cant help anyway, they are useless, the only one that can help you is yourself, nothing can be found outside yourself... or something lolfunny thing is the gp was probably right, i probably dont have autism, i probably have something else instead like one on the schizo spectrum instead lol they are all alike anyway, its safer for them to just check them out rather than snub people off though.i guess its their job to be suspicious though, but they let their doubt of people get in the way of doing their jobs at times. although my gp i have are pretty brutal in their doubt, i went to them with black swolen itchy fingers that had specs of red on them like my fingers were bursting and they still snubbed me off on that and said it was nothing and asked me what i expect them to do about it... very shockingly bad health services we have in this country.