Published on 12, July, 2020
I don't have a lot to say, it feels more appropriate to 'lurk' to begin with, and get a feel for how the conversations work. I've always found online conversations easier than real-world ones though, so I hope that won't take long. (What does "real" even mean??)
I'm a 60-year-old male, not formally diagnosed but likely to seek this soon. When I asked my GP some years back about this he said "It won't get any better..." or something very similar. Which was very offputting. A more sympathetic member of the practice did make a referral to Royal Bethlehem but they wrote to me sometime later saying they didn't have enough information to proceed, which I think means they wrote to the GP asking for backing and were rebuffed. But I don't really know.
I retired recently, at age 60, because I just don't have the energy for work anymore. My last job was okay and the people I worked closest with were supportive and nice, but after decades of "this" I have had enough. It won't be easy financially but I just don't care anymore about that: I'll only get one crack at life, I think, and time is definitely against me. But it's not too late to be happy, I think, so I will have another try but from another direction. This settling down, having kids, blah blah blah thing didn't really work for me. What does seem to work, a bit, is meditation, so after quite a long time of being too busy I have made time for it and try to sit quietly for a while every day.
I'm currently waiting to start CBT which I hope might be helpful. And having said I won't have a lot to say that's probably enough for now. Thanks for reading.
Welcome to the community
Good luck with your next attempt at seeking a referral. When you do try again it might be helpful to go armed with a document explaining your autistic traits, relevant past history and why you are seeking a diagnosis now. Ask you GP to send a copy of it with the referral. If you overload them with information they won't be able to come back again saying they don't have enough information
I consider myself early retired too. I hope this new chapter in your life will be everything you dream of and you're right, it isn't too late to be happy.
Lovely reply, thanks so much. Someone I spoke to, who has an autistic husband, suggested maybe the Psychiatry UK service. It can be paid for privately, and isn't cheap, but I could probably just about afford it. There's a quite a few things in my life I'm needing to settle, including a divorce, so I think for now this will have to wait for a few months. Great advice though, thank you