Bipolar diagnosis overturned at last

Thanks AutisticBuddy. 

Your approach to not revisiting the past and anticipating a bright future is spot on imo 

I agree with you about the difference between that born of ignorance and that which is deliberate and driven I think by 5he power games of some psychiatrists. There’s also serious incompetence in my case too with cut and pasted from other patient’s records into mine which contributed to the EUPD rubbish. I did a subject access request (SAR) and the several thousand pages are trauma on top of trauma, Having secured the diagnosis correction I’m not pursuing it though, it would only damage me. 

Ah. Makes sense

Face to face

Wow!

What does F2F stand for?

I'm glad you've got dialogue going with them. That's what we need. To impact their organisational and professional learning so they get it right first time for the next person.

I can forgive that which is born of ignorance. That's not deliberate and fixable through training. I don't forgive the guy who slapped an EUPD diagnosis on my file without any protocol or even discussion about my MH with me and then kept that secret from me. (I found out by accident two years later).

It lead to a great deal of trauma while they blamed me for not getting better from a condition I never had. Whilst I thought they were treating a medical phobia, they were taking an EUPD approach. No wonder that went badly wrong and nothing they did made sense.

Thank God, I've always refused meds. Could have been a lot worse.

I know I've got clear grounds for legal action but I can't be bothered with the stress. Life is too short. I have got a complaint in with Ombudsman though. I can emotionally disengage from that now that they have corrected the record. Cost me a fortune to disprove the misdiagnosis though and I am hoping they might be instructed to reimburse that. Mostly, I just don't want anyone else to suffer what I did out of sloppy practice.

Congratulations! What a journey to have to go through but I'm glad you got to the right diagnosis eventually

yeah its solicitors i think that make everything long... every process through solicitor of any kind is very long. my conveyancing solicitor for my house purchase took 1 year to complete my purchase, then 1 extra year after right now they still havent done the land registry transfer lol .... dealing with solicitors is very stressful because they are all slow and incompetent. youd end up wanting to sue the solicitor too lol

Alice-nice-Alice said:

as an autistic person this makes me more likely to be abused

Sadly, yes. I think it's true that many of us have been bullied and abused. These are things that haunted me for a long time, I felt I was defined by them, the abuse particularly - although I think I'm at peace with it all now..

There really is only the present, I've decided. The past can be revisited, but not changed; and the future anticipated, but not known. 

So.. enjoy the day!

I had the short Cambridge screening on the ward then only weeks later the full eight hour assessment. I learnt this week chatting with someone in the autism team that the reason the two year assessment wait was circumvented was because whilst on a psych ward it is considered to be part of my ward treatment. Unfortunately it took my most serious suicide attempt of the four to find myself there. 

I’m so saddened to read how you have been put through all this and relate to so very much of it. As well as bipolar they were latterly trying to pin EUPD on me which just so wrong. I am sure though that c-ptsd is correct for me but now understand that as an autistic person this makes me more likely to be abused, mainly emotionally in my case, The trauma incidentally part of the cause of the fibromyalgia I have developed later in life, but that’s another story. 

Yes that is my expectation, that it would be hugely stressful and would destroy the calm beautiful life I’m making with my partner. I don’t need the money and don’t want retribution either, however anything I can do to help this stop happening without putting myself into a stress situation I know I won’t be able to handle I will. Thanks 

Bless you. Originally I was diagnosed with anxiety and then a little later on depression but because of my difficulty making eye contact my GP pushed for an autism assessment and here I am. I'm glad you're happier now, it sounded horrible to go through. 

Yes, I think you have to think carefully about the lawsuit path. I did it, it took 3 years and was very stressful. You have to be prepared for a fight and I totally get preferring to keep a calm and centered life. 

Alice-nice-Alice said:

I’ve never understood that anyone would lie to me, would manipulate me, a significant part of my autism apparently

Yeah, me too - it sucks... 

When it comes to the medical profession though, I've come to the conclusion that it's mostly lack of knowledge/awareness and incompetence really, maybe they're not deliberately deceiving people in what they tell them. 

I've struggled to find the right answer for myself and have been told by various health professionals that I am - 

Depressed

Bi-Polar

Have GAD

Have a dissociative disorder - basically that makes me believe there's something wrong with me when there isn't- it's all in my mind!

Have PTSD

Am making it up for attention- another 'there's nothing wrong with you' diagnosis. 

None of the above diagnosis are correct, and because I didn't fit well enough into any them, there was never any progression. Instead I was just abandoned because health professionals couldn't find a solution. 

Not once did any of them suggest autism, even when I had a meltdown in the presence of a GP. It didn't occur to them because- 

I'm good at masking

I'm an adult woman. 

I say all this just to illustrate how easy it is for misdiagnosis to occur. It shouldn't be that way, but sadly it often seems to be. 

I'm really pleased that you have the right diagnosis now, the world makes much more sense when you have the answer you need.

Thanks C. I am female btw, and yes I understand that it happens to more women too. It really was a terrible journey but I’m happy now and enjoying life as I never have done. Really appreciate your reply and indeed everyone here

Thank you Number. Check out my replies to others above in this thread where I’ve added more detail. I really want to help improve the system to make this happen less and less. The NAS stats published just recently about autistic people in psych wards are shocking too, I had two in patient stays and absolutely agree that these are the WORST place for anyone with autism to get better. The noise, lights, aggression (from mainly other patients actually), the total lack of control all just a maelstrom of triggers. 

Congratulations, good to hear that you got to the right diagnosis in the end. So many people are misdiagnosed apparently, women more so than men but I've heard it can happen to both genders. It can't be an easy thing to go through but you got there and that's what counts. I'm happy for you. 

Thanks Taltunes. They never defined my bipolar type, well how could they in a 40 minute superficial assessment. After the ASC dx I read DSM5 and saw immediately that my episodes just didn’t meet even the minimum times for hypomania, mania and depression. ICD is likewise. I was in the twenty + years on psychotropics a walking encyclopaedia of these chemicals and now clean I cannot overstate how beautiful, clear headed and optimistic my life has become. 

Thanks Pegg. Yes it is a HUGE relief. The realisation that the bipolar dx was wrong only came after the autism dx, I’d always been that horrible judgy word “compliant” and truly believed all that the psychs said (I’ve never understood that anyone would lie to me, would manipulate me, a significant part of my autism apparently) so went along with everything they suggested. And yes, unfortunately all too common