So frustrated

Who would anyone choose to be autistic? Who would go and tell a Dr they thought they were Autistic if they didn’t feel it in their bones and being? 
I’m getting quite fed up of hearing this scenario. I think it just boils down to money and stretched services. They’d rather fob you off than give you the assessment and subsequent support (which is often non existent anyway!)

I broached it twice. Not to a GP but to a nurse practitioner there. She wanted to know what a diagnosis would do, as she thought it shouldn’t matter. She said I had been married, had two great kids I should be proud of, and that I’ve had my own business. So what? Does this mean there’s no possibility I could be Autistic? She’s absolutely no idea how I feel, or what my life has been like since year dot. 

The NHS failed my recently diagnosed teen, so I refuse to wait a year or more for my turn. I had an hours consultation with a private psychologist who agreed to assess me based on what was discussed. He told me I could be assessed for free via the adult pathway. I prefer to go the private route for many reasons, even though it’s a financial struggle for me. 

Hi Catlover, thank you for taking the time to reply.

This situation has made me feel like I can’t trust my CPN. A lot of the time I feel like she minimises my struggles and during my appointments I feel rushed and she talks the most. She doesn’t get me. For a long time I’ve often thought am I misjudging her as I struggle with reading people but I don’t feel I am anymore and part of me doesn’t want to continue using the mental health services. 

My Cpn has also said similar things to me about people feeling the need to have a diagnosis when it’s not always necessary. People read about disabilities online and then think that matches them and then  want to have a label and become so focused on wanting a label that they don’t need.

She also said that she thought I manage very well in parenting two children on the spectrum who have different needs and look after my animals and a house on my own. Again trying to make me think well I manage to parent so you can’t be autistic or have adhd. I find it really hard when I’m up against a professional and trying to prove myself just to be listened to and taken seriously. 

Another user in the community has suggested to go for private assessment or ask for about the NHS right to choose but unfortunately in Scotland we don’t have the right to choose. I have also read that the NHS doesn’t recognise these diagnoses?

That’s great you have you diagnosis now it’s sounds like going private has helped you a lot but the only downfall is the cost. I’m sorry you and your son went through such a difficult time in order for him to receive a diagnosis. Hopefully he has some support and help in place to let him flourish in life. 

Time and again people are told that they cannot be autistic because they can do things. It is the equivalent of a blind person who can navigate with a stick and can use public transport, being told that because he or she can do these things, that they cannot be blind. It is medically and logically ludicrous. It makes me very angry! What is not assessed is how great the negative impact 'doing things' has on our wellbeing, due to increased anxiety, stress and sensory overload.  

Yes Martin,your right. I should read what you’ve written to my nurse! I may be able to look like I function with certain aspects of life but that is masking and once I am home the impact on me is physical and mental exhaustion. The need to isolate myself away in order to recover from doing a task others would find simple.

Yes Martin,your right. I should read what you’ve written to my nurse! I may be able to look like I function with certain aspects of life but that is masking and once I am home the impact on me is physical and mental exhaustion. The need to isolate myself away in order to recover from doing a task others would find simple.