Your experience of getting a diagnosis

Ramblingrose said:

I just wondered how members of this forum were diagnosed?

I was asked by my wife to get assessed (she was already seeing a therapist for her own issues and her therapist said that her description of me indicated I may be autistic) so I went to Harley Psychiatrists, got a meetings 2 weeks later.

The psychiatrist I met with said that I had most of the classic traits after 15 mins of questioning so he told me he would pause the session there, send me some online questionaires and use the remaining 45 mins of the £250 session to go through the results.

I completed the questionnaires and had a meeting the following week when he gave the diagnosis and worked through what to do next.

All in all it took 2 sessions so a total of £500 and 3 weeks then I was booking sessions with a therapist to work on understanding my condition and starting to develop ways of dealing with the issues that resulted from it.

I passed a copy of the diagnosis to my GP who now has it on file for me. This was all 2 years ago.

Hi,

I have just been through the NHS route, it took just over a year. They contacted me very shortly after 12 months to ask if I would be willing to go via another company that does the same assessments the NHS does. I asked if this would add time on to the waiting times and they told me it would make it quicker. It was clinical partners that assessed me. I had a questionnaire and 2 online meetings, one on my own and one with my husband. I also had my family send information on my childhood. I thought they seemed quite good, although I knew it was autism and asked specifically to be tested for this, they seemed to be testing me for adhd and possibly more. At the end of my assessments she did say I definitely have symptoms of autism or adhd but they would need to discuss the results to see if I need the criteria. I got my autism diagnosis the other day and they said they are sending me recommendations. I am unsure if NHS do this too, but just sharing what I know of the current process.

Best of luck,

Debbie

Thanks for all the extra information Netty - I'm going to look at all the options and go from there.

Me again Rose

I thought I would just have a look at my patient record. My diagnosis is now listed on my patient record so I can confirm that his diagnosis if fully accepted by my gp

Hi Rose

Dr P is a consultant psychiatrist at Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust and Telford Autism Services. He doesn't advertise his private services but takes referrals from Sara Heath. Because of his credentials I see no reason why my GP won't accept his diagnosis. He sent both myself and my GP a letter confirming my diagnosis. In it he states that his private assessments are as rigorous as his NHS assessments. I've not checked my GP records yet to confirm my diagnosis has been placed on my record but I fully expect it to be accepted.

Netty

Hi Netty

Thank you for all of this information - it's really helpful and it sounds like this is another potential option, I have to admit that cost was one of the factors that made me hesitate about going down the private route but this sounds more reasonable . One question - when you say Dr P gives an official diagnosis is it one that is accepted by the NHS as official? I'll have a look at Sarah Heath's details and go from there.  Thanks again.

Rose

Hi Roy

Thank you for replying.  The right to choose wasn't mentioned by my GP so thank you for letting me know about this. I'll take a look at the Psychiatry-UK website and see what the process is.

Hi RamblingRose 

Second attempt at trying to reply as my previous reply seems to have drifted away into the ether!

I'm 62 and recently officially diagnosed. I considered myself self diagnosed autistic for around a year but the constant imposter syndrome was starting to get annoying and I needed to be sure I wasn't mistaken. 

I didn't go down the NHS route as I wasn't convinced that my GP would be sympathetic. I was expecting a private diagnosis to cost a minimum of £1000 and maybe as high as £3000 which was more than I could comfortably afford right now 

I hope I'm allowed to name names here - Somebody on the forums recommended Sara Heath at Autonomy Plus. (She is listed in the on site directory) She conducts the pre diagnosis assesment (over Skype in my case as I'm too far away for an in person meeting) and if you meet the criteria for diagnosis she books you a private appointment with Dr P who gives you your official diagnosis.  It took about 6 weeks to get my appointment with Sara and a further 2 weeks for my appointment with Dr P.   The cost varies depending on how long the assessment takes - but it was well under £1000 

Netty

Hi, if you are in England you can ask your GP for “Right to Choose”. You can use a private provider and the NHS will fund it. The idea is that it shortens the overall waiting list. Psychiatry-UK  is a popular choice, have a look at their FAQ section.