Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, I’m going to try and keep this short.
I recently had an assessment with Psychiatry UK where I was basically told I don’t struggle enough to have a diagnosis even though I do have autistic traits.
I have felt different my whole life and just cannot accept this as an answer. I am a woman in my early 20’s and I am aware of the fact that often women go undiagnosed because of outdated concepts as well as masking.
Has anyone else been in my situation before? And if so, how did you eventually get your diagnosis?
Thank you in advance, I’m feeling lost.
As many have and will say, diagnosis is really only useful if you need it for support or, to know why you had certain traits and feelings that meant you struggle in some way or ways in life so you can be more aware of yourself and how to care for yourself.
There are some things that are so similar to autism and are treated differently (the meds for ADHD can mess with autistic People for example) so it's always best to have a diagnosis before any treatment that might bring risk with it. But if you don't feel you need medication then that's not an issue.
Don't take it that you've been dismissed, it would be easy for many autistic folks to not outwardly appear to need support, most of its hidden behind masking and mechanisms we've created to cope. I've been masking that long I can sometimes struggle truly being myself when I'm on my own!
Even if it's not needed for any support reasons, It is sometimes just nice to have some confirmation of our own suspicions though, to know why we are the way we are and I guess this is what you feel you've had taken away from you??
You’re exactly right. It almost felt as if I was being invalidated which left me feeling lost and questioning myself. But there is no denying that I am neurodiverse; I am so confident in that. I have since seen a counsellor; I mentioned this experience in another comment and she made me feel so validated. I’m really glad and lucky that I was able to do this as it’s going to help me understand myself further and I’ll hopefully be able to help make my life that bit easier by finding effective coping mechanisms.