Idiotic UK Doctors

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So cross...asked Dr whether it would be possible to be formally assessed for Asperger Syndrome & she said as you are now an adult you cannot be assessed (on national health) as Aspergers is a learning difficulty (! !!) & as an adult generally does not have any more education to complete it would be pointless. THEN she said it might be interesting to be assessed privately! They know I have anxiety fuelled depression (have been on anti-depressants for 8 and a half years & after recently trying to cut down meds & feeling rough she said "Thank you for doing my experiment - it's an experiment I'd like to repeat in the future!"
Honestly, I don't mean to come across as arrogant but sometimes I feel only 5% of people understand me (aspies & few enlightened professionals/individuals) & it's like living on a planet with idiots every day! Infuriates me more because my daughter has NLD (40 points between verbal & performance IQ) which is on a par with Aspergers & her schl (private - primarily dyslexic/dyspraxic/few Aspergers) is just as clueless with NLD. UK (on many health issues) is just so far behind it's ludicrous.
Thanks - Feel bit better now!

im in England (cumbria) and last year i went to my doctors to be asked to referred to a psychologist to assess me for Aspergers.... he just asked me why i thought i might have it and i just answered the best way i knew how... and he told me that he'd refer me on
i got referrred and after waiting about 6 months i got my appointment with the neuro-psychologist and after 2 times meeting him he sent out a letter confirming what i aready knew 'thats its highly likely that i have aspergers syndrome'

my doctor is good... im sure there pently out there... just change doctor and try agin.
some people are just cueless... they might have taken exams on AS and autism but nobody really knows what it is like unless they have it

Dear Mullion, You have my sincerest sympathies- I know what it's like, I'm in a similar position. Within the last two years I have seen two doctors, two psychiatrists and a counseller in both Aberdeen and London. Each time I have got a response somewhere along the lines of "Oh there's NO WAY you have AS, let's talk about your childhood/ get you into psychotherapy/ get you into counselling (all of which are useless). I don't think the health service in the UK is geared up to look for things like AS in anyone over the age of 16. The last doctor I saw said she'd refer me to see a specialist to "eliminate the possibility that my problems have a biological basis". That was two weeks ago, and she's still to get back to me to tell me if I've got a place on the 3-6 month waiting list. In the meantime she's trying to get me into psychotherapy, which I find very dubious. I can't afford to go private either.

What on EARTH was your doctor doing "experimenting" on you??? There is a LOT of legislation regulating the use of human volunteers in medical experiments. Were you informed as to the exact nature of the experiment? Was it put past an ethics committee? Were you given an agreement to sign? Were you offered any form of compensation? As far as I'm aware, doctors aren't allowed to conduct experiments on their patients on a whim. You may be able to lodge an official complaint against her.

Im sure ive heard of lots of adults assessed on the NHS - I think the key here is the 2500(?) bite it would take out of their budget. Privately it would cost a lot less, (900?) so perhaps your Dr thinks you loaded and hopes you'll pay yourself without a fuss.

You could ask her straight out if its a) a financial reason for not referring you & b) ask if they are sure its not possible, because x, y & z you met on the internet all had NHS diagnoses. (or just switch to a different surgery)

Hi, i've just had a simliar problem. In my case, i spoke to my doctor who was happy to refer me and then the psychologists turned round and refused to assess me. Said i didn't meet their assessment criteria, which i think means that i'm not obviously struggling enough with life to need a diagnosis and/or extra help.
And how do they know!! !! !?

My doctor, bless him, doesn't know what to do now and i'm not sure either, i want a diagnosis but i certainly can't afford one privatly. I need to decide whether to hastle my doctor/the psychologists further, or give up in disgust. Honestly, i only want to know this one little thing, its not as if i'm asking for any more help or money or anything.

Grr!! !! !

Why in the world would these people be British?

Well that's a few black marks against the doctor! Could you ask to see a different doctor at the same practice if this is a GP?

Adult assessment IS possible, and it can make a major difference. What's education got to do with it? Life doesn't end with school, though most support services ARE aimed at children and teenagers. My adult diagnosis has helped me shift thinking, tools, objectives...

GP's willingness to refer for AS diagnosis does appear to be patchy in the UK, and whether this is driven more by knowledge/beliefs or by funding issues I have no idea.

mullion, try approaching the local autism support services (if there are any) directly. i live in scotland, and was able to get a diagnosis without a referal from my gp. i approached the autism support services directly, and while they said its unusual for them to screen people for aspergers without a referal, its not unheard of. luckily for me, they decided aspergers looked quite likely and went ahead with the screening process. it might be worth a try.