GP's Reaction to me asking for a referral...

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Okies I am sorry if I bore anyone but just gotta let this out...

So after I decided to call in sick to work I went to visit my GP... ( I am trying to get a referral to be diagnosed with AS or something that will explain everything)

So this is what happened...

I had everything prepared in my head but as soon as I got in there I was unable to explain...

Her reaction was "you don't look like someone with AS and these things are normally picked up in childhood"... I then went on to try and explain how I cope and approach people... and how I make eye contact... etc... But I think she had made her mind up... I asked her has she heard of Stimming... She said no... So when I tried to explain it was even more of a disaster... She even asked me to demonstrate! Now I feel a bit like a freak for actually telling someone that I do that...

It ended by her saying that in her opinion she doesn't think I suffer with this... and that she is going to consult the Psychologist on site and a few of her colleagues... She said a phone appointment would be appropriate and that she will call me next Wednesday to discuss it...

Oh, she did say that I have a Vitamin D deficiency and prescribed me some tablets... "Maybe once you start taking these you will feel better"... What a load of bollocks...

What am I meant to do now...? Wait till next Wednesday? What happens if she says she thinks nothing is wrong...(which is good I guess but doesn't explain a thing)

Also I have spent six hours researching possible answers as to why I behave the way I do and so on... The things I've found are quite scarey and have just made me worry even more... I think I'll go mad before I get this call...

GOD MY BRAIN IS GOING TO BOIL....! !! !

General Practitioners are as ignorant as the general population about Autism.
Someone who's never heard of stimming...wow-
I'd say she's even MORE ignorant.

But you do know you don't need a referral to see a psychiatrist, right?
You just call up and say you want to be treated for anxiety/depression/Aspergers, and make an appointment.

At least, that's how it works here.

I can definitely empathize- I've had many doctors try to now-now-little-lady me when I dared to suggest a possible dx for my stuff.
It's best to look them dead in the eye and remind them of their legal obligation to refer you for a second opinion.
Don't let anyone intimidate you or belittle your concerns.

Last edited by Bethie on 07 Mar 2011, 2:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If Bizzie in the UK, then yes - a referral is required to see a psychiatrist on the NHS.
Otherwise looking at very high costs to refer yourself privately.

No. Really?

I didn't know that, To Be Honest I have been researching since Wednesday last week and all the advice said to visit your GP and go from there...

How do I cut out the GP... ?

Is this the way you did it?

Well the cost will be high if you don't have insurance,
or not so high if you do,
but whether you're self-referred or not doesn't matter.
(Again, here. I live in Kentucky, in the US.)

It helps to write everything down.

Regarding referrals, in the U.S. they may or may not be required. It depends on the health insurance plan.

Damn the UK... I wonder how much it cost to go private...

Google time...

Those online sites are a real riot.
In the words of House, most patients a GP can treat could easily be treated by "a monkey with a bottle of Motrin".
You don't need to waste time and money seeing a GP. Maybe if you were still in the dark about whether all your symptoms are related, and what the name for it is, but someone who is ignorant of psychiatric and neurological disorders (a GP) is not going to be able to help you.

I've been seeing psychiatrists since I was nine, so whenever it's time to see a new one, I call them up, schedule an appointment,
and at the end of giving my info, they'll ask what I'm being seen for, and I tell them.

Yeah. At some point you end up taking control of the situation or you get steamrolled. I wnet in for my DX loaded for bear. I knew every criteria for the diagnosis and had examples and alternatives already mapped out. Basically, I stepped right through the whole thing in a very logical, clinical manner. It was quite aspie, I suppose. Had the psychologist pushed back I had a litany of responses at the ready.

In the UK NHS, the GPs are the gatekeepers to other services ... you have to go through them.
Or pay heavy private fees.
It's the way things work.

Absolutely. Having things written down helps me immensely. It's one thing to have what you're going to say thought-out, but some people (I used to) get flustered when the doctor shoots them down or belittles their opinions and concerns, so to have notes to refer to is very helpful. Even now that I've "grown a pair" and am very hard to intimidate, it's wonderful to have that so I don't forget to ask something and have to wait til the next appointment.

That's unfortunate.

Here, going to a GP in order to get to a specialist means paying for two doctor's visits for one visits worth of help.

Well, I did have a lot of what I wanted to say typed up... but it wasn't complete so left it on my laptop...

Also I don't feel I would benefit from any treatment they could offer... As I feel I have found my own way to cope and function...

I just feel that simply having a reason to why I find it difficult to do certain things would suffice... It would put things to rest that I have always wondered...

It feels as if there is a piece missing...

Wow, £65 for a GP appointment with Bupa... :O

I feel the same way. I have an appointment with my GP on 31st March to discuss the possibility of a referral. I have details of an adult ASD assessment centre from the National Autistic Society but it is many hours away and difficult for me to get to, so I'm hoping there is an adult ASD specialist somewhere closer that I can be referred to ... My GP may be able to find that out for me, if she believes there is a problem.

I wish you luck in your future journey ... the process in the UK (on the NHS) is very drawn out as far as I can tell, so we just have to be prepared for that, if we cannot afford to go private.




What a good reason to skip the GP, then

8 years ago I had to convince my GP to run a blood test to prove that I had a medical condition that I knew I had. He was so reluctant it was unreal ... I had to fight for it all the way. But when the blood test came back positive (in fact, and I quote, "the worst case he had ever seen") he referred me right away to the appropriate specialist, and was nothing but helpful after that every time I went back to him. But had I gone first to the appropriate specialist, there would have been no fight for the blood test (which was hugely stressful for me) in the first place because my symptoms were so obvious to him.

Sadly I have a new GP, with no prior relationship, and there is no blood test for ASD that will convince my new GP to refer me to a specialist if they don't subjectively agree there is a reason for it ... damn.

And if that's the GP, imagine the cost of the Psych doc ...