(UK) Are off the record psychiatric appointments possible ?

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I am not diagnosed, but I have thought that I may suffer from autism for a long time, but even if I am not autistic I suffer from very comparable issues to those who are on the spectrum. I am not interested in getting diagnosed, regardless of whether it is official or not, right now but I am suffering from issues as I approach adulthood and the first significant routine change in my life.

I am not in a position to discuss anything personal with anyone I know, I do not have that kind of relationship with my family, and I can not trust anyone with anything like this, which could destroy my Neurotypical mask. It occurs to me that I desire to speak with a psychiatrist or other professional from a clinical field, not however from a supportive area as I currently work providing respite for the parents of children with disabilities including Autism spectrum disorders. Is it possible for me to do this anonymously, or through my general practitioner or another route but instead with a certainty that I will not have any record of it to my name, I feel as though this second option is nearly impossible.

To clarify I do not distinguish between those diagnosed and those who are not, I am simply happy with my current situation and do not wish to damage it in any way. Even if I could get some support for my issues I do not wish to be trapped with any type of prejudice.

Thank you.

I don't know if you can stop a psychiatrist from diagnosing you against your will (that would be an unethical move from their side), but I know that they are obliged to keep your information private

"Medical privacy or health privacy is the practice of keeping information about the illnesses of patients confidential. This involves both conversational discretion on the part of providers, and security of medical records. The terms can also refer to the physical privacy of patients from other patients and providers while in a medical facility. Modern concerns include degree of disclosure to insurance companies, employers, and other third parties."

And even neurotypicals are allowed to go see a psychotherapist, in fact many do. If someone actually "found out" that you went to one, why would they judge you, and why would they assume you were autistic/something else/neurodiverse from that alone? Chill.

I don't know if what you ask for is possible. In my country at least, there are private clinic psychotherapists that are unaffiliated with the government, I don't know what happens to those records. Hope someone that knows more gives you the answers you need.

Go private and stipulate what yr there fore at the start

Actually, under your circumstances (IE you don't want a diagnosed attached with you), I'd suggest not getting a diagnosis. There are laws in place (at least where I live, in America) that are supposed to help medical information private, but they help only after the fact.

I'm trying to understand why you'd want to go off-record - your medical records are your own, you don't need to disclose anything about your psychiatric care or an autism diagnosis with anyone and no medical professional can disclose your information with anyone. It's rare that you can find someone on the mental health side of things that can diagnose autism, it normally has to be done via a specialist autism assessment team...if you were to talk to a psychiatrist (privately or via NHS) they'd unlikely be able to officially diagnose you, and even if they could they'd discuss it with you first as it may require looking into specific areas separate from whatever else you go to them to discuss.

I was in therapy from around 12-15 years old via NHS - no one knows without my telling them, and although all 3 psychiatrists suspecting I was on the spectrum no official diagnosis was made, in fact they didn't even mention it to myself or to my mother, it wasn't until I sought diagnosis a few years ago and gave the psychologists access to my records that it was discovered.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that least for the ASD diagnosis, a private psychologist may need to contact your GP. But as mentioned above, they can only inform others if you or someone else is in danger. (or at risk of)

I'm confused as to why you'd get a diagnosis, tbh.

I found having a diagnosis has ultimately been to my benefit, not to my detriment in most things. I am in the UK, and my diagnosis was done through my GP referring me to the right expert. I actively went to the GP and asked to be assessed, and so he referred me at my request.

It is on my dental records and my medical records, but in the case of my dentist, I had to tell them specifically, and in the case of my seeing any other doctors, unless they go through my records in great detail back to 2005, they don't know about it either. In short, none of them care to make a thing of it unless I do - and if I need anything relating to ASD, for example support letters for applying for things, I go to the original GP for them as he and I have known each other a long time and I trust him. He has come through for me many times.

There is nobody who knows I am autistic that I haven't told. They don't tell your employers, or they shouldn't. There is no legal requirement for you to disclose a disability to the people you work for, but if you don't, it means you can't then claim discrimination or adjustments based on it. Swings and roundabouts really.

In terms of privacy, there are laws about that in this country.

But if you are not ready to discuss this with your friends, family, etc, then that's something else you might want to look at. You say you're not passing judgement, but you sound as though you are. Why would you not want your family to know if you want to know yourself? You are you, and the you they know won't have changed on account of a diagnosis. If you feel that uncertain, maybe it's not a good idea to open pandora's box and find out.