Appointment with GP tomorrow. Advice needed!

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So tomorrow I have an appointment with a GP and I want to ask him for a referral for an AS assessment/diagnosis. But I really don't know how to start the conversation. Anybody got a good way I can get my point across without doing the GP's job for him. I can't exactly go in and say "I'm 99% certain I have AS, please refer me". I'm not very good at explaining things, so I'm probably going to sound like an idiot anyway.

It's taken me years to get to this point of actually seeking help so I really don't want to get brushed off with some anti anxiety meds or something like that because I really don't think I could go through it again. About 7 years ago I went to my old GP and said I couldn't cope and wanted some therapy but they basically shoved anti depressants at me and said socialise more. I didn't even take them as I wasn't particularly depressed, just wanted answers to why I struggle with things that I shouldn't.

Any help is appreciated.

I am in the same position as you, last week went in and ended up getting prescribed with sertraline, though I did mention what I thought was wrong, but words came out all wrong and I didn't push the point and thought that maybe the meds would help with the anxiety, which is my biggest problem right now. He told me to come back in a few weeks to tell him how I'm going on the meds, gonna try and ask for some different help then. Goodluck tomorrow, I know how you feel and I hope you manage to get your words out sorry I can't be more help with what to say though.

I was in your position about eighteen months ago. I found it helped to write down some notes of examples of things which made me think that I might be on the AS, and I briefly read through the examples from the sheet I had written. He was actually very helpful, so good luck and I hope it goes well.

How about you tell your GP that you're on a voyage of discovery. You don't need any medication or therapy but you suspect you have AS and you need to see a psychologist to verify what you have suspected all these years. Emphasise that there is nothing your GP can do for you other than refer you to a phsycholist. Then hope your GP refers you to a good psycholist.

In addition to what progaspie recommended, which is what I would have suggested, it might also be good to talk about your struggles and say you 'would like to see a specialist to rule out AS'. I have SLE (lupus) that took four years to get diagnosed and I have lived with it as a diagnosed person for four years now, so deal with a lot of doctors. I have noticed that they are much more amenable and helpful if I let them think they thought of my ideas. I have learned to invoke family members that don't exist, like my aunt with oesophageal strictures. "Is that genetic, doctor, because I have some trouble swallowing and wonder if I have some kind of genetic problem." with a posture that says, 'please do tell me your valuable opinion on this topic of which I am totally ignorant.'

I think if the OP does that, the GP might decide not to make a referral. Psychologists are intended for mental health problems, not self-discovery; at least, that's how health insurance companies see it, so that's how a GP is going to see it. Self-discovery is something that someone does with her own time and money.

To OP: I think it's a good idea to take a list of some of your symptoms. Then, if the doctor says, "it's just depression/anxiety," you can talk about your symptoms that have nothing to do with depression or anxiety. If the GP doesn't agree, try to compromise and say that you want to see a psychologist to make sure that it's depression/anxiety, and be firm about not taking meds. Hopefully, you've done a bit of research into AS and can answer the GPs doubts and questions.

I basically just said, "I think that I might have Asperger's Syndrome and I would like to be referred," to my GP. The GP agreed, but at that point I kind of looked Aspergerish. That's another helpful thing: be your natural self, and maybe some of your symptoms will come through, and the GP will be more likely to refer you.

You maybe just highlighted one of the differences between medical care in Australia and medical care in the USA.

Thanks for all the replies. I'll probably take a list with me. I just hope the GP is helpful, I've had bad experiences in the past where it's more of an interrogation than anything else.

You have to determine what it is you want from the doctor. From your posts I gather that you are not depressed and do not want to take medication. So I'm assuming you want a referral to a psychologist and not a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists use the tools of medicine while psychologists try to help you discover and improve yourself. They can also offer you behaviour therapy which would address the socialization issues previously brought up by your doctor.
This is the angle I would the with your GP. Is your social anxiety impeding your everyday function? If so, how? Be specific. This is something the GP can make a referral for.
The GP doesn't have to diagnose you, all you need is the referral and then you can cross that bridge with the psychologist.

Looking at the responses you have so far the right advice seems to depend on the country/medical system you are working with. I am in Australia and took the approach of finding the right path in our medical system and going to my GP and saying 'I would like to get a mental health plan and a referral to a psychologist, I think I may have Aspergers. Even if i don't, i know I need help with social situations and think they would be the best to help me'. Sounds like i may have been lucky, but the whole appointment went about 5 minutes and I got my referral.

My recommendation would be to know your system and go in with a plan on how that system works for you or how to make it work for you.

It's true you have to demonstrate a need for a particular service before your GP will refer you to professional help. In the case of psychologists though, they specialise in social copying skills such as bullying, assertiveness training or parenting skills, as distinct from psychiatrists who specialise in mental health disorders, so I wouldn't think it would take much other than the patient telling the GP that he/she thinks they have might Asperger's Syndrome, for the GP to give them a referral.
Another thing is the risk of the particular GP not having much knowledge of Asperger's Syndrome and so they might refer that person to a psychiatrist or psychologist who doesn't specialize in the treatment of people on the Autism Spectrum. So you end up with somebody who can't really help you because they don't specialize in that area where you need help. You could circumvent this by researching over the internet a list of clinical psychologists in your local area who specialize in the treatment of Autism Spectrum and take that list along with you to the GP. Hopefully you get a GP who understands Asperger's Syndrome and who can send you to the right specialist.
With regard to cost, Australia has Medicare, which is a national health scheme covering all Australians. Our current prime minister is working at chipping away at reducing the benefits of this scheme to Australians, but at the moment there is a Medicare rebate for all referrals to a psychologist/psychiatrist. In the UK there is a national health scheme, so I assume much of the cost of the assessment/treatment is covered there.

Hi,

When I went to my GP to get a referal I went with my mother so that helped a lot. So, having some with you might be a good idea and also go with a list or a prepared script ahead of time. What I did was print off the list of traits of Aspergers from the NAS website.

The doctor was quite helpful and he made notes on the computer and then wrote a letter of referal.

The thing I say is if the GP doesn't refer you then ask to see another doctor as you can do that.

Good luck with your meeeting with your GP.

Regards

Data001

am taking a guess that You live in Wales ( user name ) So the link below may help. But if not in Wales the guidance is the same. Good Luck for tomorrow.

http://www.asdinfowales.co.uk/home.php?page_id=8327

You don't say where you live, although as suggested by the last post you might be in Wales. If that's the case, then you will find that under the NHS you are entitled to a (free) diagnosis for ASD.
I have recently begun going through the diagnosis process in the UK. Although I am probably not on the spectrum (but very close), I simply told my GP that various past experiences, anxieties and behavioural patterns make we wonder if I have Asperger's, and that since I started working with people with ASD this feeling has increased. We discussed it briefly and then she gave me a referral.
As others here have commented, much depends on your GPs knowledge of autism. Some are woefully ignorant. Others are worried about their budgets, and an ASD diagnosis is expensive. So perhaps you should follow the advice above and make a list, be as accurate as possible and just be your normal self.
Best of luck, do let us know how it goes.

Depending on your insurance you may not need it. I just made an appointment without bothering the GP. I almost never bother with the GP because all he does is refer me to someone else anyways. If I had to I'd just walk in and say, "I'm pretty sure I have Asperger's, could you refer me to someone that does diagnosis in people my age that take my insurance"

In Australia I don't think you qualify for the Medicare rebate if you bypass the GP and go straight to the psychologist. If you have private health insurance that's another matter. Your private health insurer can cover the difference between your out of pocket expenses and the Medicare rebate. However, I'm not sure whether the private health insurer would be willing the cover the entire cost of the visit to the psychologist.