A Big Concern.

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I am on a list to be assessed. The concern is that after being assessed and if I am on the spectrum, they may try to put me on medication. I do not want to go on any medication though I occasionlly take one if I have to. I am supposed to take it regularly but I don't as I fear I could run out and not be able to get any more, as to get more requires me to phone and get mast all those crazy automated messages so by the time I get to speak to a human I am in no mood to talk and sometimes be in a mess. (If I could just ring and straight away talk to a human I would be less anxious). I tend to put it off until the last minute anyway as I can take months to phone someone. Other times I can be conquoring, so I can use the phone with confidence.

I think it's best practice to try non-pharmaceutical interventions first, so hopefully there might be other kinds of support available.

Sometimes medical professionals do seem to see medication as the easy way, though. My son's psychiatrist was like that, he kept wanting to try him on different types of pills, while offering no other kind of support. (Needless to say, I stopped taking my son to that guy and booked him with a psychologist instead).

Anyway, you are under no obligation to take medication, it's your choice.
If you're not sure, tell them you need to think about it first. Ask them to write down the name of the proposed medication so you can look it up on-line and make an informed decision.

Oh, and good luck with the assessment!

I have no idea when the assessment will be. When I went to ask my doctor if I could be on the spectrum I expected a "Yes" or "No" answer. I had psyched myself up in a determination to ask. It took me two years to ask as I kept having mindblnk when trying to ask.

I am one who is likely to remove my name from long waiting lists to let others go first and save me the stress... I can get a background stress. Example, I had this background stress daily for five years waiting on a dentists list to have a tooth taken out before I was seen.

Your doctor needs a reason to put you on medication and you have to agree. If your doctor raises that question, and sometimes they do that as some people feel things are overwhelming and need something, you can simply say you want to try other things first. This is always a discussion.

If the doctor is demanding it, then find another doctor. You are your best advocate. The easiest way to get out of that conversation is to simply thank the doc and say you would like to do some research and think about it. You never want a doc that does not listen,

But if this is an assessment, you and the doctor is simply there for that. Assessments might suggest interventions at the end, but that is not what an assessment is for. And the doctor that assess you does not have to be the doctor that treats you.

Listen, learn, but you should be an active participant in your own health.

You might be getting ahead of yourself. Do you have any reason to believe the doctor would prescribe medication? Or, are you guessing?

I hired a psychologist after I concluded that I was probably a High Functioning Autistic (that's what I thought the correct term was, at the time). As you undoubtedly know, they can't just do a blood test or stick a thermometer in your mouth to assess whether or not you are mildly autistic. And it is further complicated for adults because they are used to assessing children.

The hardest thing for me was finding a psychologist who would assess an adult as old as me. And I could not find one who took my insurance.

The assessment itself was sort of fun. It was interesting. I think the psychologist was amused by me several times, too.

To help things along I brought her all of the records I thought might be relevant. Results from personality tests I had taken, scores on standardized academic and college admission tests, report cards and college transcripts, and a resume. I also happened to have the journal my Mom kept for my first year and I brought my bride along, too.

The psychologist had me take some written tests that were like personality tests, and she talked to me. Oh, and there were a few things she asked me to do that were clearly geared for young patients.

It took more than one appointment. And it was sort of fun!

When the psychologist gave me the assessment she did not even hint about medications. I think she would gladly have signed me up for on-going counseling--because, after all, that is how she pays her bills--but she did not try to talk me into it. She could see I was happy with the diagnosis and had been making my way through life without counseling. She smiled and wished me well!

Isn't it illegal to make someone who hasn't been admitted to a phychatric facility take medication against their will?

Thanks for the replies. I am quite sane as you can tell. So I have no need to worry. Phew!

As I understand it, the 50 year delay in getting Autism into the DSM was because there is no medication for it, so the mis-diagnoses were more profitable. Usually, drugs are tested using a control group taking a placebo, to see if there is an actual chemical effect. When they test things like anti-depressants and use sugar pills for the control group, they can tell, and don't show results like the other group. However, if they are given any random drug producing any kind of intoxication, they expect to change their thinking, and they do, showing no benefit to the tested drug. The expectations are the real medicine, even if the doctor has no time for talk therapy.

Are they still assessing or have all assessments been called off due to the virus?

I don't think they will have a need for any medication for autism alone. It would surprise if they did and I would question them as to what or why if they tried.

Unless your a danger to yourself or others they cannot force medication on you.

Having said that in the UK there have been cases of teenage autistic kids having meltdowns police are called, kids taken to mental health units and kept for years.

A kind of return to the old asylum system.

I see on the General Discussion › Getting to know each other >Need autistic friends thread you give the "official", painfully accurate position that:

          "I don't know if I am on the spectrum or not,..."

When you do officially know, I hope you will tell us!

If you are officially on the spectrum it would be great to congratulate you. If it is (unlikely) that you are not on the spectrum, it would be nice to offer condolences, and assurances that you are probably still a nice person.

Thanks. I will let you know when I find out.