Getting a Diagnosis in London

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Has anyone managed it? Where did you go? What did you do?

I raised my concerns with my GP a few weeks ago and he gave me a referral, which I thought was for a psych, but turned out to be a meeting with a woman at a community mental health group. This woman apparently gets to decide whether I get to see a professional or not. She didn't seem to have any training whatsoever and completely ignored the reasons for which I was there, instead focusing on my history of depression and self-harm (which was gotten under control years ago) and asking if there were any traumatic incidents in my childhood, and if I had ever been abused.

When reading off the letter my GP had sent her, she left out all mention of autism/aspergers even though I personally watched my GP write it, fold it, and seal it in the envelope, and know that was the only focus of the referral. Why would she intentionally ignore most of the letter?

I tried to explain to her that I have extreme difficulties with communication and tried to give her examples. Her response? - "Well you're sitting here talking to me aren't you? I don't see any problem with your communication." I tried to explain that dictating precise answers to her questions isn't exactly real-world communication. She actually tried to argue with me.

I tried to tell her I have odd physical behaviors such as rocking and other repetitive movements (which my new housemates keep asking me about). She said "I haven't seen you do that here. Obviously you don't have a problem with it. What does it matter if you do those things in private?"

She completely ignored everything I said about sensory issues. She completely ignored everything I told her about constant misunderstandings and not being able to read people. She laughed at the idea that I have a really hard time taking the images in my head and turning them into words. She also ignored my descriptions of spacing out, rocking, and not realizing it until I whack my head on the wall behind me (which happens, a lot).

She then proceeded to tell me I am a shy person, that being shy is not a problem, and that it is not worth it to waste a psychiatrist's time.


What do I do now? It's taken me 9 years to get up the courage to seek a diagnosis, and right now I feel like I'll never have an answer because no one will listen.

Can you ask your GP for another letter and this time specify to whatever group that you want to see someone who at least knows of, if not understands, the autism spectrum?
Failing that, can you ask the GP to refer you directly to a psychologist or psychiatrist (I don't know if this is possible in London)?
Can you arrange to have it done through your employer? Many employers have psychology services.

Or, failing all of the above, can you perhaps dwell on your depression or something when talking to the mental health group, and once you've managed to obtain a referral to a professional, explain that that isn't an issue or that you exaggerated it, and explain your real problems to the professional?

I haven't managed it yet. And I have a psych referral similar to yours coming up soon. I had no luck whatsoever in London, the GP kept testing my balance and hearing and didn't know how to refer me to a psychologist. I just moved to Canterbury last year for University, and the university tried to get my diagnosis put forward, told me to speak to the GP. The GP said he can't refer me, but out of the blue he did anyway. My University claim to be wrestling the beurocracy to accelerate my case.

The English Psychological system is screwed up, and you'll find a struggle on your hands to get diagnosed. But just keep trying everything you can, if you go to Uni or anything tlike that they can help.

You can try the Autistic helpline too, it's On this webpage here. This site might be able to help.

Your local authority wouldn't allow your GP to refer you to a professional if it costs them money that they could possibly save, so they tend to require (at least in some areas) a psychiatrist (or other person they deem appropriate, I suppose) to refer you. That's what happened to me, initially, anyway (except that instead of seeing the psychiatrist I was supposed to see, I was given an appointment with a nurse and a student who had no idea why I was there and knew nothing about ASDs at all).

However, the CLASS clinic in Cambridge offer free assessments, so your GP should be able to refer you there (there are some requirements, however, such as having a parent accompany you to the assessment) if you would be able to get to Cambridge. I went back to my GP and told him of this, so he referred me there with no problem. I was diagnosed there just over a year ago.

One of the problems with how the NHS is set up, that mental health and the autistic spectrum disorders are handled completely seperately, seperate people, seperate departments - to get the referral you have to go through the 'mental health' staff, who are brainwas-- trained only to think in 'mental health terms' - so many/most of them will be clueless about ASD issues. Another complication is that if they refer you to the ASD department they lose a big chunk (like £600 IIRC) of 'their' departments budget, so theyll be reluctant and might make you jump through hoops. Ive actually worked in mental health departments and IMO they are full of misdiagnosed spectrumites.

Can i ask why you want an official diagnosis? It sounds like youve thought about this for a long time and seem to be pretty sure about it yourself anyway.

This is what I'm afraid of! I went to my doctor last week and he said he would refer me on, but would have to do some research as he wasn't quite sure where to refer me on to. I am worried about being referred on to someone who doesn't have a clue. I don't know how I would have coped with your situation. The National Autistic Society have a diagnostic centre in Bromley, which is reachable from London, and they diagnose children and adults, so you may be able to get a referral there. I think you have to phone their advice hotline if you want to find out more.

LOL. I sort of want to do that. I'm in a bit of a mood - if my boss doesn't stop her habit of armchair diagnosing/undiagnosing people with AS on the basis of tiny fragments of information and a preconceived idea about the aspie personality, I may slap her.

You could tell them that you are suspected of having/currently seeking a diagnosis for AS. You might even find that the disability service at your uni would be willing to help you out or give you some advice. You might be able to see a psychiatrist through them.

I did that at the same time as waiting for an appointment with the psych via my doctor (which turned out to be a student and a nurse). He did, however, say that he couldn't refer me as I was already waiting for a referral to come through, but he wrote on my report that he thought it was likely that it was AS (even though he had already admitted he didn't know much about it, so in that respect I suppose I was lucky to meet someone who wasn't that informed, but also wasn't wrongly informed).

During this time, I was actually 'half' put into their 'disability system' (they just expected that I would get a diagnosis, and said that when I did they'd enter me into it properly).

So you might be able to get some help without an official diagnosis, or help getting a diagnosis.

I am frustrated with the N.H.S in Surrey, 1 psychologist generalises all people with asperger syndrome. One GP said there was no need to get a diagnosis, another GP referred me for a diagnosis. The diagnosis was flawed because the information used to generate my diagnosis was inaccurate. Three years after my diagnosis, my GP does not know if I have AS. Someone of the N.A.S said I definitely have AS but the support I was given post diagnostic was virtually non-existant.

If one is trying to access mental health services a diagnosis can be a hinderance because one thinks AS is a severe mental health condition and any support required for AS is directed to the National Autistic Society which ids over stretched. AS ius not a severe mrntal health condition so it is hard to get support for mental health problems.

Has anyone managed it? Where did you go? What did you do?

I raised my concerns with my GP a few weeks ago and he gave me a referral, which I thought was for a psych, but turned out to be a meeting with a woman at a community mental health group. This woman apparently gets to decide whether I get to see a professional or not. She didn't seem to have any training whatsoever and completely ignored the reasons for which I was there, instead focusing on my history of depression and self-harm (which was gotten under control years ago) and asking if there were any traumatic incidents in my childhood, and if I had ever been abused.

When reading off the letter my GP had sent her, she left out all mention of autism/aspergers even though I personally watched my GP write it, fold it, and seal it in the envelope, and know that was the only focus of the referral. Why would she intentionally ignore most of the letter?

I tried to explain to her that I have extreme difficulties with communication and tried to give her examples. Her response? - "Well you're sitting here talking to me aren't you? I don't see any problem with your communication." I tried to explain that dictating precise answers to her questions isn't exactly real-world communication. She actually tried to argue with me.

I tried to tell her I have odd physical behaviors such as rocking and other repetitive movements (which my new housemates keep asking me about). She said "I haven't seen you do that here. Obviously you don't have a problem with it. What does it matter if you do those things in private?"

She completely ignored everything I said about sensory issues. She completely ignored everything I told her about constant misunderstandings and not being able to read people. She laughed at the idea that I have a really hard time taking the images in my head and turning them into words. She also ignored my descriptions of spacing out, rocking, and not realizing it until I whack my head on the wall behind me (which happens, a lot).

She then proceeded to tell me I am a shy person, that being shy is not a problem, and that it is not worth it to waste a psychiatrist's time.


What do I do now? It's taken me 9 years to get up the courage to seek a diagnosis, and right now I feel like I'll never have an answer because no one will listen.

Juliet Jamieson.


She got me my diagnosis.

While I was at UCL, I went into the disabilities office there to see about getting a formal diagnosis.... and it just so happens that her sister, Claire, works there.
Juliet is a specialist. She has the authority to make a formal diagnosis.... and unless I'm much mistaken, she shouldn't make you jump through hoops to get it.

I'm sure I still have one of her e-mail addresses stashed away in my Gmail account, but I haven't contacted her in so long she might have changed addresses or anything.



Lemme put it this way: If you want to get your diagnosis and have NO better idea how to go about it, there are two things I could suggest:

#1. The UCL disabilities office. From the front gates on Gower Street, it is diagonally forward-right across the quad, in through the doors in the corner (you'll know the correct one as you get a clear view of Jeremy Bentham in a box), turn right past the huge painting, through the double doors on the ground floor next to the stairs... and clearly marked on the right down that corridor.
They'll treat it a bit strange if you're from another Uni or College and you walk in there, but if you tell them that Robbie Brunton was trying to help you out, they might be willing to direct you to Juliet.

#2. The National Autistic Society. Not sure how much they could do for you, but the main office is at Angel, Islington... the end of City Road, to be precise... Northern side of Central London. I figure if you go in there and pester them, they might be able to help out.



Either way... don't bother with doctors or general-purpose "mental health" people. They'll just be pains in the arse about the whole thing.