NHS adult diagnosis - options?

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Lepug - just out of interest, which area of the UK (county or unitary authority) is this? I'd be interested in looking at what their Autism/Asperger strategy is.

This is pretty much what's happened to me, I went to the doctor's last friday and saw the locum, he had no idea what asperger's is. Luckily for him I'd printed out the GP's guide to it from the NAS website along with a few of the online test results. He said he'd speak to the other doctors as he really had no idea how to proceed with something like this, he was pretty annoying asking me if I was suicidal, did I self harm etc and me being me rabbited on about how right now I wasn't but I had in the past particularly as a teen and have in recent years self harmed (but not to the extent I did as a teen). Anyway I came out feeling pretty deflated and was expecting to be told there is nothing they can and / or are willing to do. I was pleasantly surprised to get a phonecall on Monday telling me that they are referring me to someone (I don't know who because I could not understand the guys accent) who will discuss it with me then send me on to an autism specialist if they think I need to be diagnosed (again I think that's what he meant, he definitely said autism something).

I'm going to have problems with getting someone who's known me since I was a child to go though, I live 300 miles away from my parents. If it comes down to it though I'll just have to pay for my mum to get a train down here and / or drive up to get her.

Barnabear - I live in Staffordshire (hope that's specific enough - PM me if more info needed)

Az29 - sounds like a good result in the end, and maybe they could interview your mum over the phone?

So a google search for "autism strategy staffordshire" yields the autism briefing for Staffordshire

In this document, we have

At the bottom of this document we have


So a google search for "Christine Adams staffordahire" gives PCT provider leads

There we find ...


Same also for North Staffs and Stoke.

So it looks to me that she is a key person who may be able to find you a diagnostic pathway if you have problems.

You could also contact your local county councilor for help.

Skills, barnabear!
Thanks very much for doing that for me, I would never know where to begin with something like that!
Must have a read through that when I get chance and see if I can work up the energy to fight my corner

Lepug - absolutely my pleasure. I hope this works out for you.

I wonder if there is any advocacy support that you could access if you feel like you are on your own in finding a diagnostic pathway. Have you talked to the National Autistic Society about this, or maybe Staffordshire Adult Autistic Society?

You don't need to feel like you are on your own.

Thanks Barnabear, I do need to contact the NAS but feel a bit like I don't know where to start. Need to write myself a little speech or something first (am pretty useless on the phone, particularly when it's asking for help - two weaknesses rolled into one!)

Silly really because it's completely dominating my thoughts, but I can't bring myself to phone

Hi Lepug,

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. It used to take me days to make a phone call when I first started work.

If it helps, I met with NAS representatives at their stand at the Autism Show in London in June this year. They were absolutely lovely and very very sympathetic and supportive.

They are used to talking with people who aren't finding things easy.

You could email them and ask them to look at this discussion thread before you ring them. They don't bite, really.

You don't have to have a speech ready, it's OK just to ring them and see how it goes. No-one is marking you. It's OK just to be you.

Barnabear.

Thanks again Barnabear, that really does help. Good advice. I do need to bear in mind that they are there for people like me even if I'm not actually Aspergian. Think I might just spring it upon myself when I'm not looking

not forgotten

Embarrassing, but I've had the NAS webpage with their phone number open on a browser tab next to this one for months.

Occasionally I stare at it for a while and then don't phone.

My GP did eventually agree to refer me to the loony people but they haven't gotten back to me, I'm trying to be really careful checking the post instead of just throwing it all in the recycling.

I have another browser tab open with the phone number of the loony people on it so that I can phone them and check that I haven't thrown an appointment in the bin. I've only been staring at that one for six weeks and not phoning.

I now feel very pathetic.

I wouldn't bother going to a psychiatrist if I were you... I had a referral to one not long ago and he just went 'your symptoms can be explained by depression,' and that was that. Because when I'm put on the spot, I can't articulate myself properly. So when he asked why I thought I had Asperger's, I just said stuff like I'm really bad with eye contact and don't feel comfortable at parties. He then said he wasn't an autism specialist - those are supposedly particular psychologists. So I now have to go back to my GP to get a referral to their autism specialist in that clinic. I guess I'll see how that goes.

Yep - I got my diagnosis through an ASD specialist clinic, but I needed the baseline psychiatric assessment first.

ASD diagnosis does seem to be a specialism beyond the scope of a general psychiatrist. I would have thought that a psychiatrist should be willing to refer you if he/she cannot diagnose one way or the other himself.

The psychiatrist who performed my baseline psychiatric test would have been happy to refer me on, but I already had an appointment for an ASD assessment.

I got the impression that he was quite happy to leave ASD diagnosis to someone else - not that he was persuaded one way or the other. He certainly didn't administer any ASD tests, as far as I could tell.

I would be skeptical of any diagnosis of ASD that doesn't involve the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and a detailed interview of patient and a close relative or friend.

i self referred to a specialist centre here in NI after i hit rock bottom again and family came up with the cash. My GP had refferred me 5 years before (only after a pschological therapist i had been seeing from a charity insisted on it mind) but as my depression got better the mental health team simply discharged me without telling me!

I have had my diagnosis 3 months and have yet to recieve any support from the NHS. My psychologist has been fantastic and has seen me a few times since and also come into work twice and done training with my superiors (all free of charge btw).

The only way i was able to get the nhs to move was after diagnosis i asked for support, my gp wasnt sure there was any. I pressed on the matter and asked for direct payments in that case so I could take on my psychologist at the nhs expense. After a lot of work by my gp i have been referred to another trust via my cpn and the psychiatrist above him but they have to reassess me.

Last week i finally got the letter saying I had been referred to psychology and it could take up to 13 weeks for someone to see me (the letter was sent 2 months after i was referred). Dad rang up to complain about the time this had taken only to find out that the psychologist who was meant to see me (and had experience of asd) is on leave now for 6 months and that it would probably be the full 13 weeks before anyone saw me. However he was given the nuumber of autism initiatives who have agreed to give me counselling and support if i can get the gp to refer me.

if it wasnt for my psychologist (who i found myself via google) being so kind, and the NAS i probably wouldnt be around anymore. The nhs have been pretty useless. Dont get me wrong, some people have been very helpful and understanding but unfortunately this isnt reflected by the rest, many of which dont know what aspergers is or think only kids get it!

As a footnote i was taken into hospital via ammbulance after collapsing and blacking out a few weeks ago. I declared my aspergers to the ambulance crew who informed the person in charge on my arrival. Their reaction - leave me in a packed waiting room on my own for 2 hours beside 3 alchoholics and a bunch of screaming kids! Eventually once i went through triage and mum complained about my treatment i was given a room to the side, where they forgot about me for another 2.5 hours (the nurse left my notes in the room and went home so nobody knew i was there).

anyways, good luck! Have a read about direct payments and hit them with that suggestion if things still arent moving - afaik legally they have to provide you with diagnosis even if it means giving you the money for a private assessment. Hopefully your experience will be more positive than mine!

I live in Dorset. I recently asked my GP if I could be referred for assessment for Asperger's. As I have a long history of being treated for 'mood disorders', and I'd done some online diagnostic tests which suggested I might be an Aspie, he said he was happy to refer me, but didn't know where I should go!

I am already being treated for anxiety and depression at an outpatients clinic, and had previously discussed the possibility that I might have Asperger's with my therapist. She looked into the diagnosis process for me and was able to tell me that I needed a referral to the Community Mental Health Team. So I was able to advise my doctor who to contact. I understand that the first point of contact will be a psychiatrist, so the idea of a baseline assessment sounds about right as a starting point.

That's great news ... do let us know how you get on.

I live in Hampshire, so neighbouring county. I was dagnosed at Winchester Assessment Clinic and can thoroughly recommend this service. If you can't get a diagnosis within Dorset, you could ask for funding to go there. I got funding from Southampton.