Apparently I don't present as an Aspergian!

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I tried to discuss it with a doctor about a year ago and within 5 or 6 minutes (she'd never met me before) she decided I don't have Asperger's.

I tried to discuss it with a doctor this week. She was young and newly qualified I think - and not sure what to do, so she called in another doctor who also doesn't know me and after another 5 or 6 minute chat he decided I don't have Asperger's.

I know that I don't have ALL the traits that go with Asperger's - I think a lot of us here on WP don't have ALL the traits. But I have enough to impact on my life

It took me a year to pluck up the courage to go back and try again They're not going to listen to me - what now?

The first time I went to a doctor to get diagnosed, he agreed that I had it. After a while when I started to improve, he changed his mind, just cause I could finally muster the courage to talk to him. It's simply easier for me to talk to people once I know them a little better. I'm currently trying to convince my new doctor that I have it. I don't know if she's going to listen though. It's annoying, mostly because I have never been so sure about anything in my life.

Wtf ? Which doctor can decide if someone have Aspergers or don't have it in 5 minutes ?

Ye... where did you go ? In a Center really specialised in Autism or anything like that ?

Sowlowsolo - I see you are in the UK, when you say you spoke to a doctor about it were you talking about seeing your GP?

GPs are not specialists and don't really understand ASDs. When I went to ask about it, I wrote some reasons why I thought I had it because I know that when I speak I am rarely able to express myself properly and often end up not saying the things I most want to say. I also wrote in big letters that I would like, if possible, to be referred for an assessment.

The GP, who I had never met before, said Yes, of course we can refer you. Just ask for a referral.

Be warned though that it is unlikely that this will be to one of the specialist centres ... almost everyone gets referred initially to their local mental health team.

I was lucky as the psychiatrist I saw there had a special interest in ASDs and diagnosis in adults and liaised closely with the local autistic society. After several meetings with him which amounted in total to 4 hours interview & observation, the completion of a forest worth of paper questionnaires (which I found really difficult to answer and ended up supplementing each with pages of written comments to explain my answers), review of my old school reports and some input that I received from my mum (I didn't want her involved in the process directly and the psychiatrist was respectful of this) .... I received a diagnosis 3 months later. The psychiatrist told me it was obvious from the very first meeting. I was surprised as I had always felt that I was good at "acting normal". Oh well. Just call me oblivious.

Many folk, after meeting with their local mental health team end up being referred on to a specialist assessment centre. There is no such thing within easy reach of where I am... I wish there was though because I think if I had been assessed at one of these the post-diagnosis support would have been better.

Just tell the GP you want to be referred for an assessment, and take it from there.

I think it is very difficult to get a diagnosis or even recognition of Aspergers in the UK. You will indeed be referred to mental health first who will most likely dismiss your concerns as a 'personality disorder'. You will have to be prepared to fight so you can see a specialist. Specialists in the UK are few and far between so be prepared to travel! It took me over 8 years (but keep in mind that I was a kid for four of those) to get a diagnosis because we didn't fight hard enough. GPs cannot diagnose or undiagnose Asperger syndrome.

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I have HFA, ADHD, OCD & Tourette syndrome. I love animals, especially my bunnies and hamster. I skate in a roller derby team (but I'll try not to bite )

Thank you all for your replies. On both occasions I saw a GP. I agree that GPs don't know much about adult asperger's and that the UK is pretty much ignorant on the whole subject. The thinking seems to be along the lines of 'If no-one noticed you were different as a kid then you don't have Asperger's!'

I have to admit at this point that when I read about Asperger symptoms in childhood - I don't relate all that strongly with them. partly because i can't remember much about what i was like as a child. i know i was classed as a loner, i was good at drawing, i liked to listen to music, i was very daydreamy and when i was expected to go along with what others wanted i could throw a head fit and i have self harmed since i was very small. come to think of it - that all sounds a lot like asperger's.

Considering how wide the spectrum is, it's difficult for many health professionals to diagnose Aspies who are HFA, because we may not present a majority of symptoms. Also, for you, judging by your age, you may have developed good coping skills that mask some of your symptoms. I know for me, I've learned to mirror NT behavior quite well in various situations and it's not obvious on the surface, especially in public, that I have AS.

The other aspect is that Autism is still a great unknown for many health professionals. You might check into finding a person who specializes in Autism/Aspergers, as a GP may not know enough to make an accurate diagnosis. I went through 4 or 5 therapists before one tagged me with AS, which made complete sense to me. But she deals with AS and saw things the others didn't pick up on.

Don't give up! Have some confidence in yourself. The GP probably can't diagnose it. A psychiatrist with an interest wasn't sure and I needed to go to a specialist Aspergers centre doing nothing but Aspergers to get diagnosed. It took a therapist to notice possible traits to get the whole thing going with my GP and getting referral to a psychiatrist. I am very high functioning, manage it well, female (can manifest differently to males) and just had a very long history of depression/anxiety linked to social situations which hadn't responded to normal treatment.
You could try taking someone NT with you to back you up or write down the traits, or take something like a questionnaire suggesting you might have it.
The NAS is very helpful both the website and the phoneline/email people.

I agree with the posters who have stated that it is probably not going to get you anywhere talking to a GP. They just do not have the expertise, especially in Adult AS.

In my case I was lucky enough to be seeing a therapist in the same offices as a pediatrician who specializes in autistic kids, who was happy to meet me and actually is now my main doctor. Someone who sees it everyday all day would be better equipped to identify and advise you.

The main thing is also this, with AS it is easy to doubt yourself. I have had a whole lifetime of doubting myself, doubting my perceptions and ideas, and letting others tell me what I was doing. That is no way to be. It has taken a long time but I am starting to see why it is so important to listen to my own experiences, and not let people who have only known me briefly tell me what is true for me.

Also to a large extent, especially for a woman, it can be sort of like an invisible disability. You can't reasonably expect a person to see what is largely invisible, right? That doesn't mean that your issues and challenges aren't there.

I went to my GP, who referred me to my local mental health team.

Within 4weeks I was seen by a psychologist. I had about 6 sessions with her (once a week, lasting for about 1hour each.)

If she thought that I might have AS, she would then refer me to a specialist center which is located in Sheffield, I am in Manchester so its a bit away.

I've been diagnosed with a severe Social Anxiety and she has put me forward for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Not sure how long this will be...

I'm going to give it a go, but I still think I have AS.

It helps a lot to go to the GP armed to the teeth with information, and screening test results. Even if they're just the free ones from online. TELL them what traits you have, in detail. Don't let them just "look" at you to see for themselves. That's just NOT possible in five to six minutes. What pisses me off about morons like that is that they KNOW it's not that simple.

They are brushing you off for some reason that has nothing to do with them truly believing you dont have Autism. It's either because you don't have insurance and can't pay the bill, or the insurance you do have probably won't cover it and you can't pay the bill, or they're too busy to be bothered, or they don't take your claim seriously. Whatever the reason, they ARE brushing you off. They'll just keep doing it unless you force the issue.

Hate to break it to you, but it is up to you to keep pushing until you find someone who will listen. Bug the hell out of them until you get results! When it comes to stuff like this, you HAVE to make a pain in the arse of yourself, toss out any inhibitions you have about irritating anyone, and just PUSH until you get what you need.

They don't care. You're just a file in the system they want to get off their desk and back into the file where they don't have to think about it anymore. Don't let them get away with it.

CALL that doctor back and ask who else you can see that will do the right things to give you a proper straight answer. Looking at and talking to you for six minutes and telling you you don't have Autism is NOT even a proper screening, much less an evaluation or diagnosis.

What they were really telling you is, "I don't see any reason to even screen you for Autism."

SHOVE 'EM HARD, or you'll never get what you need out of them. Do NOT let them intimidate you.

At 46 what are you hoping to achieve with a diagnosis? Access to services - not much in the way of that around here, benefits or DDA accommodations?

Well, my mum said I was diagnosed by an autistic specialist, and that GP's know nothing about Asperger's, so I wouldn't trust a GP diagnosis. See if you can find an autistic specialist to give a diagnosis.

No one can determine whether you have AS or not from a 6 minute chat. You need to see someone who better understands ASD, and go for several sessions. Better yet, see an ASD specialist.