Getting a diagnosis in England?

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Hey c:
So.. I think I'm autistic (never would have guessed that since I'm here and all :3 )
Main reasons: (most are from NHS website since I can't explain stuff)
-My boyfriend thinks so, and hes been officially diagnosed, and I trust his opinion
-My sister has Aspergers, so its more likely that I'm on the spectrum
-Taking things literally at times; and not always understanding sarcasm
-Little interest with interacting with most people
-Not enjoying situations/activities most other people my age (I'm 16 and female) enjoy
-Avoiding eye contact
-Repetitive motions/ticks
-Preferring a familiar routine and not always coping well with changes (it depends)
-Dislike of certain foods, mainly due to texture

So.. that was a long list. Sorry..
I had a referral to CAMHS about depression mainly, but I also brought this up, but because I'm terrible at explaining stuff and whatever the councilor who I saw personally thinks I'm not autistic because 'she couldn't see it', even though I never would have guessed my boyfriend was autistic until I really got to know him. (he was also there when I went to the doctors to get the referral, and explained it to him)

What do you guys think I should do? The councilor said their might be a chance I get referred to somewhere which could properly test me, but since she has to convince her team about it, I highly doubt thats going to happen.

Thanks for reading all of this, I know its a ton of stuff

Do you really need a diagnosis?

If I have it, then yes. I like knowing exactly what's 'wrong' with me, so I can understand why I am the way I am, and its easier to explain it to other people.. like people understand 'I have autism' and 'I have depression' way more than a list of random stuff explaining myself..
Basically I just like knowing and being sure about things, really.

I was referred to an Asperger's specialist by my GP. If your councillor doesn't refer you to a specialist you can always book an appointment with your GP and tell them about your problems/Asperger's characteristics.

An official diagnosis can help open up a lot of doors in terms of Asperger's group meetings/student disability help ect. There is nothing wrong with you: there are positives and negatives to being neurally atypical.

Find a gp who knows something about aspieness and ask for them to refer you. A LOT of counsellors know nothing at all about it.

I'm pretty sure the GP would send OP to CAMHS so that'd be a circle. The people at CAMHS need convincing. I'd ask them to at least screen you for autism (actually in this case maybe try Asperger's, a lot of people in the UK see them as different disorders), and that involves asking the school and your parents questions as well as them filling out questionnaires. If you score high enough on those then they will refer you on for assessment. I think screening is the only way they're going to be convinced. Anyway, good luck - I can at least say that once it gets past CAHMS they know more from my experience.

The diagnostic process in England is laughably bad and erratic. I went to see my GP. He gave me a short screening test which showed it was worth referring me onward. Three months later I found out that my local health authority have no diagnostic services whatsoever for adults* with suspected autism. My GP has sent off a referral letter to a specialist centre in another area but that is dependent on my local authority agreeing to fund it. After another two months I still have no idea whether they will or will not. This isn't a criticism of my GP who is working hard on my behalf. He phones me fairly regularly to see how I'm doing (I also have a mood disorder) but unfortunately he has no control over the funding issue.

*Sorry, missed the fact that you are 16 - not sure at what age you are classed as an adult for diagnostic purposes in the NHS (I'm 51 and female)

Well it either is 16 or 18 (was 18 for me), but since OP is in CAMHS at the moment I assume she'll be moved into adults at 18.

And guess it depends on what part of England.

It is very hard be assessed as an adult on the NHS, most areas do not have funding, so you may have to pay for it privately. If you are going to seek a diagnosis then it would be better to do it sooner rather than later.

I think a lot depends on where you are and who you see.

I went to a GP (who I hadn't seen before - much easier for me to talk about it to someone I didn't know). I booked the appointment online and where it asks what appointment is for I said I thought I might have AS, so I didn't have to say it to anyone. She made me say it anyway when I got there even though she'd read it, and that was probably the hardest bit of the whole thing. I had written a massive list of everything that pointed to it and she then read that and said it seemed reasonable and she'd see if she could get funding to send me to Sheffield for assessment. She also asked if she could copy my list to send to Sheffield (and probably to the funding people). Funding approved after a few weeks/months and the Sheffield appointment was about 9 months after initial GP appointment. They told me on the day they were happy to give a diagnosis. Sent paperwork through, had follow-up appointment a while after.

But what made it possible for me was the written list. I'd done loads of research online and through books, having suspected for a couple of years but people had laughed it off as a joke if I ever mentioned it, so I was a bit secretive about it and didn't like to talk about it. Everyone seemed to think I was fine so even now I sometimes feel a bit like a bogus person. But from my research I'd written everything in my life that made me think I had AS, past and present, and related it to the research where appropriate. Eg. some people finding me rude even though it is my life's aim to be polite and please people, having problems at school with wordy maths questions even though good at maths, stims that we never realised were stims til then, sensory issues, interests that others think are obsessive, not liking eye contact, hating unstructured social situations, not knowing what's expected. etc etc. Things inside of me no-one else knew about, things people had mentioned about me that I had never noticed, things that were obvious to the world, it was all in there!

So I would suggest write it all down. If, like me, you struggle to get your point across when talking (I chicken out/get mixed up/forget things/think I've said too much or people must be bored of my voice) it will show whomever you talk to the true extent and variety of all the issues you are having.

^^I went to Sheffield as well^^