Hopeless_Aspie_Guy
Well-Known Member
Hi all,
I posted here:
Vent: Psychiatrist doubting suspected diagnosis
not so long ago after seeing my psychiatrist. My ADOS is booked for tuesday, but it's becoming a huge stressor for me. Dissociation is a big problem for me, and due to the stress it's been causing me i've been dissociating pretty constantly since I last saw her. I'm very worried that I won't get the diagnosis even if I tick all the boxes, as she's told me that she doesn't think I am autistic anymore after diagnosing me with PTSD. The alternative diagnosis she's offering is social anxiety but I know that if I got treated for social anxiety it wouldn't help me as I have had issues with socialising way before I experienced anxiety in them, and I no longer do experience said anxiety but I still have the problems with understanding other people and socialising. I don't know what to do. If I don't get this diagnosis I will have to go private and pay up to £1500 which I just cannot afford. I've lost all faith in the mental health system and I'm pretty sure that no matter what I say or how I behave during the ADOS, they will do all they can to mark me down and be very strict with the assessment.
Basically (though there may be other ways I'm not aware of) just get yourself a councillor to make the referral (you may require a GP initially to see the councillor) and then you'll get a questionairre to initially help filter out anyone who doesn't qualify. After this the wait can be very long (nearly 3 years in my case) depending on how many specialists they have local to you and how often he/she/they see people during each week. See the link below for a fuller account similar to another person who posted earlier.
Fiiiiiiiiiinally Diagnosed As Having Aspergers (ASD)
Based on things you've said in the past I have to give you the thumbs up for being brave enough to post your pic because for many aspies it is a hard thing to do (no matter how you think you look).