Diagnostic Route

[Chris]

What diagnostic process did everyone follow? I'm mainly interested to hear if anybody went private (again, mainly interested in UK answers) over the NHS. The NHS don't seem to follow-up and consider all evidence when attempting a diagnosis, so I know a lot of people must have ended up going private, or at least though about it?

 

[Calvert]

My school referred me to a Education Welfare Officer, then a Social Worker and finally I saw two different Psychologists (or w/e they're called) who worked at the same place. The Psychologists made the diagnoses. I don't know if they work for the NHS or not or if its even called NHS in Northern Ireland (I think our health system is slightly different to the mainland). IIRC I seen GP's too. I know I didn't pay for a diagnoses or make myself see a private doctor.

I remember doing tests but was never aware what the tests were for. Throughout my contact with the Psychologists they always asked questions and took a lot of notes. I then received a letter from the Psychologist about my diagnoses.

Hope that helps.

 

[x.AutisticSarah.x]

At the moment I still have regular tests with my speech and language therapist. So I am still checked and assessed whether my autism has got better or still need to develop strategies etc.

 

[krackerz1590]

i went to fam doc (G.P) as was very emotional crying all time over nothing i couldn't explain it didn't know why i get upset over smallest of thing was socially withdrawn anxious angry and was self-harming myself every day before school in the morning he referred me to general counsellor in NHS she then asked me certain questions and also my mum i couldn't explain alot of how thinking and how i was feeling i was confused ,frustrated and lost i was isolated housebound point of agorphic sypmtoms observed through family doc which he noted down mum also explained how i'd been too!

i already had official diagnosis of dyspraxia years before in junior's school by paedtrician

she then said that she thought 'something more' behind all this that need exploring more she said i need to be transferred to the Complex Difficulties Clinin within CAMHS services .....

i was assessed again asked medical history family background educational experiences etc asking me and my mum different things and asked to do WISC test my school learning support teacher had to do questionaire on me on school POV and my mum did one too on how i was at home ..... these scores points added together and total up with my WISC test results and from there weeks later there it was AS!! was shocked but not surprised as always felt 'different' to my friends always felt something wasn't right didn't add up and my parents and family agreed on this opinion too!!!

 

[mikkyh]

I went to see a doctor because I was feeling really depressed about 3 years ago. I got referred to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) - yes, that's part of the NHS. I had to see a psychiatrist 3 or 4 times, but within about 5 weeks after seeing the doctor in the first place...I got the diagnoses of Depression. I am very happy with how they handled it.

They did change the diagnoses from Moderate to Severe when I started SHing.

Uhm. Then 2 years or so after the diagnoses of Depression (more close the the end of the 2 years...or the start of three years), my sister noticed the symptoms of Asperger Syndrome in me. I thought nothing of it for a while but she and my mum persauded me to speak to my psychiatrist about it. We had to collect a lot of my old school work, we had to write quite a lot about my life and how I act and stuff. After one or two months of sitting in a room of around 3 or 4 people once a week...I got the diagnoses of Asperger Syndrome. There was a bit of confusion as to whether it was HFA or AS but yeah. A bit more evidence and Doctor H decided

Apparently my therapist had suspected it for quite a while but other things made him doubt it (I have 2 therapists, 1 psychiatrist and 1 social worker).