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Encounter with Dismissive GP over Potential Asperger's

P

PurpleFlamingo

New Member
Hello

I'm new here and I've just joined today so I can share what has happened to me today.

First of all I would like to give you a brief bit of background history. I'm 45 years old, female and I live in the north of England. I've suffered with depression, anxiety and social anxiety my whole life. For many years I've been trying to work out why I have had these mental health issues plus lots of other issues (turns out- autistic issues) and I could never come up with a reason that fit. I've seen some GPs and had some psychological support over the years but I have always been labelled with 'mild- moderate depression' and generally dismissed, packed off with a prescription for anti-depressants and a suggestion I see a counsellor.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, at Christmas I saw a youtube video on female Asperger's, which got me thinking so I googled it and read a piece by Tony Attwood on how Asperger's presents in females. The penny dropped...I realised all this time I had Asperger's. It all made sense, the puzzle pieces finally fit.

So, over the past few months I've been reading books and watching lectures from professionals in the field on youtube. I've taken the EQ, AQ and SQ tests and I've scored in the range for a person with Asperger's.

So far, so good.

Today, I thought I would go and speak to my GP. Big Mistake. I expected to have a calm and adult discussion on my belief that I have Asperger's. As soon as I told the doctor I thought I had Asperger's she was immediately dismissive. She asked me why I thought I had it and I tried to explain, but because she was so dismissive I got upset and tearful. Her reply was that social anxiety and depression are common and she made some point about how she thought I had low self-esteem and low-self confidence.

Because I was tearful she asked me if I was tearful everyday, I told her I wasn't and I was upset because I had come to see her with an important issue but she was being dismissive. I told her that she didn't know me or anything about my life so how could she act like I was making it up? She asked me what I thought I was going to get out of this? I explained that I was here to see if there was any support available for adults or possible referral for diagnosis. She said that there was no such thing as an adult diagnosis for Asperger's, that it did not exist. She said there was no adult support available.

She continued to tell me that there was no point in getting a diagnosis, even if it was possible. She said she did not think I had autism and I should talk to the mental health team instead. She then went on to ask me if I had any suicidal thoughts, I replied that I did not (I could not believe she was even asking this!). Then she asked me if I was taking drugs or using alcohol!!!!!!! I was so shocked I laughed in disbelief!!!!!

She gave me the phone number for the mental health team, and I walked out. I am stunned at how unprofessional, dismissive, patronising and condescending this woman was. I had to go for a six mile walk afterwards to calm down. I was expecting some resistance from the GP but not complete disrespect.

I just had to share this as I know I'm not the only one who has experienced this. I'm now wondering what to do next.

If you read this, thank you
 
PurpleFlamingo said:
..so I googled it and read a piece by Tony Attwood on how Asperger's presents in females. The penny dropped...
Click to expand...

Um, so do you not want that penny? I love finding coins on the ground! ;)

But seriously, your GP sounds all to familiar. Remember that mental health/autism is not their specialty, and even among mental health professionals their is still a lot of misunderstanding. Which is not surprising since the broad spectrum of autism in general is still not well understood.

Don't take it to heart, stay on your course and speak next with people with experience in autism.
 
Welcome to Autism Forums! I would say that it is time for a new doctor. Just because she is a doctor does not mean that she has experience with autism. You should not put up with that kind of treatment, remember, she works for you. As for there being no diagnosis for adults, I was 62 when I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.
 
PurpleFlamingo said:
Hello

I'm new here and I've just joined today so I can share what has happened to me today.

First of all I would like to give you a brief bit of background history. I'm 45 years old, female and I live in the north of England. I've suffered with depression, anxiety and social anxiety my whole life. For many years I've been trying to work out why I have had these mental health issues plus lots of other issues (turns out- autistic issues) and I could never come up with a reason that fit. I've seen some GPs and had some psychological support over the years but I have always been labelled with 'mild- moderate depression' and generally dismissed, packed off with a prescription for anti-depressants and a suggestion I see a counsellor.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, at Christmas I saw a youtube video on female Asperger's, which got me thinking so I googled it and read a piece by Tony Attwood on how Asperger's presents in females. The penny dropped...I realised all this time I had Asperger's. It all made sense, the puzzle pieces finally fit.

So, over the past few months I've been reading books and watching lectures from professionals in the field on youtube. I've taken the EQ, AQ and SQ tests and I've scored in the range for a person with Asperger's.

So far, so good.

Today, I thought I would go and speak to my GP. Big Mistake. I expected to have a calm and adult discussion on my belief that I have Asperger's. As soon as I told the doctor I thought I had Asperger's she was immediately dismissive. She asked me why I thought I had it and I tried to explain, but because she was so dismissive I got upset and tearful. Her reply was that social anxiety and depression are common and she made some point about how she thought I had low self-esteem and low-self confidence.

Because I was tearful she asked me if I was tearful everyday, I told her I wasn't and I was upset because I had come to see her with an important issue but she was being dismissive. I told her that she didn't know me or anything about my life so how could she act like I was making it up? She asked me what I thought I was going to get out of this? I explained that I was here to see if there was any support available for adults or possible referral for diagnosis. She said that there was no such thing as an adult diagnosis for Asperger's, that it did not exist. She said there was no adult support available.

She continued to tell me that there was no point in getting a diagnosis, even if it was possible. She said she did not think I had autism and I should talk to the mental health team instead. She then went on to ask me if I had any suicidal thoughts, I replied that I did not (I could not believe she was even asking this!). Then she asked me if I was taking drugs or using alcohol!!!!!!! I was so shocked I laughed in disbelief!!!!!

She gave me the phone number for the mental health team, and I walked out. I am stunned at how unprofessional, dismissive, patronising and condescending this woman was. I had to go for a six mile walk afterwards to calm down. I was expecting some resistance from the GP but not complete disrespect.

I just had to share this as I know I'm not the only one who has experienced this. I'm now wondering what to do next.

If you read this, thank you
Click to expand...

Find another doctor. I changed doctors three times last year and was diagnosed with ASD and General Anxiety Disorder in January.

Even if you do not have ASD, your GP should refer you to someone qualified to make a diagnosis.

Also, I forgot to mention I was diagnosed at age 61.
 
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Thanks, I was surprised to hear her say she thought I did not have ASD, which she surmised by just looking at me! I will not be returning to see her in the future.
 
Hi and welcome, fish your story is so similar to mine, in the end I went privately to get a diagnosis, had to get a high interest loan to do so I was 40 at the time, don’t lose hope and I wish you good luck.
 
Hi and welcome. I hope she's your ex GP! Some of them are pants, and many lack social skills. You sound like you have done some research and at the age you are now, if you are still trying to account for certain ways you are, then you will have tried lots of alternative explanations and found they don't fit, I guess.

Me too, and after many years of therapy and work on myself, it was only when I was working with some young people with Aspergers and their families that I read up on this and realised it fitted. I was over 50 by then. I took it upon myself to self diagnose, and am confident that this fits all the parts therapy never resolved.

If you need or want a diagnosis, prepare to put up with some silliness, and take a look at Jessica Kingsley publishers for some useful texts about girls and women with ASD and issues of diagnosis. Meanwhile, welcome to a great resource, where people are friendly and discussions are useful and supportive.

:leafwind::mapleleaf::fallenleaf::hibiscus::seedling::herb::cat:
 
Hiya, even so-called "experts" can completely dismiss it in women -- happened to me last summer with an "expert" who based me on male presentation and said I was too social as a child and that trauma was to blame for my glaring autistic traits. He gave me level 1 and MDD (no, really?) with PTSD due to longterm abuse, and recommended a psychiatrist.
I've scored high on every Aspie and AQS chart there is for years. My family has taken the same tests for me and they scored me the same way.
He ignored all of it.
Find another doctor -- trust yourself. Self-diagnosis is valid and accepted in adult autism. We know our own tribe.
 
Definitely do not see this GP again.It still surprises me how many professionals are so behind when it comes to stuff like Autism and I have to wonder how many people with undiagnosed Autism slip through the cracks due to the lack of knowledge of these professionals.

I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 31 but I went through different misdiagnoses like Schizoaffective disorder, Psychosis, depression and was considered to be at risk of developing Schizophrenia.

At 31 I went to therapy to help with dealing with trauma from the past and unbeknown to me the psychologist I saw also had knowledge about Autism and even though I do have trauma, she was able to look under the trauma and also see that I was on the spectrum.

She diagnosed me with Aspergers along with Complex PTSD which is a trauma condition that can overlap with Autism.

I am very sorry that you had to deal with such a rude and ignorant GP and I hope you don’t see her anymore and able to find a more knowledgeable professional.
 
PurpleFlamingo said:
Thanks, I appreciate GP's can't be experts on everything, but she seemed to be so out of touch! It just surprised me.
Click to expand...

Hello and welcome.

Your experience (sadly) does not surprise me.

Like you, I'm in the UK, NHS system, approached a few GP's, none of whom took me seriously. One GP even told me to treat myself to a new handbag as that would make me feel better :mad::mad::mad:

A non-ASD related brain CT scan and follow up appointment with a consultant neurologist meant that my GP was told to refer me for an autism assessment. However, I decided I couldn't wait 12-18 months for the assessment (which was the current waiting time a few years back and is no doubt even longer now) and went via the private route.

I remained on the NHS waiting list, attended the appointments and received further confirmation of a diagnosis and follow up appointments in relation to co-morbid sleep disorder.

Your experience is commonplace. Women are often misdiagnosed, dismissed, minimised. Don't give up. Change your GP. Or, if you can afford it, go private.
 
I was diagnosed in the UK and was lucky enough to have an understanding GP who said that she could see I have communication problems and would refer me. I think that what helped me case was that I went along with my mum, who backed up my case. I also made a lot of notes - wrote down exactly why I thought I had ASD, how it affected my life both past and present, and what I was struggling with. So if I were you I would get a second opinion, and take someone along with you to back you up if possible. But unfortunately it seems to be a matter of luck of getting to the right person - some GPs are well informed, others aren't.
 
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