skater_kat

not tired so much now but still nauseous. v. anxious too, which i have not been before.

hi all. i am 34 yo female living independently. i have spent the last 4 months in the process of seeking direct payments. it has been very difficult and a constant srtuggle with mental health services. has anyone as an independent adult successfully obtained direct payments, what worked for you? my application just got refused even thought i have been classed as in 'substanital' need under the FACS rating. i've got a solicitor now but it is all so hard and stressful.

it's only been 3 days so far. havent felt a difference yet, but as i understand it, 5mg is below the usual starting dose so maybe it is not strong enough. feel very nauseous though and slept for 14 hours yesterday - i wonder if i should take it at night instead? any hints?

i'v just been prescribed 5mg. not sure what to expect. main reason for the prescription was due to anger issues and extreme irratabilty.

"They said they couldnt do anything about looking into autism etc as they have no-one in the county NHS who diagnoses adults." this bit isn't okay; it is a statutory duty now under the autism act 2009. i'm afriad that this may mark the start of a long road for you, as if there is a lack of local understanding/services then you will need to do 'self-advocacy'. you might want to start with a letter to the people you saw summarising what happened at your appointment and what they said. you should aks for a referral to the nearest NHS place which DOES offer a diagnostic service. you can google 'autism act 2009' and quote sections of that. you should also send a copy of your letter to your GP and to the local primary care trust. if you feel that a formal diagnosis is what you definately want, it sounds like it will be a fight to get it. you need to prepare yourself for using a lot of energy and effort to get there. contact the N.A.S for advice on this also. is there a local charity who could help you? such as a DIAL or other disbility charity? your last resort would be to seek legal advice from someone specialist in NHS care - if you are on a low income this could be free. but your first port of call shoudl be the disablitiy law centre (find on google) it could be a long journey. in my area they have a specialist DX team etc and even with that in place it takes 2 years from start to finish to get a DX. good luck !!

I have a DLA award from July 2010 low rate care. It was awarded on the basis of my long term depression. When I applied for DLA in early June, I was not aware I may have ASD. So i fille out the application on the basis of how being constantly depressed affects me. I went through a process of seeking a DX from early July, which was confirmed by psych in December 2010 (quick i know!). I guess my question is, that now i have my ASD diagnosis in writing from NHS, should i submit this to DLA? Having realised my ASD and coming to terms with it and finding out all about it, it makes 'how i am' make sense. Now i have perspective on this, I realise there are things I could have/ should have put down on the orginal DLA application. But i didn't as i didn't think it was anything to do with being depressed. For example the sensory overload issues when i am out and about, freaking out with people on the street when they bump into me etc - i just thought this was a bit weird and freakish but now i think about it, it could mean that I might have 'mobility needs' in relation to ASD stuff. I suppose what i am scared of is - if i submit this new information to DLA, there could be a risk that they review my entire claim and decide i get ZERO and that would totally suck. any advice?