[Blaise]

Hi everyone. As stated elsewhere, I am a psychotherapist (amongst other things!) who has been recently diagnosed, at the age of 52. What has especially surprised me is the emotional reaction I'm having to the diagnosis. I keep bursting into tears, and really feel quite undone. Has anyone else reacted in this way?

Blaise (female, fwiw!)

[Tally]

For most adults, the diagnostic process is so long that you get a long time to get used to thinking you probably have AS, and that bit is out of the way before you get the formal diagnosis. I actually wanted to be diagnosed with AS because I thought I'd found answers and hoped they were the right ones. If it hadn't been AS, I would have had to start from the beginning trying to work out what on earth was wrong with me. So my diagnosis came as a relief. But it did still make me feel kind of sad as well.

I do now view it as a positive thing, and I hope you will eventually come to feel that way too. Not only does it answer questions about things I've struggled with, but it also gives me a good starting point for learning ways to overcome my difficulties and actually end up less disabled than trying to do it the "normal" way.

[Eccentric]

How did you manage to get diagnosed at all? My GP told me they don't do autism assessments for adults (why not, for god's sake - not enough money? Not enough specialists?). Does it depend where you live, or are you a good arm twister?

As to your emotional reaction, I suspects it's partly relief that you're only autistic and not bonkers, and that we tend to be a bit more emotional than neuro-typical people - even if to them we appear to have no feelings. Well, we do!!

[AFunnyThingHappened]

How did you manage to get diagnosed at all? My GP told me they don't do autism assessments for adults (why not, for god's sake - not enough money? Not enough specialists?). Does it depend where you live, or are you a good arm twister?

As to your emotional reaction, I suspects it's partly relief that you're only autistic and not bonkers, and that we tend to be a bit more emotional than neuro-typical people - even if to them we appear to have no feelings. Well, we do!!

Hello Eccentric

I am brand new here and also brand newly diagosed (officially). I contacted teh NAS (National Autistic Society) who gave me the name and number of my local Asperger service. I spoke with them who referred me to my GP, who didn't want to send me there until I insisted. Ironically, when I said to my GP 'I think I may have Aspergers' he replied with 'Oh, I have no doubt at all'. (In a nice way).

I may be out of turn offering advise, but I would ring the NAS first. I am 48 and they helped me.

This post has been edited by AFunnyThingHappened: 03 August 2010 - 11:01 PM

[Blaise]

Yes; exactly the right way to get diagnosed. (I should know - I'm one of the NAS' recommended practitioners - how ironic is that! )

[Jannih]

How did you manage to get diagnosed at all? My GP told me they don't do autism assessments for adults (why not, for god's sake - not enough money? Not enough specialists?). Does it depend where you live, or are you a good arm twister?

If there are no adult assessment clinics for autism in your region, then you could ask to be referred to the Maudsely Hospital. They are the only hospital which will take referrals outside their region. In other words, they are national referral unit. You will have to referred by a local psychiatrist, which can be arranged by your GP.

Then you have to wait for funding to be arranged, or not. I'm at that stage myself.