yorkshireT

good luck to the both of you! i would also be interested to hear how it goes, as i'm not sure that i got the best result out of my gp appointment last week, x

ah... primary care trust. got ya cheers

hey andrew, wow! reading your posts is like reading my mind. weird. very similar story thus far (i.e. the parts you've shared on here). i am 28 and have just started what i hope is the road to diagnosis. i also don't trust doctors, pro's, 'authority' (anarchistic in nature myself), and i hate labels, and the thought of pigeon-holing people. everyone is different after all. but, since realising i probably have (well, self-diagnosing) AS, i feel so much more accepting of myself already. but as you do, have those doubts - 'am i just making excuses for myself?' i am so lucky that i found the diy, punk, anarchist community - one that is accepting of differences. i currently live in a squat with 4 amazing people, and they seem to have mostly come to terms with me being a bit 'weird' and sometimes maybe just seeming unfriendly and rude, albeit totally unintentionally! i think they know i love them, and i have their support through this too. anyway, i'm rambling off on one, as usual!... 'me, me, me!' :/ i hope you've got understanding at your end too. i think it helps a lot. ... i guess i just wanted to say hi, i think we may be at a similar place on this 'path', and it'd be great to hear how you get on with it/ what you decide/etc t p.s. do you play loud, shouty music too?

many thanks karen! you show a lot of understanding there. that is pretty much exactly what i want the pro's to realise. that the anxiety/depression is likely a result of having had to try and shape my life (myself!!) around a society that doesn't understand, and doesn't accept such differences. at least, that is what i am thinking about it. it just makes it all make sense. but yes, i will try to talk to the mental health team about this, as i think they can rfer me too. but if that doesn't work, i'll go right back to the gp, with the info you (and anyone else) on here gave me, in the hope of helping them understand a bit better. i'm not very good at getting my point across verbally, and find myself stumbling over words and just not getting them out they way i planned beforehand. especially when a pro has a different idea in their head. many thanks for the advice! just so i know - what does pct stand for? thanks tx

thanks mbf! that website helped me to get my 'case' together for the dr, and i'm pretty sure i asked about a clinical pyschologist or a psychiatrist, to which he suggested i get in touch with the mental health service. perhaps it was through a lack of knowledge/understanding, and maybe he felt they'd be better to refer me to a psych. i hope so. i guess i just felt a bit fobbed off. and you're right, anxiety has been a part of my life for definitely over a decade - i don't let it take over though - a good dose of meditation and qigong tend to keep it in check. but a little more understanding of where it is coming from will hopefully keep it more in check, the times i'm in my head and not my belly good luck with your/your hubbie's appointment tomoro. i hope it goes well for you too - i'd like to hear how it does go. thanks a lot t

hi everyone! i'm going to try not to ramble too much in this introduction, but no promises, k? but i'd like to start by thanking the people who have made this forum, and contributed to it, as reading about others' experiences is soooooo helpful. THANKS! it's a really precious thing, this is. i've only recently started looking into AS, and it has blown my mind. it just seems to explain, piece together, the lasy 28 years for me (i am 28). it's been quite an emotional time, but i'm looking at it as something very positive, as i feel i have already become less inclined to beat myself up about things (e.g. if i stress out at stuff that others can't understand why i'm stressing about; saying things that seem to annoy or hurt others - when that really is not the intention! i.e. 'big mouth strikes again' syndrome; 'burning out' and not wanting to spend time even with those i love, because i just don't have the energy to interact; and i could go on and on and on, but like i said, i want to try keep this shortish and sweetish!) .. but now, for the hard part - getting a diagnosis! :/ i went to my gp a week ago, asking for a referral to someone who could assess me for AS. he seemed to listen well, and was really nice about it all, then gave me a number for the primary care mental health service and told me it was self-referral, and to ring them. so i did. with a 3 week wait for an appointment that i thought would be the assessment. but looking on their website, their service seems to be to help people deal with anxiety, stress and depression, offering cbt, etc. i don't want cbt!! i want a diagnosis, so that i can better undertsand myself, really get to the core, not just cover it up by learning even more 'correct behaviour'. and so others can better understand me too. i'm already an outsider, even in my friend groups, it would be a relief to be able to tell them why (sometiems i worry they might think i don't care, on those many days i just don't want to 'hang out'... which is pretty much never - i'm up for doing stuff with friends, but 'hanging out?'... anyway, i digress, again!) does anyone know if this is the normal route to a diagnosis? i just worry i'm waiting these 3 weeks for nothing and will have to start over again. how have other adults come about getting assessed? any advice would be so much appreciated, thanks! t