Eastern Moon

^Ditto!

I'm sorry to hear that. I think you should contact PALS to chase up the appointment that was messed up. Hope you get help soon.

Pray everything goes well for Meg tomorrow. The little boy who passed away is an angel now. Hope his family find peace and courage to get through this difficult time.

Hi & welcome.

Hi Simon, Please do try PALS. My case is the same everywhere, so I'm used to it. With regards to counselling/diagnosis outside the NHS, I looked at private services, and found that the fees can run into hundreds of pounds. Unless you're super rich, you should continue trying to get help on the NHS. It might be a bit of struggle, but it's not impossible. Also, have you thought about attending a support group? I was searching on the internet for one in my area and found a few. I've yet to contact them, but that's something you might want while you attempt to get the help you need? I'm hoping meeting people who have aspergers, will help me assess myself. A couple of people I know said I don't have aspergers. I'm not sure how they can tell. I feel people expect aspies to sit and stare into space or something.

Thanks Jomica. It's ok : ) SimonJC, I hope I didn't put you off from contacting PALS. Jomica is right, no two depts are the same. It just wasn't my day that day. Good luck to you.

You don't seem to being likened to Tim wotshisname. I admit I find the below by ben Franklin quote quite funny, but that doesn't mean I'd want 2/3 people dead for that reason. So, I believe that as long as you're not hurting anyone's feelings, there's nothing to worry about. In order for three people to keep a secret, two must be dead. - Ben Franklin

Hello Tally, It didn't occur to me to do that (probably brain fog). If I get it out by tomorrow, they should get it the next day. Thank you for giving my brain a nudge

I'm sorry I have nothing helpful to share, but I hope you get the right help soon. I can however tell you of my experience with PALS: I was diagnosed with depression, but refused to take drugs. I opted for CBT instead, and was initially assessed by a nurse. I received a call from a CBT counsellor and given an appointment. A few days later I got another call from him to say he'd hurt his back and couldn't see me. No replacement was sent and my appointment was cancelled. I was back to square one. After complaints to the mental health team,I was happy when I was appointed a counsellor - or so I thought. After my first 'real' appointment with the CBT counsellor, I felt worse after sharing my life story with her, and considered ending the therapy. I missed my next meeting, and when my counsellor phoned, I told her how I felt, but agreed to continue the therapy. However during that conversation, I found out she wasn't a CBT counsellor at all. She was a mental health advisor who used the same techniques as a CBT counsellor. I was upset and ashamed, and would definitely have not shared the things I did with her if I'd known she wasn't a qualified counsellor. Needless to say I didn't go back and my after telling my GP what happened I was referred again. This time I received a call from a CBT counsellor who did an initial diagnosis over the phone. He agreed I'd benefit from CBT. He then said that until he can see me, would I like to attend some CBT workshops. He made me clear that this was just something I can do to help myself until he can give me an appointment. I was reluctant but felt pressured, and so I agreed. I was sent a date to attend the workshop, but forgot all about it as I was in a lot of pain that week and barely registering what's going on around me. Soon after I got a letter saying if I miss another meeting, or they do not hear from me within two weeks, it will be assumed that I don't want to attend, and I will be discharged back to my GP. Of course I don't want to be discharged back to my GP. I usually put appointment reminders in my mobile fone, but had forgotten to do it for this appointment. So I rang the given number and found it constantly engaged. I rang again & again that day, and the next. There wasn't a queuing system, so you either got through or you didn't. I was tired and my stress level was going through the roof. Then I noticed PALS number and feeling hopeful I rang them. They were of no help whatsoever, and advised me to keep trying. I did. I'm sorry to say by day three, I couldn't do it any more. I felt PALS could've helped me with this. I will try again, after the bank holiday, but if I don't get through on the phone through no fault of my own, I will be discharged from the therapy. I'm not even sure why I wrote all that : (

Thank you : )

Thank you Tally, You're post has given me hope. Please can you tell me the steps you took to get a diagnosis? I suffered from pain & exhaustion, and a few GPs for about 18 years before I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I can't bear to think it'll take as long for me to get help with this. I don't even think having Aspergers is some great misfortune. After all don't aspies' hate gossip? That is a good thing in my eyes.I just wish I knew for sure.

Hi all, Nice to meet you all. I think I may have Aspergers. About two years ago, I was reading about Aspergers purely to educate myself about the condition, and I realised that what I read, might as well have been written about me. I took an aspie quiz and scored 177 out of 200. Later I discarded the probability, as I thought I don't fit the description one hundred percent. But once again I'm thinking there's a chance I may have it. I hope being here will bring some clarity to my thoughts, and help me decide whether I should seek professional help or forget about it for good. Eastern Moon