Horrible experience with GP

[Treasures]

I saw my new GP for the first time yesterday. I went to tell him that I strongly suspect I have Aspergers. My DH and DD agree with me.

I was very nervous because I hadn't seen him before and my old GP that he replaced had been my doc for 20 years.

He asked me lots of questions and appeared to be taking me seriously and then said "I definitely DO think there's NO WAY you've got Aspergers. I've seen a lot of people with Aspergers and they have a certain look about them. You look completely normal."

I could have cried at that point. I was so sure.

He then asked to look at the printout I'd brought with me of the list of female Aspergers traits I got from www.help4aspergers.com with the ones that applied to me highlighted (most of them). He laughed at me. He said the list was astonishing because "half the population could tick all these, if this is real I could diagnose most of my patients with Aspergers!"

I had also included all my test results that I'd done online (not to be taken as a diagnosis, I know, but all from reputable sources) all of which practically scream an ASD.

He asked how I felt and I said embarrassed and confused. He said he was confused too. Despite laughing at me and making me feel very upset inside, he asked to keep the list and test results so he can seek advice and see me again in 2 weeks.

I left his room, went straight to the loo and bawled my eyes out. I felt humiliated. Went home, cried some more til DH came home. DH says new doc is an arse.

Also, it wasn't until hours later that I realised how fucking offensive doc had been. Saying I look normal, implying that those with Aspergers don't?!

I have no idea how I'm going to handle my next appointment with him.

Cancel your appointment and see a different doctor . My df 's ds1 has asbergers and has had a difficult time getting a diagnosis and then support at school . People of a certain generation don't think it is real and you can grow out of it.

That's awful - how unhelpful of him. Personally, I don't think one can automatically 'read' Asperger's in someone on first sight, be they a health professional or not.

I would definitely ask to see a different doctor.

Hi it can be hard to get a diagnosis of Autism. They have recently changed diagnosis so whereas before it used to called classic autism and Asperger Syndrome it is now called autism and it is a spectrum. As autism is a lifelong developmental disability it is often diagnosed in childhood and can be hard to get a diagnosis as an adult. Where I live there is an 18month wait for an official diagnosis as a child and without that diagnosis they cannot access all the support they need for school. So I would imagine it is at least an 18 month wait for an adult diagnosis if that helps to put things into perspective.

Why not contact the national autistic society for advice on being diagnosed as an adult? Their site does say it can be hard to find a service experienced with diagnosing adults but they have links to help you.

Thank you all.

hoophopes I had already been in touch with NAS, they were the ones who advised me to see my GP as a referral to a diagnostician would have to come from him. I'm not sure what you mean about putting things in perspective...it doesn't matter to me how long it might take, what matters is that if I do have an ASD then I'd like to know about it. Apologies if I've misunderstood what you said, I do appreciate your reply.

Spanky and Pawprint I would guess this doc is mid-40s, all the others at the practice are older. There are 2 other practices locally so I may look into transferring if I can.

I worded it unclearly by trying not to waffle which is my usual default position. What I meant is it is very very difficult to get diagnosed as a child with the support of a school so I would imagine it is even harder to get diagnosed as an adult.

it is very difficult to get a child diagnosed in England when they need the diagnosis for support in education and it is around 18 months in my county and surrounding counties. Therefore, many students do not get diagnosed unless the parents or school really push for it, and it tends to be mainly those needing funding for SEN schools.

So if it takes 18 months to diagnose a child, with lots of supporting evidence from educational professionals then an adult trying to get diagnosed may take even longer and not be a smooth, quick route. Not saying this is right, or ideal or following guidelines of NICE etc (but many CCG do not follow NICE guidelines, eg for fertility treatments eg). But reality. And it is not a specialism of many Gp's either.

Have you found out who you want to be referred to? I have a physical health condition and asked for a referral for diagnosis (have diagnosis and need treating at a larger city's hospital thesedays) but until I said I would like a referral to XYZ at place ABC then I did not get what I need. Transferring Gp's may not help to get what you want, but fine if you not happy where you are. You could contact your CCG directly to see if and where they fund adult diagnosis. They may not fund adult diagnosis (like some CCG's do not fund any NHS cycles of Fertility Treatment) so worth finding out all those details perhaps.

My only other thoughts are - do you work? Does your workplace have a good Occupational Health department? If so you could request an assessment with them and get some support from them to push for a diagnosis? Or if you are a student, the same.

You need a referral to either a psychiatrist or a psychologist who specialises in autism diagnosis, so worth finding out (a) if there are any in your area and (b) would you CCG fund a referral and diagnosis for you.

All the best.

Ah thank you, yes I see what you're saying now

Yes I understand it can take a long time for a referral, and I think it's awful it takes so long for children.

I will look into contacting CCG, good idea! Thanks again, lots to think about.