Neurodiversity support thread for women with suspected, diagnosed or self-diagnosed autism, ADHD and other NDs #18

[PolterThreadStarter]

As usual, latest support thread.

Welcome

there was no pathway for assessment in my area either until I mentioned that nice guidelines say... still a waiting list of a year though.

and for gods sake trying to manage without clear rules, guidelines or policies...

or when you follow the guidelines, rules policies or advice then get into trouble for doing so...

@BlackeyedGruesome I hear you

Hi. Hope I can join. Dx ADHD hyperactive and suspected ASD. Nice to see everyone

@Seline Hi 😊

It is quite quiet on these boards it seems. Perhaps we can liven things up a bit

Hi MuppetMinder! yes it would be nice to see more posts here!

there are three, yes THREE posts since I last checked...

definitely need more posts.

I only just found this thread after browsing the SN boards for advice about my DS who is very clearly autistic. Didn't even know they had an adult thread!

This is the only adult thread I am likely to be on

I am on a FB group that seems quite lively, but prefer the anonymity of MN.

I have been told there is nowhere in Scotland I can be referred to. It has been suggested I go private. I am not accepting that.

I have had a really wobbly few days as I am a mental health nurse and am worried I have been doing things wrong for the last 30 years. Feeling a bit better today though. I guess it is natural to review your life and try to identify the signs.

I have not changed, I just have a better idea of myself.

Hello. I am pretty sure I have ADHD and have got myself on a looooooonnng waiting list... the GP said it would take years to be seen.

Weighing up whether to go privately, or how, etc. So frustrating. I basically looked at all of the symptoms and went HELLO IT'S ME, THIS EXPLAINS A LOT. So in a way, I would be very surprised not to be diagnosed with it, and in a sense I would just like to access some treatments rather than get closure or anything.

mother I got diagnosed within 6 months, nhs. Why would you have to wait years?! That's absurd.

Seline NHS provision is very dependent on where you live. I’ve seen many posts on MN where people have to wait ages for a diagnosis.

@Seline that's just how it is in my local NHS trust apparently. There is a centralised service, and I've been referred to it and put on the very long list, they said to expect it to take 2-3 years to be seen!

Have been considering going private but I couldn't afford the ongoing cost of any medication or CBT if going privately, and i really want to try to access some kind of treatment.

@motherofdragonite I went private for my ADHD diagnosis a year ago, and have only just got back into the NHS system to get meds. The psych I saw privately said he could initiate prescription, but then it would take a while to stabilise me, and then I could go back to the GP. But that ‘while’ would cost a lot of money!

Should we start another thread as this one is nearly full?

After about 9 months on a waiting list, I finally received an appointment letter for ASD assessment today. HOWEVER, I was shocked when I saw that the person assessing me is an Art Psychotherapist?! According to the British Association for Art Therapists, art therapy is not a diagnostic tool for anything. So now I am stressed and confused and have been calling all day to find out what is going on, but no answer

As many on here have said before, assessing a female adult for ASD requires specialist knowledge..... I am so stressed that this is just a box ticking fob off from the local NHS trust

Anyone experienced anything like this before?

Gosh, I was confused enough by getting DD assessed by a SALT.

Hi
I’ve been sure I have ASD for years and years. I suffered terrible anxiety as a child and was selectively mute for several years. I’ve never sought a diagnosis but I’d love to find better coping skills. I have an interview coming up for a job that I know I deserve and people tell me I should get but they don’t know how terrified I am of the interview. Instead of preparing for it, I’m avoiding thinking about it. That’s so stupid that I hate myself. Any tips for facing up to things?

thismoment I do that with interviews. I find writing postcards on the different topics helps prepare Just enough room to put sufficient information but small enough that I can’t go off on one and bore people.

Good luck

Btw, can I join too.

I have a job that I love and I really want to keep, but my boss told me on Friday that I talk down to people. If I do, I’ve never meant to and now don’t know how to address it.
He’s a good boss too, fair and able to get on with everyone. He generally runs a happy company so I trust his judgement. It’s really worried me.

preping for interview.

5 mins on one question, followed by chocolate?

repeat later. once you have done one question it may help

Hello hello I am back, I really struggle to keep up with this thread - I hope it now appears in Threads I'm On, the time it disappeared from there I lost it last time.

Anyway. I finally got my appointment with the proper ADHD doctor and I have medication, for the first time, I actually have it here in my house on my desk

The doctor was really nice and explained stuff using big words once I had established yes please do use the big words, I understand them. I don't actually start taking it yet, tomorrow I go and do a concentration test so they have a baseline figure to see whether it's working. Then on Thursday I start a low dose and increase until it does something. Interestingly he's got me on a low dose tricyclic antidepressant to start off with. He seems to think this will increase my noradrenaline which is better for non-hyperactive cases, and if I do need stimulants as well it should be a low dose in that case.

Annoyingly (?) it's actually suitable for pregnancy as well so I totally could have started this all three years ago after all. But never mind. Three years diagnosed and thirty untreated and we'll see how it goes next week.

Seniorschoolmum could you ask him exactly what he meant, with examples possibly? Explain that you really don’t mean to (he may realise that already). It may be your tone of voice, sometimes with ASD someone can say something and they don’t realise how it comes across to others. Similar with facial expressions, you may think you’re doing a neutral face but to others it may come across as confused/angry/bored or whatever. I’m not saying you do this - I don’t know you obviously- just an example. People with ASD do have communication problems, that’s one of the main symptoms.

Thanks toffee I do know I miss stuff. I spent some time chatting with him yesterday and have a couple of specifics he mentioned but honestly, one of them is absurd, it would never occur to me it could possibly upset anyone. The other is at least something I can work on - Changing the wording of emails to be more “working as a team” so I’ll try that.