1st GP appointment about possible autism... what am I supposed to say?

[TheNameIsDickDarlington]

Hi all. I have a gp appointment in a couple of weeks to discuss a possible referral for an adult autism assessment.

The problem is I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to say, I (like most women I'm sure) tend to down play everything and say things like "yes I'm fine thanks" even when I'm clearly not (like at a mental health review when I was suicidal, my instict was to say I'm fine and just leave so as not to be a bother)

Can anybody who has had this appointment maybe let me know what they might ask so I can try and prepare some answers. I really struggled to get any mental health help as I just couldn't give them the right words they were looking for even though I was struggling so badly, I don't want to fail at the first hurdle again if I can help it.

I got a notebook and headed up some pages with titles of the various aspects being autistic affects, so social, emotional, communications, then listed things that applied to me in those areas.
So things like Social: no close friends, many shallow relationships in past etc
emotional: difficulty regulating when too hot, easily obsess over bad things
communications: often interrupt, been called "blunt, too honest" etc

The initial consult didn't go deep into this, but it made me prepared and I had points to bring up to the questions they asked.

My GP was very clear that she’s not a specialist and can’t say whether I have autism or not. She didn’t really ask me anything about myself, she just asked me to fill in an AQ10 questionnaire. Then she said I scored high enough to be referred, and that was that. It’s worth having a look at the AQ10 and AQ50 as these are the tools GPs are likely to use.

It’s important to know that you have a right to choose where you receive NHS treatment. Your GP will automatically refer you to an NHS service, often without asking, or even telling you that you have a choice. The wait time for this service is 4-5 years across most of the country. However, you can exercise your Right To Choose and ask to be referred to another provider such as Psychiatry UK. They are a private provider who has a contract with the NHS, and you can be diagnosed by them in as little as 6-8 months.

Thank you both that's really helpful.

The notebook ides is a good one, I tend to get a bit distracted and jumbled up so that'll help me keep my ideas in focus. I'm so worried I'll forget something and they won't take me seriously as I haven't explained myself properly.

I just found the AQ tests online and scored 42 on the AQ50. I found the questions mostly easy to answer so if that's the kind of thing they do I should be OK.

Thanks for the tip about Psychiatry UK. I hadn't even considered non NHS really as I'm not wealthy so can't afford to go private but if they have an NHS contract I assume it's not as expensive.

PsychiatryUK is free, the NHS pays. You fill in some forms online and get diagnosed via Zoom. Not ideal but the waiting list is more like 6 months vs 5 years for a face to face appointment via the NHS.

I took a list divided into three areas of difficulty.
Sensory
Social communication
Routine.

It was a long list!

Also think why you want a diagnosis and what difference it would make in your life.

Try the AQ 10/50 and really think about how you are different.

I went along armed with my AQ test results and the referral to PUK all filled in ready to go. I chose my doctor to see as she also has an autistic son and just understands things better.

AQ RDOS test results are good ones to take with you. Also, have a read of the DSM and ICD diagnostic criteria (or watch some YouTube videos on each) to get a flavour of the way you'd be assessed, and arm yourself with some notes on how you think you satisfy them.

For what it's worth, worrying about what to say is unironically a very autistic thing to do; the fact that you'll have spent a couple of weeks rehearsing the conversation is actually also a good part of the reason for the referral to be granted.

I wrote five A4 pages giving traits (in women) and examples from my life. I actually never saw my GP….the receptionist told me to bring in the letter and I was referred. My assessor said that she found the information very useful.

Thank you everyone who contributed to this thread, even though I was rubbish at replying I took a lot from the tips you gave and after speaking to the Dr today she is happy to refer me.

Good luck, what also helped along the way was documenting examples of how your traits fit with the DSM criteria. The Embrace Autism website gives some good pointers when trying to figure out what the criteria actually refers to.