Getting a Diagnosis in the UK
Getting a Diagnosis in the UK
Hello, I've decided to finally get the answer, and go get tested, someone posted a comic of @cypopps a few days ago here and I read all their creations because it connected a lot with me. But I am a bit lost in how to find where to do a Diagnostic in the UK, I see the word "Assesment" and "Diagnostics" which seems to be two different things? The Places in my region do "Assesments" some mostly for kids, other for Young Adults which Is what I found I fould The Assessment Team near me, but it seems crazy to me. Does it actually cost 2500 Pound to get tested? It costs 40 Euro in France
I thought it would be faster in the UK to get tested from what I saw in the UK compared to France but I am confused on the Wording and the Price
On the NHS it is free, you just have to ask your GP to refer you, but there's often a waiting list of a year or so.
If you want to go private, then yeah that cost sounds about right.
It's currently about a two year waiting list in Wales, up from about six months last year. Ask me how I know >.<
18-24 months in Yorkshire.
This is only if you are a British national. Admitted I only scanned through the OP's post, but I didn't see anything other than a comparison with the French system.
I'm going through the NHS and about 2 years into a 3 year waiting list. There's something called 'Right to Choose' where you can get a diagnosis/assessment (I guess there's a formal difference but effectively the same as far as I'm concerned) from some practices which are paid for through NHS funding. That tends to be quicker. There's quite a bit of information from people asking the same question on the autism sub Reddit. If you go private and not Right to Choose, I'd expect to pay between 1-2k.
That seems so crazy to me, thank you for taking the time to answer!
But more context for you, I went nhs for a diagnosis (adhd) and switched to Right to Choose after waiting a year. Estimate is half year till diagnosis now, not that I trust that though. Mental health services suck in the UK for a reason, a nefarious one, to slowly privatize the whole of UK healthcare. Look at dentistry as example, impossible to get a nhs dentist.
If you think it's important (and also check for ADHD), you can fly elsewhere and do it in an afternoon/very cheaply. I went to Taiwan (quite near to where I live despite being from the UK) and was assessed/diagnosed with ADHD, given a week-long prescription for Ritalin, and Bob's your uncle. Check other countries which may be quicker and cheaper. I booked the appointment a week in advance, arrived, and got it all done in the morning.
I'm in the USA, so take that into consideration. On top of what everyone else has posted, from what I have read from UK users is that the first major hurdle to a diagnosis is getting the referral from the general practitioner. Often times, that doctor will had a distorted or incorrect belief of what an "autistic person looks like" and gatekeep the process. That's not to mean that you have to fight them or not. I don't know what to do in that case. However, if they deny the referral, it doesn't mean you're not autistic. I don't know what the proper way of overcoming this hurdle would be, so maybe others with experience or knowledge on the subject could share their recommendations. If you don't get any, please make another post. There are surely others that would benefit from that information.
In the meantime, here's video relevant to my comment: https://lemmy.world/post/7746510
Edit: Good luck with the process and let us know when you find out the results either way 🙂
There is a simple ten-question quiz a GP can give. Otherwise if you are an adult, you can self-refer.
Oh I can understand what it is in the US, although it didn't cross my mind until you said it.
I've lived in the US, went for a check, as I was more sensitive than anyone else in my family to sound, especially to movies. All they did was put Etymotics IEMs (I now have a copy of exactly what they put in my ears heh) and putted bips and boops. To conclude that I had a most likely genetic small hearing loss of mids. This was 400$ and they proposed to do complementary test.
As for what I am going to do, well, my best friend is becoming a doctor in France, and I've talked a lot about it with them. We've decided if they find someone as they are ever studying they'll talk about it with them. I've looked up the procedure in France and it's too long for me to be there and do it fully. And I won't be in the UK long enough to be on a 1.5 to 3 year wait list.
I've decided to just wait, and simply learn here more about it, I've seen things here that have genuinely helped me and I am so thankful for that
All they did was put Etymotics IEMs
Interesting. I had never heard about these. Was that helpful at all, or mostly a loss of $400?
I’ve looked up the procedure in France and it’s too long for me to be there and do it fully. And I won’t be in the UK long enough to be on a 1.5 to 3 year wait list.
I think you could pay out of pocket, but that's going to be a few thousand. It might be worth it if you can somehow get that amount of money saved up. Consider what you will get for that in return, and judge if it's worth the expense. Since I'm in the USA, I had to pay out of pocket, and it was $900 after shopping around a lot. Given the impact it has had, I would gladly have paid more than double for the assessment.
I’ve seen things here that have genuinely helped me and I am so thankful for that
Yay!! That's so nice to hear (actually, read). In case you haven't already, take a look at our the helpful resources post linked in the sidebar.