Actually they might even be wrong about clinical depression because doctors
diagnose this with series of checklists. Some of the checklists are things
like: 'Reduced/inappropriate affect in speech (not much changes in pitch)',
'reduced eye contact', 'loss of interests in social activities', 'loss of
interest in appearance' and some other things. I was interested, because I
have these (always) but the doctor did diagnose me with depression (not to
mention, also having read various letter, I have been said that maybe it is
'a schizophrenic episode', 'adjustment disorder', 'schizoid tendencies',
'anxiety' (this one, actually, is true). People with Aspergers can have
these things but not neccessarily because of depression, but because that's
how you always were/are, and it's not a problem to you neccessarily. There
seems to be vast overdiagnosis of depression, becuase doctors do not
actually check the physiological basis e.g. if you slept too much, ate less,
lost weight, did not go to the toilet enough, feel worse in the mornings (I
am not sure why maybe the seotonin is produced less when asleep so if you
had low levels it would be even worse then). You should at least have some
physiological symptoms before they put you on antidepressants because
otherwise they CANT BE SURE AT ALL that it is actually reduced serotonin.
SSRI medications can have a very bad effect if you take them if you aren't
really clinical depressed and so can being treated as 'JUST DEPRESSED' (I
have got a friend, she is definitely not Aspergers at all but she is a
christian and she has clinical depression and it is obvious it is not any
JUST anything because really, she can't do anything like get up in the
morning for work, or do this stuff which she needs to like eating properly),
because it is not appropriate for your actual problem.
THINGS TO TRY:
Go to a different GP? (as temporary or permanent) you can ask or get someone
to ask first if they have experience of Autistic disorders.
Can you refer yourself to CLASS? Or self referral to an NHS psychologist (a
psychiatrist, at least to what I know, can't diagnose Aspergers because they
look at more like medical disorders of the brain not the developemental
which is Aspergers, like knowing about diseases but not disabilities, if in
comparison, can know about Polio but not Cerebral Palsy)? SOme places, you
can do this, or just say to the doctor (I had to say about 20 times)- 'Refer
me to psychologist'- do not get into the discussion with them about
aspergers because they don't know what to do about it, most times you have
to do their thinking for them. (I did try this even before I knew about
aspergers e.g. 'I am not acting different now I am always the same as long
as I can remember so doesn't that mean its something else?', 'I take these
drugs but I still feel the same way so how can it be serotonin', then, when
I started to work with autistic kids 'is there something like autism but not
as bad, or without language problems', 'will you do a brain scan to see what
is actually giving me this problem', 'I do not have the same as a depressed
person, I just don't know how to act with people and I get stressed', 'I
don't feel like I want to die, I just don't want to have to deal with
people' etc etc and no ideas from them still, you need to do your own
diagnosis and basically get them to write it down).
I am very annoyed that people can be having their lives made so difficult by
not getting proper refferals.
You could also: write to some people who wrote books about autism e.g.
someone called Tony Attwood, Donna Williams (but in one of her books she
said she didn;t like it but I don't know if that's ok or not then),
or some others, describe your situation and ask them what they think then
show it to your GP.
Like someone else said, I don't think it costs the GP something to refer you
to CLASS or psychologist and maybe they think that but I don't know, why
they are so stupid. This is what is stupid, that I have heard people saying
that Autistic people can't make connections or to take hints, well it seems
like some other people can't do that even worse if they can't even look and
do something siple like a referral.
I hope you will be ok in the future.




>From: "farm_chicken_99" <jx_geol@...>
>Reply-To: aspiesdugout@...
>To: aspiesdugout@...
>Subject: [Aspies dugout] Re: diagnosis, support, etc.
>Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 14:32:52 -0000
>
>Hello Helen!
>
>Thank you for your helpful reply. Unfortunately the only official
>diagnosis I have had so far is "clinical depression".
>
>I have contacted Prospects but they say they cannot help me until I
>get an official diagnosis and referral letters from my psychiatrists.
>
>Whenever I speak to my psychiatrists about this, they tell me they
>are treating me for "depression" and they have no interest in the
>underlying cause.
>
>I spoke to my GP but he keeps referring me back to my psychiatrists
>for this sort of thing. Basically I am really "stuck"
>
>The only diagnosis I have had is from a psychiatrist I paid 100
>pounds sterling to see and he would not write it down or communicate
>with my current psychiatrist.
>
>Recently I have tried to get my GP to refer me to Cambridge Autism
>research Centre for a "CLASS" (Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome
>Service) diagnosis, but again, he refused to do so stating it was a
>job for my psychiatrists.
>
>For anyone who is interested the website for the Cambridge Autism
>Research Centre is as follows:
>
>http://autismresearchcentre.com
>
>It provides diagnostic assessments free of charge to patient and GP
>for adults aged 18 or over who may have Asperger Syndrome or High
>Functioning Autism.
>
>I hope everyone else has better luck and help than me!
>
>Many thanks anyway
>
>Jannie
>**********************************************************************
>--- In aspiesdugout@y..., "mckeeandme" <mckeeandme@y...> wrote:
>Hi there,
>
>If you live in London, there is an organization called Prospects that
>will help you with getting a job----if you go to the National
>Autistic Society's website, there is information about it.
>
>Helen
>


_________________________________________________________________
Overloaded with spam? With MSN 8, you can filter it out
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail&pgmarket=en-gb&XAPID=32&DI=1059