My doctor ordered me a pack of forms and questionnaires to request an assessment for adult autism. In amongst the medical histories and self assessments, this question stuck out;
it is important to know that not everyone who is referred to our service will have a diagnosis of autism confirmed. In the space below, tell us how you think having an autism diagnosis confirmed, or not, might impact on you and your life
What’s going on here? Do you get asked this for other conditions? We’re a community that typically struggles to read between the lines, so I could be way off, but this feels grudging to me. It’s a question that says - what’s the point of us even offering this service, and why are you so special that we should waste our time on you?
Are you paraphrasing in your quote how you perceived the question? Or does it literally say that somewhere else on the page?
I don’t think that the intent of the question in the photo exists with the intent to blow off patients who the doctors feel are wasting their time or something; it’s almost certainly there to determine the mindset of the prospective diagnosee, and is probably worded specifically to elicit a response such as yours.
I think you should answer it honestly; if you feel it was designed to push you away then explain your analysis. The fact that you even saw it this way could possibly be helpful to them in diagnosing a condition that is almost entirely reliant on the patient externalizing their experiences accurately.
(I can’t say if it would make them lean one way or another towards a positive diagnosis.)
Oh no, that was my perception in my words. If there was anything so explicitly hostile I would have taken a picture of that instead.
Some context for my reaction - it has a cover letter that mentioned the high demand on the service and 24+ month wait times. Health service provision here (the UK) is highly politicised (as it is everywhere), and services are always under pressure to cut their wait lists. The application pack came in separate sections for standardised assessment forms, and one for admin details like contact numbers and medical history. This question was in the admin section.
I appreciate your point of view though, and it’s a reasonable possibility. I’ll keep it in mind when I fill it out.