Getting a diagnosis with no funds

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I'm in a huge hole right now and I don't know how to deal with it.

I live in Portland Oregon, and am seeking an autism/Asperger's/anxiety diagnosis. The problem is that I have no insurance, no job, very little savings ($800), and was denied from state insurance/Medicaid.

Call me stupid but I have searched high and low for literally hours trying to find ANY sort of resources, or ANYTHING to point me in the right direction on where to go and what to do, and I can't find a thing. I'm so lost right now. I desperately need a diagnosis to help me move on in life, but I cannot get one because I don't know how. I don't have a car so I'm limited to my city, I have a near breakdown when I have to use the phone. I actually walked to a close DHS branch today and asked for resources and where I can get help, they basically told me to check in with local rehab clinics designed for the meth heads and other addicts. I don't see how a rehab clinic will help me? I highly doubt those people can recognize adult autism.

I never would have thought of this otherwise.. but it might be worth checking out one of those rehab clinics and asking the workers there if they're able to send people for mental health assessments free of charge. They might be able to do that if the state is willing to pay for these guys to see doctors, get diagnosed with _______, get treated for it, and then stop being junkies that cost the state even more money in health care, property crime, disease transmission etc. You might just find a knowledgeable social worker or nurse that's able to help you with info or filling out forms to get you in to see someone. It might require them saying you're an addict, or writing down that you have some undiagnosed mental disturbance that seems to be of concern and requires diagnosis.. then when you go see a mental healthcare professional you can tell them you think it might be AS based on ____ and they may have the ability to diagnose you or refer you to someone else. Even though it's an odd place to look, you might find there are resources available through places that deal with mentally ill drug addicts. You never know.

Why do you need a diagnosis? For the purpose of some sort of financial aid or benefits? Otherwise I don't see how an official diagnosis is going to change your situation any, aside from knowing. What will change or improve about your current situation by getting diagnosed?

Thanks a lot for the quick response.

I quit my job in January of 2012 because it would no longer accommodate my needs. I had meltdowns almost every day and was constantly bullied and threatened by my managers. I put up with this for nearly a year and finally decided that the stress I was enduring was not worth the job. I was so stressed that I literally pre-planned what I was going to say to the managers when I was bullied, sometimes up to a week in advance. My entire day was pre-planned. Every day was a massive mental battle, especially since I cannot communicate well at all when speaking to people.

Unfortunately, I underestimated my qualifications for even some retails jobs (like stocking) that I attempted to get into after quitting. I do not have a GED because I am incapable of getting one. I dropped out of highschool because nobody, not even myself, recognized that I had a learning disability. I attempted several times to study for the GED test and every time my brain shut down.

So I'm in limbo where nobody is willing to hire me, and I am limited on where I can work due to my needs. I cannot work at a register, because I meltdown. I cannot deal with very many people due to my anxiety and general difficulty communicating. I cannot work more than around 4 hours a day because any shifts longer than that cause me to pass out in a 3-4 hour nap after getting home. Dealing with authority in general is very scary and frustrating to me because I misinterpret instructions I am given.

I have been told by a few of my support groups, and even family, that I should attempt to get on SSI or disability benefits due to my overall difficulty functioning.

I got insurance to cover it for around $300. Maybe you could appeal your medicaid denial?

I went to the DHS office specifically to ask about my denial. The letter I got was super generic and basically told me that since I'm over the age of 19 and "do not have a current serious disability" that I am denied. The DHS lady told me that they are not accepting anyone over 19, and all slots are currently full with a large waiting list.

The letter did say I have the right to call a hearing and dispute my denial, but I really do not think I can handle that. I would have to represent myself at the hearing. I had to deal with another government job-search program a few weeks ago and I was a complete mess with that (so much of a mess that the leader actually exempted me from it). The thought of calling a hearing makes me want freak the heck out.

The DHS lady said that I could continue submitting applications and possibly submit one with my anxiety diagnosis, but it's not likely that I would get accepted to Medicaid. I DO have an anxiety diagnosis from a GP that I got over 10 years ago, but that's it. I got the diagnosis because my anxiety was so bad I was getting bodily symptoms of it, like ulcers and abdomen aches.

How old are you? ie are you relatively young and able bodied? You could always try to get some day labour work through a temp agency in town to try to make a few dollars here and there to get you by for now. You may be able to find some short shifts or part time work that way. Even if you're not in great physical shape & capable of doing harder labour jobs, there may be light duty or clerical work available. Chances are there's more than one temp agency in Portland to apply to, too.

All you have to do is do a Google search using keywords "Portland autism resources" and you will get a whole bunch of websites to peruse.

Yeah... I've done that. Most of the promising websites in the area don't exist any longer. There are quite a few group therapy related get-togethers, but that is not something I'm looking for. The clinics listed on autism resource webpages operate on a base fee or require insurance, which I don't have and cannot afford.

The government websites and resources for my state are incredibly vague and there is no general "mental health" facilities that do not heavily focus on suicidal, addictive people. List I said in my post, even the DHS office couldn't point me in the right direction. They told me to go to a private clinic, which when looking on their website, does not diagnose people. They consult and provide therapy.

I'm 27 and temp agencies terrify me.

Sounds like Republican governance at work. I'm sorry for you.

Why don't you go to an aspie meetup in your area and see if you can find someone who can help you? Sometimes, you can get DARS to pay for stuff in Texas. I bet you have resources like that in Oregon too. That's one thing meetup groups for Asperger's are for -- learning about resources.

You could even look into enrolling as a part-time student at one of the local universities and getting the "student health insurance" and then finding a clinician who takes that insurance to diagnose you. I'm a full-time student, but I was able to use my university's health insurance (which is also available to PT students) this way; maybe you could too.

I don't live in Oregon though. But I imagine things can't be that much stingier and cruel there than they are in Rick Perry's Texas.

I'm not suggesting you fake this... but I bet if someone was feeling suicidal and went to an emergency room they'd be admitted to the hospital and then would get seen by a psychiatrist for an evaluation & they could tell that psychiatrist that they think the source of their depression, anxiety, and suicidal feelings may be coming from having ASD but you're not sure as you've never had a proper evaluation for it.. then they might arrange for one for that person. I'm not really sure how the hospital system works where you live, but chances are a person like that would be able to get a referral to an ASD diagnosing doctor and possibly be seen sooner rather than later if their suicidal feelings persisted and they couldn't be checked out of the hospital. See, if someone's truly suicidal, they can't be released until the doctors and nurses feel they're not a risk of a suicide attempt, so they'll get them the resources they need in order to minimize their time spent in the hospital on taxpayers dollars. It could result in a diagnosis should someone ever find themselves in that particular scenario & your hospital system works like ours where they can't deny you help and can't release a suicidal patient.

Vocational Rehab can pay for an assessment if they feel the assessment will help you become more employable.