Just hoping to vent & ask a question. 5-7 min read approx

[Chameleon In Recovery]

Heads up - it’s a long one lol
Approx 5-7 min read.
The first part is me venting .
The question is at the bottom

As those of you who have gotten to know me recently already know, the last little while has been extremely tough for me. Mental & physical health issues .. so much going on. In Canada we have a virtual mental health clinic called Easecare. It is covered by health care and claims to have psychiatrist and doctors focused on mental health.

This doctor is who did the testing with me for autism and adhd . He told me I score extremely high for autism and it is likely adhd but the score was barely above average. Because he isn’t familiar with autism & there’s a 10 month wait for a psychiatrist with their company I asked that they fax my information to my new family doctor. My new family doctor is very kind, but I didn’t want to also bring up mental health (there’s a lot to keep track of with me at the moment) anyways - the fax with information at least helps them get an idea before I explain- especially since I struggle to communicate everything I want to say in 2 way conversation.

My doctor is on holidays for 3 weeks so I made an appointment to see the female doctor there. I called two days before to let them know I would need to talk to them about my mental health / the fax they recieved, as well as my migraines. (Which I was in hospital for in the past 2 weeks & had to go for an emergency eye appointment)
I asked if extra time needs to be allocated, they said don’t worry. I get along with the girls at the front desk and my regular doctor quite well.

My appointment was at 3:15… the first half hour I waited, a little girl was sitting on my lap while her mom was feeding the baby. I kept the 3 year old occupied & didnt mind . I do love children very much. Then they went in for their appointment & Anna, the front desk girl (MOA) brought me to one of the rooms a little while after that. The 3 year old had a really bad scrape on her face , im not sure if that’s why she was seeing the doctor, but the doctor checked her and the 3 year old girl screamed and cried in pain. This made me really upset to listen to from the other room. I could feel she was hurting and wanted to go home. I stimmed on my sorting/puzzle game and tried to ignore the crying (I forgot my AirPods ) and then the bright ass light starts flickering . I think in my head *if this is someone saying hello- forget it.. not in the mood* (lol ) it flickered 3 times , then stopped. Now I’ve been in this room for at least 30 minutes by this time. I went outside to get air and then asked Anna if I can wait in the waiting room instead until it’s my turn. (The doc offices are all white, harsh lighting and no windows & they kept closing the door. I didn’t want it closed : i feel almost closterphobic with it closed. ) at least the waiting room has windows and is open.

Finally the doctor was ready to see me at 4:15pm. I was very nervous that I’d leave things out or get flustered . Plus I was already a little on edge. The doctor had a leg scooter and an air cast. She had broken her toes *eye roll* I’m sorry I’m not being sympathetic but forget her.

I told her how my mental health has been and how I’m apparently scoring at a level 2 & wonder if she can refer me somewhere . She says there is no such thing & I need to pay the money required privately . I showed her the place that @VictorR graciously sent to me & she said she would look into it and see if she can send a referral. FINE, great ! Really all I ask for on that front.

Then I brought up my migraines & asked if I could get a prescription for Botox. I’ll copy and paste my text to my best friend so it’s easier for me :

*********************

I saw the other doctor and I left crying she was getting upset with me . I asked if she can give me a prescription for Botox and she refused because she can’t inject me. I asked can she give me the prescription &I can find someone who does it (Even some cosmetic Botox ppl can do it with a prescription .. I didn’t say that tho) she is in a leg cast and a scooter thing and was 1.5 hours late seeing me and just yelled at me. Said WHY WOULD I GIVE YOU A BOTOX ? Wait until you see your neurologist . I started to get emotional and said I can’t wait till March I’ve been suffering a lot. She said “I won’t do this for you and you need to stop pushing me. Why would I give you Botox prescriptions if I can’t inject you ? Does that seem smart ? I don’t think so!!!! If you’ve had it before, go some place else because I am not helping you with this. “
I just didn’t get why she wouldn’t write the petscription I was trying to understand .

I told her to please not get so upset with me I’m very sensitive and she said if I don’t like the way she does things to wait for Dr. Moses to come back.

The doctor I see is very kind and nothing like that. I’m too sensitive to handle ppl getting upset with me like that. So now I’ll have to go to another place that is pretty far away and try to do it there. It’s so frustrating.

Physio is next door they put me in early so I can lay on the bed and relax and calm down.

‍
*********************************

I left bawling my eyes out. When I cry I sort of hyperventilate. Like I do this breathing thing idk how to explain. It’s hard. The girls at physio (luckily right next door) calmed me down, except one was trying to hug me and I just sat there frozen. Once I have my diagnosis I think I’ll be more confident to tell ppl when I don’t want hugs …I’m worried to hurt ppls feelings and it makes me uncomfortable even saying it especially if I’m already upset.

Anyways , I hope she looks into the referral at least. I’m attaching a photo of her. She even looks mean! She knew I’ve been suicidal earlier this month and going through a diagnosis process , was an hour late and didn’t even acknowledge that and STILL chose to treat me like crap *insert eeyore meme here *

Thanks for letting me vent.

*****Ok now to the question - do any of you have a behavioural aide or have a paid support person that can help you and come to appointments and help you with difficult tasks like government forms etc etc etc? I really need help . I’m curious if you do & what that looks like. I won’t give up on making this happen.. (the official diagnosis part) & now that I’m learning so much I see how much help I’ve needed and didn’t even know for so so long. My back tooth is nearly cracked in half and I can’t go into the dentist. I tried and left after the freezing freaking out because of all the noises and her hands inside my mouth . There are places that offer sedation but I’m really low on. Money right now due to a few health factors. I’m so frustrated and feel defeated today. I won’t give up trying to advocate for myself but like this is not the first time I’ve left an appointment bawling my eyes out

Getting the assessment helps me to get financial assistance , maybe I can get some type of paid support person .. idk.

Sigh so my question : those who don’t have family to help and really need it- do you have a aide or some sort of paid helper person that can help you to communicate and manage things ? *******

 

[Chameleon In Recovery]

PS- me saying she looks mean is because of her serious face lol hope that part is clear
My doctors photo he has a big smile and it totally reflect his personality. I understand she was probably having a bad day. Really just venting about that part

 

[Outdated]

I don't always have a lot of luck with doctors. I have met some very good doctors so I DO know the difference, I'd swear more than half of them go for a holiday in Bali so they can buy a PhD.

Last year I went to one in a government run clinic, he turned out to be a religious sicko and he told me there is no such thing as autism, "Have you ever read the good book?". I reported him to the department of health and recommended that he be deregistered as a potential danger to the community.

Another common issue I have with doctors is dealing with their egos. I know myself and my body very well, so I don't go to a doctor and ask them what's wrong, I go in and tell them what's wrong and what I need to fix it. Many of them will tell me I'm wrong and go against all medical science to prove that I'm wrong because they don't like to believe that a lay person could have any medical knowledge. I'm not shy about letting them know about their shortcomings either.

I also can't stand flickering flouros and stuffy airconditioning, not much I can do there except grin and bear it.

I'll give you a big tip for the dentist though - nitrous oxide makes a visit to the dentist fun! Always ask for nitrous.

I avoid general practitioners where ever I can, most of them are just useless appendages trying to suck more money out of you. I don't know what the health system is like in Canada, ours is pretty good. If I have something physically wrong with me I don't waste time with a GP, I walk straight in to the emergency department of the local hospital.

When I wanted a diagnosis for my autism I didn't waste time with a GP, I walked through the doors of an autism centre and introduced myself and self referred. Important tip here - I Did Not Phone! I walked through the doors. If you phone it's too easy for them to just fob you off. When you're physically in their face you get an entirely different type of reaction.

 

[Chameleon In Recovery]

You seem to have grit - I admire it. I am sooooooo sensitive. I think even the fact she was having a bad day transferred onto me it was so friggin frustrating.
I think nitrous oxide is only 150$ rather than 400$ so I’ll ask about that for sure. Haha does it REAAALLY make it fun? I hate the noises - did it block things out for you?
I have an appointment with a foundation here that helps autistics on the 4th & will keep trying . It’s just SO many roadblocks constantly with my health . And I think it’s because I need help to get this stuff sorted.

I love that you just walked in! Did they have a psychologist working there or did they get you one? Can you tell me more about this?
You should have been in sales my friend !

 

[Outdated]

Haha does it REAAALLY make it fun? I hate the noises - did it block things out for you?

It makes everything hilariously funny. Even pain, it makes you giggle. Most dentists have it on hand for when they're treating children.

I love that you just walked in! Did they have a psychologist working there or did they get you one? Can you tell me more about this?

Two very nice ladies sat down and talked to me, one did most of the talking while the other took notes. That took about 15 minutes, that was my preliminary assessment. They both agreed that I was probably on the spectrum and booked me in for a diagnosis. That was it.

There was a 12 month waiting list, and it cost me $500 for the actual assessment.

You should have been in sales my friend !

A strong character was always my defence against the world. I grew up with everyone trying to make me "be normal". I refuse. It's a mask though, it stresses me out in the extreme but I refuse to let others see that. I can delay my reactions as long as I know that I can escape and be on my own afterwards and have a quiet breakdown.

This is how I work with all aspects of my life. I back chatted a police officer one day and started quoting the law to him. He asked me if I was a lawyer and I said "Not practicing at the moment.". That changed his tune pretty quickly. Most of the way I present to other people is just a bluff, but it usually works.

 

[Slime_Punk]

PS- me saying she looks mean is because of her serious face lol hope that part is clear
My doctors photo he has a big smile and it totally reflect his personality. I understand she was probably having a bad day. Really just venting about that part

That kind of stuff rubs me the wrong way, I just flat-out stop going to doctors when I get weird, doomy vibes from them. My ideal doctor could tell me I've got 2 months to live but make me feel like that's plenty of time and everything's going to be pretty sweet until then.

 

[Outdated]

I love that you just walked in! Did they have a psychologist working there or did they get you one? Can you tell me more about this?

I forgot to mention, the autism centres in Australia are staffed ONLY by psychologists, psychiatrists and behavioural therapists. Even the lady sitting behind the front desk is a behavioral expert. And they seem to be exclusively women.

 

[VictorR]

Sorry about your experience - that's unfortunate. I am glad to hear you have a GP and that they're supportive and will be returning soon. One of the challenges with the doctor shortage is that sometimes people get stuck with a doctor who may be lacking in some departments.

Hopefully the meeting you have upcoming with your local service provider will be helpful. I would think your initial meeting would most likely be with a navigator who will have a chat with you to identify your current situation, challenges, and needs, who would then refer you to those who may be able to assist with each of the needs.

One thing that I fear is that there aren't enough people working in providing personal support to adults on the spectrum. However, many service providers are gradually expanding their services to adults, and I am also encouraged to see that there are also some on the spectrum themselves that pursue careers in the helping sectors themselves, where they can really excel since they can often better connect.

 

[Outdated]

One thing that I fear is that there aren't enough people working in providing personal support to adults on the spectrum.

This is also true in Australia, almost all support is designed for children and their parents, there is very little in the way of support for adults. There are no forums for autism in Australia, only Facebook pages, entirely inappropriate.

 

[VictorR]

There are no forums for autism in Australia, only Facebook pages, entirely inappropriate.

Same here. I got a suggestion for a closed FB support group, but since it was a closed group I couldn't see what it was about without joining, and as I'm not keen on FB to start with, I didn't bother.

 

[Outdated]

I don't use Facebook, or Twitter, or any of those types of platforms. It's the way they all cross link that concerns me, I also never log in to my google account even though I use Gmail, instead I use Thunderbird to access my emails.

 

[Human Avatar]

I’m doctor is on holidays for 3 weeks so I made an appointment to see the female doctor there. I called two days before to let them know I would need to talk to them about my mental health / the fax they recieved, as well as my migraines. (Which I was in hospital for in the past 2 weeks & had to go for an emergency eye appointment)
I asked if extra time needs to be allocated, they said don’t worry. I get along with the girls at the front desk and my regular doctor quite well.

My appointment was at 3:15… the first half hour I waited, a little girl was sitting on my lap while her mom was feeding the baby. I kept the 3 year old occupied & didnt mind . I do love children very much. Then they went in for their appointment & Anna, the front desk girl (MOA) brought me to one of the rooms a little while after that. The 3 year old had a really bad scrape on her face , im not sure if that’s why she was seeing the doctor, but the doctor checked her and the 3 year old girl screamed and cried in pain. This made me really upset to listen to from the other room. I could feel she was hurting and wanted to go home. I stimmed on my sorting/puzzle game and tried to ignore the crying (I forgot my AirPods ) and then the bright ass light starts flickering . I think in my head *if this is someone saying hello- forget it.. not in the mood* (lol ) it flickered 3 times , then stopped. Now I’ve been in this room for at least 30 minutes by this time. I went outside to get air and then asked Anna if I can wait in the waiting room instead until it’s my turn. (The doc offices are all white, harsh lighting and no windows & they kept closing the door. I didn’t want it closed : i feel almost closterphobic with it closed. ) at least the waiting room has windows and is open.

This sounds like you were very hypersensitive to your surroundings.Because of sensory overload In this state you will start to lose everything you are able to mask and it starts unraveling, and now everything will become agitation . And you getting upset and crying sounds like to me , you finally hit Melt down stage .

Finally the doctor was ready to see me at 4:15pm. I was very nervous that I’d leave things out or get flustered . Plus I was already a little on edge. The doctor had a leg scooter and an air cast. She had broken her toes *eye roll* I’m sorry I’m not being sympathetic but forget her.

I told her how my mental health has been and how I’m apparently scoring at a level 2 & wonder if she can refer me somewhere . She says there is no such thing & I need to pay the money required privately . I showed her the place that @VictorR graciously sent to me & she said she would look into it and see if she can send a referral. FINE, great ! Really all I ask for on that front.

Then I brought up my migraines & asked if I could get a prescription for Botox. I’ll copy and paste my text to my best friend so it’s easier for me :

*********************

I saw the other doctor and I left crying she was getting upset with me . I asked if she can give me a prescription for Botox and she refused because she can’t inject me. I asked can she give me the prescription &I can find someone who does it (Even some cosmetic Botox ppl can do it with a prescription .. I didn’t say that tho) she is in a leg cast and a scooter thing and was 1.5 hours late seeing me and just yelled at me. Said WHY WOULD I GIVE YOU A BOTOX ? Wait until you see your neurologist . I started to get emotional and said I can’t wait till March I’ve been suffering a lot. She said “I won’t do this for you and you need to stop pushing me. Why would I give you Botox prescriptions if I can’t inject you ? Does that seem smart ? I don’t think so!!!! If you’ve had it before, go some place else because I am not helping you with this. “
I just didn’t get why she wouldn’t write the petscription I was trying to understand .

I told her to please not get so upset with me I’m very sensitive and she said if I don’t like the way she does things to wait for Dr. Moses to come back.

The doctor I see is very kind and nothing like that. I’m too sensitive to handle ppl getting upset with me like that. So now I’ll have to go to another place that is pretty far away and try to do it there. It’s so frustrating.

Physio is next door they put me in early so I can lay on the bed and relax and calm down.

‍
*********************************

It seems the Doctor has taken your concerns for yourself as a personal attack on them . This is a problem I have with NTs they take every action , every word every facial expression we have, think it is all about making them upset . This is not the case . You have become hyper focused on your needs . And I am sure it is nothing personal to the doctor .

I left bawling my eyes out. When I cry I sort of hyperventilate. Like I do this breathing thing idk how to explain. It’s hard. The girls at physio (luckily right next door) calmed me down, except one was trying to hug me and I just sat there frozen. Once I have my diagnosis I think I’ll be more confident to tell ppl when I don’t want hugs …I’m worried to hurt ppls feelings and it makes me uncomfortable even saying it especially if I’m already upset.

Sometimes getting out of the place for a few minutes can help you refocus . When I am having a level 10 melt down, which sounds like where you were at ,I don’t want to be around anyone or want anything no hugs , not talking nothing just Silence . Now had I had a pool or ocean .I could instantly go for a swim and be fine .

If melt down is at a level 6 or below , if I find a strong deep pressured hug or someone holding my hand this action can stop the melt down instantly.
It seems you are very aware of all the things that led up to the meltdown .

Anyways , I hope she looks into the referral at least. I’m attaching a photo of her. She even looks mean! She knew I’ve been suicidal earlier this month and going through a diagnosis process , was an hour late and didn’t even acknowledge that and STILL chose to treat me like crap *insert eeyore meme here *

Ok I am not sure if this will help but this is how I was got diagnosed-

I knew something was wrong and it was getting worse, especially because the demands and stress of my current life have become heavy .
I thought I was suffering from PTSD. ( information I would rather not discuss)

I took all kinds of psychological tests online for everything searching for answers . They all came back negative . Only one of them came back conclusive Autism, you had to answer 50 questions, if you answered 38 within the spectrum criteria you are considered Autistic. I scored 49. And was advised to seek help

*. I won’t give up on making this happen.. (the official diagnosis part) & now that I’m learning so much I see how much help I’ve needed and didn’t even know for so so long.

I realized very quickly there was no immediate help in America for adult diagnosis. For children yes lots of it. So I decided I will bypass my family Dr and everyone else like @Outdated
I searched to find the most reputable adult diagnostic specialist for Autism in adults . I found one and looked at his website , turns out he specializes in PTSD, ADHD, Bipolar etc etc. so I figured either way he would get to the bottom of this .

I thought this would take a few weeks . I was wrong . They told me the waiting list is 4 months . And the psychological assessment is $3000 .( In America it is no different to see a medical specialist sometimes it takes months or half a year . And that is in all things medical )

So I made the decision, I can’t rush this there is no point I don’t want to mess around with other doctors. I had to come to terms that this will be a long process . And expensive

So I called to schedule, I liked how they treated me and said I will have lots of tests and paper work to do before the appointment, this worked out because it was not all at once for me .I had to pay $1500 up front and the remainder $1500 the day of appointment. I figured I will charge on a card which I never do . And by the time the appointment came I would have it payed off . So this worked out .

In the meantime what I did was make a note book full of all the things as far back as I could remember. Every awkward encounter everything I don’t understand , every misunderstanding, all my habits good and bad . What the process of my meltdowns and outbursts are .

Also how my mind thinks which was weird because I never looked inward like that . And I organized it all into sections for the Doctor.

The test they sent my mother to fill out was hard for me and her because so many things we realized were wrong according to standard social conventions. And I got very depressed. And contemplated not moving forward .

Anyways I went through with it, the process consumed 4 months of my life.

The best advise I can give is it will not be quick and easy , and try to come to terms that it will take awhile . Maybe look at your life and write all these things down to make a case for the doctor to help them . Masking with them will not help get a diagnosis (not saying you are )

Maybe you can bypass the whole referral? Not sure how it is there . Or maybe best to wait for the Doctors you most feel comfortable with.

 

[Chameleon In Recovery]

This sounds like you were very hypersensitive to your surroundings.Because of sensory overload In this state you will start to lose everything you are able to mask and it starts unraveling, and now everything will become agitation . And you getting upset and crying sounds like to me , you finally hit Melt down stage .



It seems the Doctor has taken your concerns for yourself as a personal attack on them . This is a problem I have with NTs they take every action , every word every facial expression we have, think it is all about making them upset . This is not the case . You have become hyper focused on your needs . And I am sure it is nothing personal to the doctor .

Sometimes getting out of the place for a few minutes can help you refocus . When I am having a level 10 melt down, which sounds like where you were at ,I don’t want to be around anyone or want anything no hugs , not talking nothing just Silence . Now had I had a pool or ocean .I could instantly go for a swim and be fine .

If melt down is at a level 6 or below , if I find a strong deep pressured hug or someone holding my hand this action can stop the melt down instantly.
It seems you are very aware of all the things that led up to the meltdown .


Ok I am not sure if this will help but this is how I was got diagnosed-

I knew something was wrong and it was getting worse, especially because the demands and stress of my current life have become heavy .
I thought I was suffering from PTSD. ( information I would rather not discuss)

I took all kinds of psychological tests online for everything searching for answers . They all came back negative . Only one of them came back conclusive Autism, you had to answer 50 questions, if you answered 38 within the spectrum criteria you are considered Autistic. I scored 49. And was advised to seek help




I realized very quickly there was no immediate help in America for adult diagnosis. For children yes lots of it. So I decided I will bypass my family Dr and everyone else like @Outdated
I searched to find the most reputable adult diagnostic specialist for Autism in adults . I found one and looked at his website , turns out he specializes in PTSD, ADHD, Bipolar etc etc. so I figured either way he would get to the bottom of this .

I thought this would take a few weeks . I was wrong . They told me the waiting list is 4 months . And the psychological assessment is $3000 .( In America it is no different to see a medical specialist sometimes it takes months or half a year . And that is in all things medical )

So I made the decision, I can’t rush this there is no point I don’t want to mess around with other doctors. I had to come to terms that this will be a long process . And expensive

So I called to schedule, I liked how they treated me and said I will have lots of tests and paper work to do before the appointment, this worked out because it was not all at once for me .I had to pay $1500 up front and the remainder $1500 the day of appointment. I figured I will charge on a card which I never do . And by the time the appointment came I would have it payed off . So this worked out .

In the meantime what I did was make a note book full of all the things as far back as I could remember. Every awkward encounter everything I don’t understand , every misunderstanding, all my habits good and bad . What the process of my meltdowns and outbursts are .

Also how my mind thinks which was weird because I never looked inward like that . And I organized it all into sections for the Doctor.

The test they sent my mother to fill out was hard for me and her because so many things we realized were wrong according to standard social conventions. And I got very depressed. And contemplated not moving forward .

Anyways my I went through with it, the process consumed 4 to months of my life.

The best advise I can give is it will not be quick and easy , and try yo come to terms that it will take awhile . Maybe look at your life and write all these things down to make a case for the doctor to help them . Masking with them will not help get a diagnosis (not saying you are )

Maybe you can bypass the whole referral? Not sure how it is there . Or maybe best to wait for the Doctors you most feel comfortable with.

Unfortunately, there is only 1 place that is covered by health care so I’m hoping I get the referral. I have no way or paying 3-5000.00 dollars for an assessment or I totally would have just done it already. I suppose you could say I’m hyper focused on my health… I’m trying to stay alive. I’m trying to fix this otherwise I won’t be here for long .

 

[Human Avatar]

Unfortunately, there is only 1 place that is covered by health care so I’m hoping I get the referral. I have no way or paying 3-5000.00 dollars for an assessment or I totally would have just done it already. I suppose you could say I’m hyper focused on my health… I’m trying to stay alive. I’m trying to fix this otherwise I won’t be here for long .

I understand

 

[Outdated]

I must admit, I'm shocked by the prices you have to pay for health care in other countries. Our autism clinics are not covered by Medicare so getting a referral from a doctor is meaningless, they are private companies and they operate on a cash only basis.

My 15 minute preliminary assessment cost nothing. My actual diagnosis was by a panel of 3 psychologists and psychiatrists and it took about 3 hours, cost AU$500. That's only worth about US$300. Perhaps they are government subsidised, but I don't know.

The prices you are talking about, it would almost be cheaper and more beneficial to make an appointment over here and then organise a holiday for around the time your appointment is due.

 

[Human Avatar]

I must admit, I'm shocked by the prices you have to pay for health care in other countries. Our autism clinics are not covered by Medicare so getting a referral from a doctor is meaningless, they are private companies and they operate on a cash only basis.

My 15 minute preliminary assessment cost nothing. My actual diagnosis was by a panel of 3 psychologists and psychiatrists and it took about 3 hours, cost AU$500. That's only worth about US$300. Perhaps they are government subsidised, but I don't know.

The prices you are talking about, it would almost be cheaper and more beneficial to make an appointment over here and then organise a holiday for around the time your appointment is due.

Yeah health care here is a joke . That’s a good idea ! Go on a vacation and get a diagnosis too .

 

[Outdated]

A lot of Aussies go to Indonesia or the Philipines for dentistry because it's not covered by our medicare system, those countries are much cheaper and you enjoy a great holiday while you're at it.

 

[Human Avatar]

A lot of Aussies go to Indonesia or the Philipines for dentistry because it's not covered by our medicare system, those countries are much cheaper and you enjoy a great holiday while you're at it.

Interesting- I do need some dental work done. Maybe i should go to the Philippines for vacation too

 

[Outdated]

Interesting- I do need some dental work done. Maybe i should go to the Philippines for vacation too

By the sounds of things it would be cheaper than going to your local dentist. I also knew a man that went to Malaysia for a knee reconstruction. He stayed in a private hospital, 3 meals a day from an A La Carte menu, a masseuse twice a day because he was bed ridden, and surgery he was very happy with. $110/night.

You'll struggle to find a hotel room here for that.

 

[VictorR]

I must admit, I'm shocked by the prices you have to pay for health care in other countries. Our autism clinics are not covered by Medicare so getting a referral from a doctor is meaningless, they are private companies and they operate on a cash only basis.

My 15 minute preliminary assessment cost nothing. My actual diagnosis was by a panel of 3 psychologists and psychiatrists and it took about 3 hours, cost AU$500. That's only worth about US$300. Perhaps they are government subsidised, but I don't know.

The prices you are talking about, it would almost be cheaper and more beneficial to make an appointment over here and then organise a holiday for around the time your appointment is due.

Where I am, the suggested rate* for a psychologist is CAD 225 / hour for any billable hours (meetings, reviewing notes, writing up the report).

* There's no fixed amounts - each psychologist is free to create their own price list.

In my case, the assessment was CAD 250 * 8 hours (actual time spent in office was probably about 3h) = CAD 2000.

No subsidy as psychology is generally outside of covered services, though one may have insurance through work or school that might cover part of it. Only one province in Canada provides publicly funded assessments for adults.