Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi, I saw the 'Mental Health Facilitator' yesterday and she said that most therapies are geared towards those with a 'mental health' issue due to the funding crisis
and austerity cuts, therefore those who are struggling with a new diagnosis of 'autism' can't access it unless they harm themselves which I did or suffer from anxiety like I do
at the moment. This is not satisfactory as we also need support in finding and keeping a job, we also have mental health issues and the lack of support and care leads
to a mental health decline. We are people too with the right to services on offer as 'neuro-typyical' people who are in crisis. The fact that I self harmed gave me access
to the mental health facilitator but it should not reach that point in the first place. I was discharged with a whole lot of information from the psychiatrist and CMHT and told to
get on with it, come off anti-depressants and I sank. Only when it reached crisis point, when I lost my job, have work related stress and anxiety was I offered support. I felt completely alone abandoned. Social services were useless and I could not access them, she said that they thought my strength would get me through and didn't realise how vulnerable I was, well I live
alone, am getting older, in my fifties, going through the change of life, the peri-menopause and have to cope with everything, what did they expect me to do. Yes I am happy with the diagnosis but I need some support in adjusting and changing my lifestyle to adapt to it, She said I was still angry, I am, even the 'ESA' people put down I have a 'mental disorder', no I have
autism, a completely different concept. At least I am back on 'anti-depressants' am now being supported, it's worse than being given a diagnosis of 'Coeliac disease, I was told that I had
that condition and the same thing happened, now we know what it is, get on with it, without free prescriptions etc, It took me a year to cope with that diagnosis, so this will take some time to get used too and I will..
I agree. If I'd found out I was HIV positive, I'd probably have counselling and advice and support around how to change my lifestyle, and help to think things through. You don't get that for many other conditions. You don't get any post-diagnosis support for autism in many places.
Yes, autism's distinct from mental health problems, but when you have mental health problems, you should be able to get support that is aware of autistic issues.