diagnosis

Your GP would be the usual first point of contact, but you're right, some of them can be very dismissive. If that's the case, I'd suggest seeing whether the diagnosed mental health problem can get you a referral to the local IAPT team (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies). I was referred to them for my recurrent depression, but once I got talking to the psychologist who did the initial interview, she asked me whether I'd ever considered autism and suggested that I be assessed. The counsellor who I was passed on to also agreed that something deeper was going on underneath the depression. Once they had added their notes to my NHS records, my GP did a referral without any further ado. So even if you're skeptical about your current diagnosis or about counselling, it may be worth looking into the talking therapy route; it might give you a chance to speak to someone with more specialised training, and you get much more time to put your point across.

Your GP would be the usual first point of contact, but you're right, some of them can be very dismissive. If that's the case, I'd suggest seeing whether the diagnosed mental health problem can get you a referral to the local IAPT team (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies). I was referred to them for my recurrent depression, but once I got talking to the psychologist who did the initial interview, she asked me whether I'd ever considered autism and suggested that I be assessed. The counsellor who I was passed on to also agreed that something deeper was going on underneath the depression. Once they had added their notes to my NHS records, my GP did a referral without any further ado. So even if you're skeptical about your current diagnosis or about counselling, it may be worth looking into the talking therapy route; it might give you a chance to speak to someone with more specialised training, and you get much more time to put your point across.