Hello,
I am wondering if anyone can help me decide if there is a better place to live for receiving medical support as an adult with autism. Does anyone have good experiences of this where they live?
I was diagnosed fifteen years ago when I ended up in a difficult situation. Although I had always had difficulties, including a very big problem with social anxiety, I had been left to myself. Maybe it is just because autism was not understood when I was growing up. Including by myself, so even when I started asking for help in my twenties I did not know what to ask for or how to ask. But I ended up in a situation where I had a job and a partner by sheer luck, as I was very passive in both things happening to me.
But after a few years the job ended, a month later the relationship ended, and then I discovered that autism explained my problems better than anything else ever had. Being unable to cope on my own and unable to work, I sought a diagnosis. Both because I needed it so I could get benefits, and because I wanted to get help so I could have a proper life. Aside from not working, I struggle doing many leisure activities on my own, and am completely isolated even though I do not like being alone.
Unfortunately despite trying to the best of my abilities, which are not that great, I could not get any help. I ended up with a G.P. who seemed to make a lot of effort for me, but it similarly lead nowhere. But then a few years ago from nowhere I was referred to a specialist adult autism C.B.T. therapist. That actually uncovered more problems, and when the therapist applied for funding to continue it was denied by the local N.H.S. Clinical Commissioning Group. So it essentially left things worse than before it started. And even since then my G.P. has said there is no help available they can access on the N.H.S.
Due to a chain of events, last year I was referred to the local mental health network, which acts as the access point to most health and support services provided by the N.H.S. and council. I had been there before without any success so already had low expectations. But in repeating the same story about myself, the sort of things I have just said here, I lost any hope I had left. I felt like everything I was saying because I had said it before and I knew from experience and the way I would be interrupted that the person I was talking to was not paying any attention to me.
The end result was being referred to a support group that would be unhelpful to me, both because it could not address my problems and that the social anxiety would be very distressful. But I agreed to go to look around as it was all that was offered. When I again told my story to a person there, they knew it was unsuitable for me. I wrote to my G.P. explaining this chain of events and did not even get a reply. I think the G.P. I used to see has left the practice, they have been very unhelpful this year. They told me I need to shield, but would not put me on the list to get supermarket support so I could not get any shopping for the first month until I emailed my local M.P. asking for their help.
But I have lived in the same flat since just before being diagnosed, have no ties to the area, and have long felt uncomfortable living where I do. So I was thinking that if I could move I could go somewhere where I would be able to receive help from the local N.H.S., as I have accepted there is no chance of getting any help here. I do know that moving would be difficult by having to find somewhere that would rent to someone on benefits, and very stressful to do and somewhat expensive. But I am very unhappy here and so it would be my only option.
Any advice people can give on their area or other places they are aware of will be very welcome.
Thank you.
