Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello all i am gus c a 69 year old pensioner who volunteers for lots of different organisations . I had been suffering what i thought was anxiety and depression after being diagnosed with prostate Cancer 12 years ago and having no support in the way of family or friends . I had one to one councelling at my GP's one to one therapy with a mental Health Nurse ,Group Therapy and CBT but non of them worked . The only thing that works for me is voluntary work and lots of it . Anyway i went to my GP feeling very low about 5 weeks ago and asked for a Mental Health assessment . I went for it last saturday morning and had a lot of questionaires with tick boxes and the practitioner looked at them and said i definatelly had Asperger's Syndrome and anxiety is part of it . I have not had a very good life up till now and i think it may be i have had it for all my life . I had a bad time at school with bullying and time off with injuries .Losing an eye and breaking bones including a badly broken leg after being pushed off a bike by bullies . I have been harrassed by bullies for money lately and have had them jailed three times and another case coming to court next month . The amount taken from me is in the thousands of pounds . The assessor said he would get me some help for the Court Case and told me to get in touch with you here . I volunteer Nationally with NHS England as a patient rep for Urology on a clinical reference group and Judging Vanguard Bids for new models of care with NHS England and interviewing new staff for NHS England at all levels . I am Patient Representative (removed by mod) for Urological Cancer . I can work at a high level and be listened to but i can also just resign for the most trivial things if i feel i have been talked to the wrong way . I dont know what the treatment is or if there is any or what happens from now .
Hi there
I was diagnosed two year ago at 45 with Autism. I found CBT worked whilst a good Psychologist was working with me through it but I coudn't, I can't do it for myself. They used all that material toward the referall for the assessments.
I find being occupied helps too. Though not as busy as you. I still can't really work out what is an autism thing happening and what just me. I have relearned to accept it don't matter that I don't know so long as people around me are there to help me when I need that help and not see it as being whatever and realise that some things I find harder to do and one person in particular is good at making inforamtion accessible for me where as before I knew what it meant but it was nothing to do with me as such. (If you know what I mean) And sometimes I don't know but able to say to me in a way that I don't feel small for not knowing.