I was recently diagnosed with autism. I got the assessment done on the suggestion of the community mental health team. However, I now feel that, even though I have the diagnosis, they are not interested in how they could make small adjustments to make communicating with them less stressful. I find social encounters distressing anyway, but when attending appointments with cmht, the very nature of the meeting, which requires me expressing how I feel etc, makes it overwhelming. That’s aside from the usual stressors of the environment, and trying to read their intentions. As a result, the relationship is strained and in a moment of frustration I said I wanted to be discharged. They did it instantly. Yes I said it, but I explained that it was in a moment of upset, and that they didn’t even open a discussion about how to better accommodate my needs. I am due to have another appointment with them.
How do I go about making me needs heard and met?
And on a separate point, I find that when you have an autism diagnosis, instead of viewing any comorbidities as separate from autism, everything is attributed to it, as an excuse to deny you treatment, rather than adapting treatment to suit an autistic person. I am newly diagnosed, but I still know my own mind and I know what is autism driven, and what is not. They try to say my OCD compulsions are ‘comforting’ and are part of my autism, when they are not. They are highly distressing and driven by intrusive thoughts. It is the same with my eating disorder. They keep trying to say it is restrictive because of sensory stuff to do with autism, but again, I know what it is driven by. Yes, some of these things may have been exacerbated by autism, or made more likely because of it, but this blanket use of autism to try and justify not treating it, means I am left struggling.
Again, any advice on making sure my needs are met int his area? And is there any rule or guidance that makes it obligatory for services to meet these needs?
