Published on 12, July, 2020
I ask because in the past I've sought support and the professionals always refer me to mental health, which in the beginning yes I wondered if I was mentally unwell but in that time my traits have never changed and they've given me several medications and it never once actually did anything.
So I think I can now safely say all my problems are autism related and as we all know this can't be treated!
I wish the doctors would take out more time to read up on autism rather than keep trying to dismiss it and treat it. I've been through almost 4 years of them trying to cure my autism and it's caused a great deal of trauma for me along the way.
I feel like I need some support with my autism but I don't know where to go or who to talk to......my doctors keep referring me to mental health and I don't want to go that route again.
It is a huge problem and getting bigger the more people are diagnosed.
It is often said that the best place for support is right here. However that shouldn't be the case and so often autistic adults desperately need support but there simply isn't any at all.
It is somewhat a postcode lottery. In some areas the newly diagnosed person might be offered a limited number of post diagnosis support sessions. In other areas they'll just be given their report containing a few website links and sent away to get on with life.
In my area autistic adults without a learning disability seem to be treated like hot potatoes, that no service wants to take responsibility for. GPs will refer to mental health services. Mental health services will repeatedly decline any referrals and insist that the autistic person is the responsibility of social services. Of course social services will insist that the autistic person isn't entitled to any support unless they also have significant learning disabilities.
Autism is a social and communication condition, yet we are expected to be able to fully advocate for our own needs at all times. Understandably that tends to not go well and all too often our requests for the reasonable adjustments we need are wrongly denied. That assumes that the autistic person is even aware that they are entitled to request them and what their rights are. Many don't.
Without the adjustments and support we need our mental health suffers. Then we end up on the merry go round back at the (closed) door of mental health services. Inability to access their services could perhaps be considered a lucky escape, as they simply do not have the training and knowledge to know how to deal with autistic people.