Published on 12, July, 2020
Autistica have launched a campaign to break the cycle of autistic people being unnecessarily detained in mental health units. Many are trapped for years and the traumatic treatment they endure in unsuitable environments means that their mental health actually gets worse not better.
Most shockingly the article states that more than 60% of people detained in mental health units are autistic. The actual proportion could even be higher if services do not pick up on and assess for autism.
Details of the campaign can be found here. They are urging everyone to write to their MP and a proforma letter template is provided.
https://www.autistica.org.uk/get-involved/break-the-cycle
If you need any more convincing read the heart-breaking story of Jackie, who was sectioned in her 50s following the death of her father. She went through what can only be described as a living hell for several years.
https://www.autistica.org.uk/get-involved/my-autism-story/jackies-story
The loss of a parent can be a huge life change for an autistic person and trigger a mental health crisis. Realistically I could see myself in that situation in the not too distant future and that is extremely scary. Autistic people should not be afraid of seeking support for fear of being sectioned. We need to unite to stop this appalling mistreatment of our fellow autists.
I was detained once, it only lasted a day because they said they could tell I was having an extremely hard time and they were afraid I was getting worse. Even though I was there for only a day, I start to panic and almost have a meltdown when someone mentions mental health units (or worse if they joke around about putting me in one). Of course my experiance is nothing compared to people who were in for years
Thankfully you escaped fairly quickly but sorry you had to go through that at all. Even a short stay can be very traumatic and put you off seeking 'support' in the future.
Joking about it to you is cruel, it's no joking matter when autistic people are genuinely living in fear of being locked up. So many people wrongly believe that autistic meltdowns are wilful bad behaviour and something we are able to control.
Autonomistic said:and put you off seeking 'support' in the future.
This is definetly true. Whenever I start feeling the slightest bit of a negitive feeling then I get scared that someone will send me there again so I dont tell anyone (online im a bit better since you all wouldnt be able to do anything) and I even am terrified going to the doctor because I feel it will be in my medical records and I feel like everybody I meet knows Ive been there, even though thats irrational