image captionKai Vallance said there was “no support for autism at all”
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The autistic man explained that there is a “lack of understanding” in mental health care for people diagnosed with autism.
Kai Vallance, from Wiltshire, suffers from an anxiety disorder and has been in the local mental health system multiple times, but experts have confirmed he is “understanding but not condescending”. He said it was necessary to do so.
His comments are echoed in a report that surveyed people with autism, their carers and families.
The NHS says adults with autism are more likely to experience mental illness, and the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership is working to understand their needs, as the insights of people with lived experience are key. He said he would like to hear their opinions in order to better meet their needs.
“Lives will be lost.”
One person said he would rather take his own life than deal with the service again, and the crisis team was described as “terrible, condescending and unempathetic”.
“You don't want to be treated like a child, you don't want someone to talk to you like you're stupid, but you don't want to assume that everyone is fully capable of everything,” Vallance said. No,” he said.
We asked caregivers and parents of people with autism for their opinions, but the anonymous comments conveyed a sense of hopelessness.
“I didn't get any support until I overdosed,” one person said.
Another added: “Please change the situation as soon as possible as the lack of support will cost lives.”
image captionMany people with autism say they prefer to receive services by email because they find it difficult to make phone calls
Mr Vallance is struggling to receive effective support through the NHS.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most common form of talking therapy offered in Wiltshire.
Vallance doesn't think it helps much with the ever-present anxiety. “I realized that my brain is wired differently. A lot of the things they suggest don't actually apply to me.”
“People often tell me to keep a thought diary about how I'm feeling, and while that's good, it's not very helpful unless you have a specific problem,” he added.
For Vallance, there is always an underlying fear.
The report's experience shows that this therapy also did not help. “Even with CBT therapy, I felt even worse.”
“Extreme anxiety”
Health services often rely on telephones for tasks such as making appointments, but for people with autism, telephone calls can be problematic.
One survey respondent said: “I can't make a phone call without feeling extremely anxious, probably having a panic attack, and it can take me days or even weeks to muster up the courage.” He explained.
Giving insight into why in-person is easier for him, Vallance said, “I think it's easier because you have a set time and you know what you're doing in a routine.” Ta.
He would like to see a service that asks people what can help them if their records show they have autism, but says it is “important not to alienate people” and that “it is important that they don't become completely isolated.” It is also important not to make people feel like they are doing something.
image captionSir Robert Buckland, one of Wiltshire's MPs and a member of the All Party Parliamentary Alliance on Autism, said finding staff with the expertise was a challenge
The report concludes that difficulties in accessing support are having a “severe impact” and that commonly offered talk therapy (CBT) is inadequate.
Robert Buckland MP, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on autism, said autism cannot be solved entirely with money.
“It is important to have the right expertise when recruiting appropriately qualified psychiatrists and other clinical staff,” he said.
The Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership, which provides the majority of mental health services for adults in the area, said it wanted to hear from people with lived experience to help meet future needs.
Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Boards commission services and recognize that there is room for improvement and are committed to addressing the issues mentioned in the report. He said that
They also said it was “never easy to hear” that people's experience was “inadequate” and that they were increasing training and working with individuals, families and professionals to improve care. Stated.
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