"Assessment has saved my life"

I was going through the toughest period of my life. I had lost my job, my dad had passed away from cancer, my mum had Alzheimer’s, my sisters marriage was ending and I was suicidal.

Luckily an alarm bell went off and I managed to get an appointment with my GP. This was thanks to the experience of the receptionist who managed to get me seen within 15 mins.

From this appointment the GP identified a possibility that I was on the autism spectrum and I started the assessment process.

Thanks to covid this was delayed for some time. No fault of the assessment team and once things started they did everything possible to complete the diagnosis.

I found the assessment process interesting and cathartic and looked forward to each appointment with my mental health practitioner Alison Hall.

By the end of the process I had a much better understanding of how my thought processes worked and how this relates to interactions with others.

I was diagnosed with ASD and this helped me understand my current situation and also gave hope for a better and brighter future.

I still struggle a bit and find it difficult to do anything new but knowing why this is the case and having some really helpful tools to deal with my anxiety helps.

I’m now hoping to do some volunteering to give something back and help others who might be struggling.

Thanks to all who have helped on this journey it is not hyperbole to say it saved my life.