u/Kinkykola420

**edited cuz a dont know how formatting works loll**

I'm 29 and have been on the NHS autism assessment waiting list for over 6–7 years. I'm the oldest of four siblings, and my younger siblings have all been diagnosed with ADHD and/or autism.

I'm looking for some perspective from other autistic/neurodivergent people, particularly anyone in Scotland who has dealt with the NHS while waiting for an autism assessment.

Over the past few months, I've experienced a significant deterioration in my functioning due to severe sensory overload. I'm struggling with basic things like cooking, cleaning and self-care. I've now had more than 7 GP appointments about this, but I feel like I'm repeatedly being told there's nothing they can do.

Because verbal communication becomes extremely difficult when I'm severely overwhelmed, I brought written notes and a week-long symptom log to my most recent appointment.

I explained that when the sensory overload becomes particularly bad, I sometimes need to spend hours in a quiet, dark corner to recover.

The GP responded with words to the effect of: “Because it's your choice to hide in a corner, there's not a lot I can do” and “You can't really hide away from the world.”

I explained that this wasn't something I considered a choice, but something I feel I need to do when I'm completely overwhelmed by sensory input. I also explained how significantly my ability to function and care for myself had deteriorated.

The GP then raised his voice and eventually said words to the effect of: “There's nothing else I can do.”

I'm using “words to the effect of” because I don't have a recording and don't want to claim I remember the wording verbatim.

I've since submitted a formal complaint to the practice.

To be clear, I wasn't expecting my GP to diagnose or treat autism. I understand that GPs aren't autism specialists.

What I was hoping for was some kind of clinical plan for the fact that my functioning has deteriorated to the point where I'm struggling with basic self-care, cooking and cleaning. If the GP genuinely couldn't provide treatment themselves, I would have expected them to explain what options were available, whether another service or referral was appropriate, or what I should do if my functioning continued to deteriorate.

My main issue isn't “why didn't my GP fix my autism?” It's “why was I repeatedly explaining a significant deterioration in my functioning and ultimately told there was nothing else they could do?”

So I'm interested in hearing from other autistic/neurodivergent people:

• Have you experienced something similar with a GP?
• Were you able to get meaningful support while waiting for an autism assessment?
• If your GP couldn't directly help, did they offer you any kind of plan or alternative support?

I'm not looking for Reddit to diagnose me. I'm mainly interested in hearing other people's experiences and perspectives.