Click: 10 Things ER Staffers Should Know About Autism, Jeanette Purkis
I’m autistic and also have a mental illness. I’ve had to go emergency rooms in hospitals a number of times. The experience has always been traumatic and unhelpful. I’ve experienced a lot of paternalism, been treated as if I’m a naughty child and invalidated in many other ways.
In some cases, these experiences have resulted in me avoiding seeking treatment for mental and physical health complaints, which in fact did require urgent treatment.
