As if life on the spectrum wasn’t enough

Autism is a complex and challenging condition even for the most capable to live and cope with e.g., challenges with reciprocal social interaction, restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests, hypersensitivity, or hyposensitivity, and many other comorbidities that are more likely to occur for them than those who are not on the spectrum.

It’s frequent for teens and adults on the spectrum to experience e.g., anxiety, depression, sleep problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eating behaviour problems, self-harm, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and seizures (Simonoff, Pickles, Charman, Chandler, Loucas, and Baird, 2008; Romero, Aguilar, Del-Rey-Mejías, Mayoral, Rapado, Peci?a, Barbancho, Ruiz-Veguilla, and Lara, 2016).

Further, although research shows sometimes conflicting findings, people with autism are also more likely than non-autistics to have diabetes, bowel disease, constipation, overweight and obesity (where intellectual disability exists), thyroid disease, schizophrenia, (Cashin, Buckley, Trollor, and Lennox, 2018), as well as suicidal ideation (Cassidy, Bradley, Robinson, Allison, McHugh, and Baron-Cohen, 2014; Cassidy, 2015; Hirvikoski, Mittendorfer-Rutz, Boman, and Larsson, 2016; Guan and Li, 2017).?

Depression in particular is often the most difficult for individuals and their families to deal with. It becomes as pervasive as their autism itself and affects every aspect of their life.

Things can get so low as a result of e.g., loneliness, isolation, bullying, trauma, and an inability to be social despite desperately wanting to be that people will seriously contemplate taking their own lives, and sadly, many succeed.

One study found that out of 367 people with Asperger Syndrome, 66% reported having suicidal thoughts and 35% reported suicide attempts or suicidal plans (Cassidy, et al 2014). Depression was found to be a significant predictor of these suicidal thoughts and plans in this study.

Another study found the specific trait of social communication as being a predictor of suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts This was found to be twice the rate of the general population. The most at risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviours were those at the bottom 10% of social communication (Culpin, et al 2018).

Depression can be prevented and treated with early intervention by recognising the early signs before it gets too late. ?Social skills training, including transactional analysis and cognitive behavioural therapy, can help someone to learn more confident ways to interact and develop better methods of feeling more comfortable in social situations.

?Supporting an autistic adult? Want to get more support with supporting your autistic adult and learn ways to manage your own health and well-being to manage stress and strain? Join our new?Facebook Support Group: Living with Autistic Adults

Host of?Living with Autistic Adults; a support group for family/partners of adults on the autistic spectrum to enhance coping skills and resilience for improving quality of life, health and well-being.