Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi My daughter who is recently diagnosed with Asd has been turning to Alchohol as a way of coping with a recent breakup of relationship. She also has a history of suicide attempts which resulted in her being admitted to intensive care. We are petrified she will harm herself again or try to take her own life. We a worried sick and really don't know what to do.
She is with camhs but she hates it and doesn't find it helpful , she is on antidepressant too. At my wits end and would really appreciate any advice.
Thank you x'
I agree she is at that age where she is rebelling and she does feel different to her peers because of the Asd. She has known for years there was something different about her as she was always so sensitive to how others spoke to her. including teachers
I was speaking with her close friend and she said my daughter is the first one to get crazy drunk with very little alchohol i explained she is on medication as well. All my daughter says is no one understands and that she's a teenager and its society doing this. She is a great girl most of the time she just cant manage the emotional side of things. She threatened to beat me up last night i walked away. We haven't spoken today and i really don't want to as i know it will get heated. I don't know how to approach this.
I will have a look at the books you have suggested.
Thank you kindly for responding to me it does help.
She sounds like she is at the same age that the majority of girls are at when they experiment with alchohol and also rebel against authority so it may not be her autism driving it.
I recall growing up that it was a weekly staple of the gossip circuit where some one broke up and got drunk and did stupid stuff.
However, if autism is playing a part then I would suggest trying to understand what is triggering her and try to treat the cause, not the symptoms.
There is probably a degree of her feeling "lesser" because of her diagnosis, especially as autism has the stigma of being a disability. This will be denting her self esteem and may be compounded if she lack knowledge of social skills which is a common autistic issue,
Some of the following books may help:
Making Sense of Sex - A Forthright Guide to Puberty, Sex and Relationships for People With Asperger's Syndrome - Sarah Attwood (2008)ISBN 9781843103745Aspergirls - empowering females with Asperger Syndrome - Rudy Simone (2012)ISBN 9781849058261
Six-Word Lessons on Female Asperger Syndrome - 100 Lessons to Understand and Support Girls and Women with Asperger's - Tracey Cohen (2015)no ISBNWomen and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age - Sarah Hendrickx, Judith Gould (2015)ISBN 9781849055475
I hope some of that helps.