Depression

LivAgain, you have perfectly summed up how my attempts to access treatment for depression have gone. People are quick to assume that autism causes our depression, but no is willing to admit that it is much more complicated than that. It is almost as if we are not always seen as complex human beings, instead being treated as if our emotions and personalities are "limited" just because we have autism. I am so tired of being treated like I'm a lesser being than other people just because I have a different way of processing information.

David, I recommend looking at different ways to access treatment for your depression in your area. I know people are usually urged to access treatment through their GP, but this can have many pitfalls. Many GPs are under-trained in the subject of depression and so take the easy route of palming you off with anti-depressants. Often, this will not actually do much good without counselling to go with the medication. It may be best to see if you can self-refer for care under your local mental health team. That way you may get more personalised treatment. I hope this helps, and good luck!

Hi Charlie,

My previous theory on depression and ASD was that we get into cycles of having ideas about things that we want to do. We then go and fail to explain to, and persuade, people  (because of the communication issues) about our cunning plans and we then get into a phase of frustration and disappointment about how we think the world could be and that the world is indifferent (at best) or despises us for our ideas.

However, I've been reading a book about CBT and it quotes Aaron Beck from 1963 "Beck was able to distinguish consistent differences in the ideational content associated with common neurotic disorders, including depression". Or, people with neuroses, such as depression often have a distorted view of the rights and wrongs of the world.

So, we aspies often go in for dichotomous or black and white thinking. This is a difference in perception, or a difference in ideational content as he puts it, that distinguishes us from NT people. Or, to put it another way, our tendency to black and white thinking is the sort of thing that leads us to depression. If this is true, then the CBT approach would challenge us so that whenever we find ourselves being black and white in our analysis then we should look for a more reasonable, middle of the road, balanced view of a situation which is what NT people are more often able to do.

Hi my name is Charlie,

I have experienced both depression and anxiety to the extremes, I have questioned life for years, the why's and if's. It is a very terrible thing to suffer with depression and especially if you dont feel anyone understands or if you feel isolated.
I dont feel confident to give too much advice on this subject because though I have had it, still probably do and feel I have made steps to overcome it, I think everyones path is different when overcoming life obsticles so I think you must figure out your own way of overcoming it.

But I will say that over-thinking things is part of it, it brings problems to the table that werent there in the first place and creates negative thoughts, feelings and anxiety.
I dont think medication is ever a good thing but reading books on psychology has helped me personally but everyone is different. I would like to hear anyones thoughts on depression help and possible causes etc. But if anyone would like to share their stories I will be reading them and helping where I can.

Im usually very anti-meds...but in the case of serious depression they can be helpfull...especially if the symptom relief allows the sufferer to become more active and involved...depression is self-reinforcing both in its aquisition and its recovery.

I'm sorry that you feel that we've been bickering. I was trying to talk you both up with positive ways of dealing with your situations. Liv, I don't think you or anyone else with depression is doomed. There are some people on the forum who think like this but I think they are wrong to think like that.

Apologies to all for another clunky mispost.

Whatever your circumstances (genetic or environmental) you can work on your depression. Nobody has to be "doomed". But I think I'll step back now because we're getting into personal issues; the last few months have been awful for me because of MH issues largely unrelated to autism. Besides, my own attitudes towards my autism diagnosis are complex, but that's my problem. I'm going to be biased. I shouldn't have said anything. Again, I'm really sorry, David - this is your thread and I don't like it when things turn out like this because it's not nice for the other person to be caught in the middle of what could be perceived to be bickering. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, especially regarding things even top scientists don't fully understand (e.g. depression and autism). So I've said my piece, and now I'm going to step back with a big apology for any bad feeling I might have caused.

David, I really hope you feel better soon and that things work out for you. Please keep us posted. 

I was trying to paint a picture where depression can be dealt with by tackling the underlying root causes of the social problems. In my opinion, this is a more optimistic point of view than thinking that you are doomed to a life of depression by your genetic make up.

I get the idea, recombinantsocks. I think you put it very clearly and you've got a very valid point. I personally believe it's often a combination of the two, because some people live through the most traumatic and/or unhappy situations and are lucky enough not to develop depression the illness. But this is about David, and we don't want to confuse him or alarm him, especially if he's going through a difficult time. 

LivAgain said:

but depression is the result of a chemical imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain

www.nhs.uk/.../Causes.aspx

Depression can arise from internal chemistry or it can arise from the impact of external events. In both cases, drugs can fix the unhappiness, in the short term, by chemical action. My understanding is that our ASD tendency to depression is often due to our poor ability to have a balanced and fulfilled life. In David's case I suspect that his difficulties and disappointment in romance are causing the unhappiness and depression. i.e. the ASD is casuing a social problem that is causing depression.

In this case, there are skills that can be learnt to counteract the social problems of ASD. It is therefore reasonable to be optimistic that the future will be happier than the present.

(sorry about the clunky, formal way I've put that but I hope you get the idea)

Hi David. You're not alone in dealing with depression and autism simultaneously, and there are lots of places you can look for help...have you spoken to your GP? They might be able to offer you some support and even medication to help you through this tough time. There are also confidential helplines such as the Samaritans, and I believe there's an NAS one as well (?). I've talked to these services on and off for years and they've always been brilliant; supportive and non-judgemental.

I really do urge you to ask for help, because sometimes people on the spectrum are met with, "Oh yes, but you're bound to be depressed, you've had to deal with the difficulties with building relationships all your life". Of course tricky life circumstances don't help, but depression is the result of a chemical imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain (or something like that, I'm a terrible scientist!) and it's manageable and treatable as long as you ask for help so you know what you're dealing with. Nobody should have to suffer "just" because they're from a population who have a difficult time of it anyway. Am I making sense? I'm really eager for people to get to know this as retrospectively, I've suffered from extremes of mood (depression and hypomania; I have suspected bipolar disorder as well as Asperger's and bouts of OCD) for years and these have gone ignored because everyone was so keen to diagnose me with autism. Whenever I told my parents that I was feeling so bad I was in physical pain due to my depression, they'd tell me, "Oh yes, that's Asperger's," and we'd say no more about it, more or less. However, now I have an awesome psychiatrist who refused to just leave it at that. Professionals willing to listen to you are out there in spite of what the cynics say. Don't feel like you have to suffer in silence.

Lots of love, and I really hope things pick up soon. Keep in touch. xx

Welcome to the forum. A lot of us have struggles with depression as it's a common companion of autism. There are, however, ways of dealing with it and beating it.

Have you read anything like Valerie Gaus's book Living Well on the Spectrum. This book has a section on how to improve your social and romantic life.