Published on 12, July, 2020
Depression is even more likely to affect those in the autism community than it affects neurotypicals and the non-disabled, because of the lifelong torture that people with autism go through on a daily basis. And people on the autism spectrum also have a high suicide risk, according to medical research and proven psychology articles. Which is why as someone with Asperger syndrome I find myself wondering if I will continue to suffer from depression and have thoughts of suicide for the rest of my life.
There was this group of ASD and Asperger Syndrome adults who had either contemplated suicide or considered doing so after being diagnosed at a clinic, because they ended up suffering from depression. I also heard about one autistic man who eventually committed suicide. I don't want to end up amongst those people - even though I won't be able to break free from my severe depression.
Speaking from personal experience, depression is very difficult to overcome and it comes and goes in cycles lasting months and years.
Sometimes there are obvious triggers for depression and a change in lifestyle or other external factors can improve things. At other times I'm just depressed and that's it. I've never tried prescribed drugs to lift my depression.
Thoughts of suicide. When things were bad I thought of suicide all day every day.
I made three serious suicide attempts in 2016. That's when a mental health crisis team got involved.