Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi. Young autistic guy here.
I just recently signed up here and I'm not used to writing in forums at all, but with this subject I find myself really eager and passionate to write about it.
Maybe I haven't dug deep enough on the internet, but I see less resources for people who have both mental illness and autism. I have both. There's a stigma surrounding it, where it seems 'impossible' to have both be co-morbid, to basically have both at the same time. The fact is, both are possible. If anyone's needed to read that, who feels invalid, or a complete fraud/fake, you're not. Many factors can create mental illness. Trauma, loss, bullying, etc. Even non-autistics can have one or more mental illnesses or physical ailments.
Why is it important to have more resources? Because from my own personal experience of being made to feel as if I'm lying about having both, you can feel so, so misunderstood. The mental health side gets put on the back burner and gradually things deteriorate for those affected, because there's not enough discussion and resources about mental illness and autism being both common together.
Hello! :)
I find Autism and mental health issues go hand-in-hand, which is an unfortunate, but true thing. I, and everyone I know who has Autism (which is quite a few!) has suffered with a mental health issue at one point, or continues to. I think it makes complete sense that most of us do. We're forced to function in a world we're not programmed to function in, and it's stressful as hell!
You're absolutely right about needing more resources. Honestly, I have not been on this forum for very long but already I have found it very useful and enlightening. It's okay for non-Autistic people to say things about us, but actually hearing it from people who actually live with it is very different, and to me, better. :)
Hello!
Yes! Honestly, the amount of feedback that I've got from fellow autistic people who have experience in having both gives me so much peace of mind.
I'll be at an appointment about my mental health being in the toilet and have the same response that I can't have mental illness. It does honestly still come as a shock to me that even now, some professionals who claim to know the ins and outs of autism actually have no idea what it really is like. It can also just take years to find the right person. It shouldn't take that long. Like you said, you find more comfort from the people who share what you have, which is good, but also can be disappointing when you take a look at how misunderstood we can be. But what I do think will start to get better, gradually, is more neurotypical mental health professionals will spot the differences between autism and mental illness. If someone describes completely different symptoms that are in no way the same as autistic symptoms, that should be separated, not ignored. More care would be appreciated in how to function with both at the same time.