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On the subject of Mental illness and Autism

biohazardbrain
over 4 years ago

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.

Parents
  • over 4 years ago

     I first saw a pdoc in late 1973 just before I was 17. At 18 and a bit I had my first hospitalisation . I was dxed with schizophrenia . The dx changed over time, but I was still seen as having a severe mental illness. After being dxed with severe mental everything was seen as stemming from that. My own research let me to believe there was more going on than that . My previous mental health trust turned a deaf ear to bringing the subject of autism up.  In Sept 2017 I moved and came under a different mental health trust. I saw a pdoc there in Oct 2018 and with my input and my stepdaughter's he said ASD and schizophrenia was the best fit . By May 2019 I had an Asperger's dx.  Taken from when Asperger's became an official dx it had taken nearly 3 decades for that to happen . The result a poor level of support and treatment

Reply
  • over 4 years ago

     I first saw a pdoc in late 1973 just before I was 17. At 18 and a bit I had my first hospitalisation . I was dxed with schizophrenia . The dx changed over time, but I was still seen as having a severe mental illness. After being dxed with severe mental everything was seen as stemming from that. My own research let me to believe there was more going on than that . My previous mental health trust turned a deaf ear to bringing the subject of autism up.  In Sept 2017 I moved and came under a different mental health trust. I saw a pdoc there in Oct 2018 and with my input and my stepdaughter's he said ASD and schizophrenia was the best fit . By May 2019 I had an Asperger's dx.  Taken from when Asperger's became an official dx it had taken nearly 3 decades for that to happen . The result a poor level of support and treatment

Children
  • over 4 years ago in reply to Deleted user

    I'm so sorry to read that it took so long for you to get answers. I'm sure that now you can finally feel more at ease having the answers and the diagnosis. Even currently in 2019, a lot of people are still desperate for answers and are being given the cold-shoulder treatment. Again, I'm glad to know that you saw a proper professional in the end! I just hope that things will change and it won't take so long and people won't keep slipping under the cracks to be ignored.