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.
You say that the mental health side gets put on the back burner. HOWEVER, I would contend that by focussing on managing the autism, you treat the source of the MH problems, so not focussing on MH is not necessarily bad..
Mytwenty said:You say that the mental health side gets put on the back burner. HOWEVER, I would contend that by focussing on managing the autism, you treat the source of the MH problems, so not focussing on MH is not necessarily bad..
Providing the symptoms are on account of the condition of autism spectrum disorder itself, better managing the condition will ameliorate those symptoms. When though we refer to co-morbid symptoms, we are referring to illnesses and or diseases that occur alongside the condition of autism spectrum disorder, and require separate or additional therapeutic treatment, whether it be medical, clinical or verbal.
Consider the following statement from Medical Comorbidities in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Primer for Health Care Professionals and Policy Makers pdf ~ which on page 4 of 19 states:
Widespread reports of severe medical conditions being attributed, without investigation and sometimes without physical examination, to autism behaviours have compelled the creation of this document in order to present relevant information to healthcare providers,policy makers and the wider audience. A summary of current research, including the positions of leading governmental and professional bodies, is hoped and expected to help bridge the knowledge and training gap, and as a consequence, decrease the premature attribution of physical symptoms to 'autism behaviours'.
Current research, shared below, offers support to health care and care providers in understanding the possible mechanisms, symptomatology, and consequences of common comorbidities in ASD, thus allowing improved patient care and reduced long-term costs.This document also provides a list of symptoms and behaviours that are indicative of health problems but often dismissed as ‘autism’, and offers common sources of such behaviour. Case studies highlight and contextualize some challenges faced in diagnosing this unique patient group and the possible outcomes of successful identification of underlying medical problems.
https://nationalautismassociation.org/pdf/MedicalComorbiditiesinASD2013.pdf
That’s a rather odd paper, from a rather odd charity. A charity that charges a membership fee?
Graham Slight Return said:It may be that my involuntary stay, for one month, in a private mental health hospital - paid for by the NHS - owned by Acadia Healthcare (HQ Tennessee), has led me to approach stylish documents with little substance, such as the one you link to above, with cynicism.
Regarding the 'with little substance' thing ~ here is the same information regarding the problem of autism spectrum conditions masking co-morbid symptoms (or vice versa) and preventing appropriate treatment, from another source that is scientific and pier reviewed:
Abstract
Several psychiatric conditions, both internalizing and externalizing, have been documented in comorbidity with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA). In this review we examine the interplay between psychiatric comorbidities and AS/HFA. In particular, we will focus our attention on three main issues. First, we examine which psychiatric disorders are more frequently associated with AS/HFA. Second, we review which diagnostic tools are currently available for clinicians to investigate and diagnose the associated psychiatric disorders in individuals with AS/HFA. Third, we discuss the challenges that clinicians and researchers face in trying to determine whether the psychiatric symptoms are phenotypic manifestations of AS/HFA or rather they are the expression of a distinct, though comorbid, disorder. We will also consider the role played by the environment in the manifestation and interpretation of these symptoms. Finally, we will propose some strategies to try to address these issues, and we will discuss therapeutic implications.Several psychiatric conditions, both internalizing and externalizing, have been documented in comorbidity with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA). In this review we examine the interplay between psychiatric comorbidities and AS/HFA. In particular, we will focus our attention on three main issues. First, we examine which psychiatric disorders are more frequently associated with AS/HFA. Second, we review which diagnostic tools are currently available for clinicians to investigate and diagnose the associated psychiatric disorders in individuals with AS/HFA. Third, we discuss the challenges that clinicians and researchers face in trying to determine whether the psychiatric symptoms are phenotypic manifestations of AS/HFA or rather they are the expression of a distinct, though comorbid, disorder. We will also consider the role played by the environment in the manifestation and interpretation of these symptoms. Finally, we will propose some strategies to try to address these issues, and we will discuss therapeutic implications.
Introduction
Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA) are two conditions within the broad category of the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) that are often overlapping and characterized by social-communication impairment and over-focused, repetitive interests and behaviours, without any significant learning disabilities or language delay in the case of AS. Individuals suffering from AS/HFA typically show pedantic speech often with monotonous or exaggerated vocal intonation [1], poor nonverbal communication [2] and motor clumsiness. Despite AS and classic autism both belonging to the same category of ASDs, individuals with AS tend to show a distinct pattern of social impairment that seems to be milder than in classic autism [3], and it has been hypothesized that the differences between AS and classic autism may be both quantitative and qualitative [4].
The management of behavioral problems in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders is a challenge for clinicians and families and the psychiatric symptoms in comorbidities could even exacerbate the behavioral dyscontrol [5-7]. Individuals with AS and HFA may show an impairment in describing their own feelings and emotions [4], so it is not easy to detect and recognize another psychiatric comorbidity that could be masked by the autistic symptoms themselves. One of the main problems with individuals suffering from AS/HFA is that behavioral symptoms due to one of the comorbid conditions that often run together with this type of ASD (see section “AS/HFA and comorbid psychiatric conditions” and Table Table1)1) could arise in different social environments, including family and school, and during social activities. For these and other reasons in the daily clinical practice it is difficult to make a decision about the most appropriate diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.
In this review we examine the interplay between common psychiatric comorbidities and AS/HFA. In particular, we will discuss which psychiatric disorders have been more frequently reported in association with AS/HFA. We will also point out the difficulties that clinicians and researchers have to face when trying to make the correct diagnosis of a comorbid condition in AS/HFA basing on the currently available psychometric tools (i.e. scales, checklists and questionnaire).
Furthermore, we will discuss the important role played by the environment and finally we will outline some useful strategies to address these issues and challenges for therapeutic implications.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3416662/
I believe the Thinking Autism site is a perfect example of what is known as ‘astroturfing’.