Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello
My 17 year old daughter, who has recently been diagnosed with ASC after displaying various different mental health problems over the past 4-5 years (anxiety, OCD, self-harm and low mood/depression) is trying to make sense of her low mood /feelings of depression. She thinks that she may be having these feelings because of burnout. She is waiting for an appointment with a psychiatrist but her NHS EWMHS (Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Service) key worker has told her that if her low mood/depression is caused by burnout because of her autism then medication will not help. I do not know if medication is the way forward but she desperately wants to feel better about life.
As she has only just been diagnosed she has not received any ASC specific support. Past support groups and strategies for overcoming OCD and anxiety were completely ineffective. Her college is currently putting a support plan together and she is also waiting for her key worker to pass her case over to the 'Neurodevelopmental pathway'. I guess that she was on the 'Mental Health pathway' before but we were never told and she hasn't received any actual help anyway since she was signed on to them in September after self-harming.
Can anyone give us more information about burnout and what causes it for them? Have you used medication? How can we/she improve her moods? Really any advice would be helpful as we put pieces of her coping with ASC jigsaw together.
Thank you
hi,
welcome to the forum
here is burnout explained
www.spectrumnews.org/.../
from NAS
www.autism.org.uk/.../autistic-adults
with depression medication u have to try them and see how well they work.
remind/ask the Doctor prescribing any medication "what are the side effects ? and will they work with autistic adults ?"
fighting depression
1. 2 or more regular walks per week 2/3 miles per walk
2. loads of hobbies and activities
3. a dog ( prescribed to depressed soldiers ) ---- very effective
4. volunteer to walk neighbours dogs for free ( in short borrow a dog )
5 walk more in country - find fields of horses and donkeys and feed them carrots
6. teach yourself mindfulness ( everyday living and formal meditation )
7. join Yoga class
8. adult coloring books ----- (meditation by doing)
9. teach yourself musical instrument (meditation by doing)
Generally medication is not often helpful and antidepressant are rarely used in teenagers as they may make things worse. Lifestyle, chat, building on pleasures, joys, exercise, art, music, social
Thank you aidie. I will look at all these resources.