Likely but not likely

Had another thought - I suspect that a deeper issue to this is the understanding of what it is that friends are with one another and what they do together.

Thinking about your excellent question further I am inclined to suggest that there are different sorts of friendships and the drivers for and nature of engagement in this varies - both from friendship to friendship and within that friendship.

Since such things might not, for whatever reason, come so easily either for autistic people generally, individual autistic people and then the circumstances that they are in.

I have not experienced being sectioned - the closest I have been to it reading and watching "one flew over the cuckoos nest", watching "the five monkeys" and a close family relationship.  I also understand a little bit about how much of mental health is a social construct determined and moderated by social norms...  I wondered if there might be anyone in the environment you are in at present to become friends with, then realised that might be me.

So the answer from this perspective Blessedarethecheesemakers , is that I wonder if for people like us it might be worth asking yourself and others what friendship is...  That could be a good question to raise for discussion.  Perhaps you could do that for yourself and others in this group?

Best Wishes

Had another thought - I suspect that a deeper issue to this is the understanding of what it is that friends are with one another and what they do together.

Thinking about your excellent question further I am inclined to suggest that there are different sorts of friendships and the drivers for and nature of engagement in this varies - both from friendship to friendship and within that friendship.

Since such things might not, for whatever reason, come so easily either for autistic people generally, individual autistic people and then the circumstances that they are in.

I have not experienced being sectioned - the closest I have been to it reading and watching "one flew over the cuckoos nest", watching "the five monkeys" and a close family relationship.  I also understand a little bit about how much of mental health is a social construct determined and moderated by social norms...  I wondered if there might be anyone in the environment you are in at present to become friends with, then realised that might be me.

So the answer from this perspective Blessedarethecheesemakers , is that I wonder if for people like us it might be worth asking yourself and others what friendship is...  That could be a good question to raise for discussion.  Perhaps you could do that for yourself and others in this group?

Best Wishes