Difficulty identifying emotions linked to poor mental health in autistic people *updated*

So, today, is a crying day for me. For no reason at all, I feel tearful. I can carry on with my daily stuff, but at intervals, I stop and have a good weep. I guess it's depression and anxiety, but I wonder if it's to do with my autistic brain rather than classic depression. I feel alone and lonely, unlovable, unloved and unloving. This makes me even more prone to tears. I'm not suicidal. I never want to take my own life. I love being alive. It might be that I am overwhelmed by emotions from the previous day or thoughts and emotions about an upcoming event, and maybe this is my way of releasing tension.

**update**

Since posting, I've found some useful information about a possible explanation. "Autistic people who have trouble identifying their emotions, a condition known as alexithymia, are likely to have anxiety, depression and problems with social communication, according to a new study. Roughly half of autistic people experience alexithymia, which translates to ‘no words for emotions’ and is characterised by difficulties with identifying and describing one’s own feelings." This is more complicated than it seems. It doesn't mean that I don't have a vocabulary for my emotions, for me, at least, it's about not paying proper attention to my internal emotional states until they are too strong to ignore, and then I get confused by the sensations.

https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/difficulty-identifying-emotions-linked-to-poor-mental-health-in-autistic-people/


I hope this can help someone else too.





Parents
  • Sorry you have been feeling that way. Sometimes I can go in a strange mood for no identifiable reason. This happened on Saturday and I also felt really sad for no reason. It's like it just comes on. Then Sunday I was fine. I was wondering if it was because I was back in work on the Monday after a week off.  But that wouldn't be enought to make me cry! And if anything I don't know why it would happen on Saturday but be OK on the Sunday.

    I've also realised that in the past when I felt very sad and would cry (as a late teenager and in twenties mainly), I often didn't know why I felt sad. I tihnk sometimes I cry when I get confused or frustrated or overwhelmed cos I don't actually know how I feel. And that's the only way to express it, until I've had time to work it out.

    I think it also links with ruminative thoughts as I think it's my way of working stuff out cos I don't intuitively know how I feel.

Reply
  • Sorry you have been feeling that way. Sometimes I can go in a strange mood for no identifiable reason. This happened on Saturday and I also felt really sad for no reason. It's like it just comes on. Then Sunday I was fine. I was wondering if it was because I was back in work on the Monday after a week off.  But that wouldn't be enought to make me cry! And if anything I don't know why it would happen on Saturday but be OK on the Sunday.

    I've also realised that in the past when I felt very sad and would cry (as a late teenager and in twenties mainly), I often didn't know why I felt sad. I tihnk sometimes I cry when I get confused or frustrated or overwhelmed cos I don't actually know how I feel. And that's the only way to express it, until I've had time to work it out.

    I think it also links with ruminative thoughts as I think it's my way of working stuff out cos I don't intuitively know how I feel.

Children
No Data