How do I be supportive to a friend with asd who is psychotic/suicidal delusional?

Hi my son and best friend have ASD I do not but am carer for my son with ASD. My friend that I have known for many years who has asd is mostly if not always having some form of psychosis/feeling suicidal , she will be overwhelmed crying  very paranoid and everything is out to get her in some way .I think that weed is bringing out the worst in her i dont think it can be helping her asd which is why she likely smokes it for the anxiety etc  it is very difficult to communicate with her as a friend because she will overload me with her troubles and 99% of it is about her  her delusions and troubles etc and to be honest our interactions consist of 99% of her side and my 1 % of what is going on in my life. I find this very difficult as I have my own mental health issues and have to stay strong  to look after my son who has asd..and needs a lot of help.How do I  deal with her so she doesn't over burden me  how do I be there for someone as a friend without crippling myself ..?

Parents
  • I suggest telling her what you just wrote here.  She might not realise that you are struggling and probably won't pick up on any subtle cues that you are giving her.  We need to be told directly if there is an issue. This doesn't guarantee how well she'll take it, but it's a place to start.

    Everyone is different so there's no one way to support an autistic person.  It's about individual needs and the only way to find out what those are is to ask the person themself.

Reply
  • I suggest telling her what you just wrote here.  She might not realise that you are struggling and probably won't pick up on any subtle cues that you are giving her.  We need to be told directly if there is an issue. This doesn't guarantee how well she'll take it, but it's a place to start.

    Everyone is different so there's no one way to support an autistic person.  It's about individual needs and the only way to find out what those are is to ask the person themself.

Children