Autistic teen’s fantasy world mistaken for reality

Philosophers and Psychologists have historically used rather deep analogies to try and explain phenomena. This is still happening in academia. 

Depression is a natural response today. The world IS unusually cruel, overwhelming. Everywhere there ARE messages sent to young males and females: kill yourself. You'll never amount to anything. If you cannot OVERNIGHT become skinny, rich, magical, a sensation, if you cannot summon a thousands of "likes" or hit this ridiculously high standard you are worth-less, worth-nothing. You should just pack it in. You are nobody. 

It's everywhere. He's not imagining anything. He's not delusional - he's using this rich imagination in a context we see see every day in the media to try to make analogies to what is happening around him. Yes, that imagination can get out of control. The question is how to arrest it?

Call it out. Pull everything out of him and like a professor with a wand. Encourage him to channel it into words, into art, into some kind of Form. He can see a system, but he doesn't have the language or the sociology degree or the philosophy of ethics to apply to it. Help him get there and if the drugs are in the way, help him off of them. I'd recommend small rare doses of anti-anxiety medication as the problem can most of the time be our Gaba resistors aren't enough to match what we need. 

He thinks he’s been chosen in a way. And that other people are chosen too. He has no explanation for why or what they want. I like your line of thinking. What do you mean call it out? Or pull things out?

He thinks he’s been chosen in a way. And that other people are chosen too. He has no explanation for why or what they want. I like your line of thinking. What do you mean call it out? Or pull things out?

All super hero stories are about marginalised kids who deal with immense heart break and trauma and come out the other side. These are the stories this culture tells us. So, if he finds solidarity in this over arching plot, or the Myths of Our Time, so be it. Stories, Songs and myths have always kept humans motivated and given them a will toward agency. 

Calling out something you hear him say like a “mentor” is a type of reflection we need. When he starts talking about aliens, take interest and help him go further. Take it to the library. Jump into the research with him and explore it together. A thought doesn’t arrive from a void but can be traced to a multitude of passages from many points. Like a network of fungi. A thought or idea can be an analogy to the fruiting mushroom. We can see the mushroom but not the network which created it. So, a thought or phantasy is spoken. Engage with it and see if you can’t help him explore all kinds of ideas behind it. You will have more wisdom and know where to look to help him with knowledge. Be fearless!

The best thing I’ve learned about most autistics is our/their openness to exploration with the mind. Many of us were stuck at one point or another until someone illuminated a little knowledge which helped us get unstuck. Anything is possible but most things have a limit if you search long enough. Jung actually wrote a wee book on UFOs being one of the great modern myths of the 20th century. The new Religion. Man looking up to the heavens to be saved. It’s a constant in history. Some of them comforting and some a bit too cult-y for my taste, but always worth the exploration. 

Sometimes enough of a distraction or interest to pull one out of a dark place.