“Are Autism and Mental Health 2 sides of the same coin?”

Is Autism hard to understand that people can’t even distinguish it from Mental Health?

What is Autism?

Neurodivergence; is an umbrella term that covers Autism; a persistent throughout-life neurological disorder that shows its sign in the early years of a child. As most conceptualize, Autism is not a mental health issue but a developmental brain disorder with a spectrum resembling the glorious fleeting rainbow.

Just like computer coding, autism brain understands a different set of coding to do life. An autistic person’s behavior, learning, and interaction differ from neurotypicals.

Fun fact:

Every 1 in 100 is said to be present somewhere on the spectrum, and an even more remarkable thing is the range of their symptoms as no 2 Autistic people show the same traits!

As Dr. Stephen Shore said:

“If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.”

Patterns to Lookout:

The common patterns found in every autistic person are their body language while communicating as they have stilted speech and avoid eye contact. A pattern of repetitive behavior and confined interests can make the diagnosis easy. Their non-proficiency with verbal cues often makes them sidelined by Neurotypical “They are in a world of their own.” People need to understand autistic peoples’ hardships to maintain cordial relationships.

 Diagnosis and Treatment:

It is usually diagnosed in childhood when the child starts showing pro-autistic signs. A complete check with evaluation tests by the doctor can help in diagnosis and early treatment to maximize the functionality in this no neurodivergent world. This disorder has no cure as no medicine can decode an autistic brain to a neurotypical/normal brain. The treatment and medicines are all according to the specific person and not a one-size-fits-all. They only help in reducing the ASD symptoms and easy development and learning.

Autism is not categorized under Mental health.

Mental disorders affect the way a person thinks, behave and feel like the term itself refers to the well-being of cognitive, psychological, and emotional aspect. It is essential to cater to mental health at every phase of life to prevent its hindrance on ones thinking, behavior and mood. The handling of stress and decision-making can all impact mental health. Lasting contributions range from biological factors and life experiences (trauma or abuse) to family history. To prevent its effect on daily living, relationships, and physical health, recovery is crucial. Help and treatment through therapy, medication, and counseling are available. Stress, depression, and anxiety disrupt day-to-day life. With proper medical intervention and therapy, these conditions can be cured, and one can live life to its fullest.

Autistic people dealing with Mental health:

Autism is NOT a mental health issue; hence autistic people can have a toll on their mental health. With fewer resources and anchors to help develop coping skills, it is more likely for an autistic person to face mental health problems. Due to exposure to more negative life events as they have trouble fitting in the societal “norms,” discriminatory societal behavior, stigma, and incompetence of therapists to adopt the approach of dealing with an autistic person, they have a fair share of disorders like depression, OCD and anxiety. Mental disorders play the role of secondary conditions in widening the autism spectrum even further.

Challenges faced by Autistic people during diagnosis of Mental health disorders:

It is hard to assess mental health with Autism. One reason can be the similarity between autistic traits of trauma presentation and mental health conditions. One such example can be repetitive, as replaying the details on a loop is also symptomatic of anxiety. Amongst the pool of problems they face, the substantial regarding diagnosis faced are;

·       They are not understood or taken seriously by medical professionals.

·       Professionals lack adequate knowledge related to Autism.

·       Are denied mental health services as a direct result of having Autism.

 Loneliness and social isolation contribute significantly to mental and physical illness, leading to suicidal risk. Neurobiology is one factor but the part played by the social environment is huge as well.

The stigma surrounding Autism and Mental Health:  

The amount of stigma attached to Autism in this day and age of awareness is astonishing. People on the autism spectrum still feel like hiding their true inner selves. Mental health has 3 tiers of stigma:

1. Individual 
2. Society
3. Health systems 

Individual stigma includes negative self-doubt based on stereotype acceptance and a sense of disempowerment. Its roots in the lack of knowledge and research on treatments and symptoms at the social and health systems level. Furthermore, the attitude and behavior of healthcare professionals trigger self-stigma. This stigma association causes a delay in coming out and reaching for treatment and access to health services.

How to extend your hand of support to people with Autism?

The best kind of support autistic people can connect with the autistic community. Learning about Autism can help people understand and make interaction easy with autistic people. Always consider the behavior of the person with Autism even when it’s hard, and ask them what help/support they need.