Autism and Mental Illness

[Clintos]

Does having autism make one more susceptible to mental illness? or is it likely something separate that causes it? and that not all people with autism suffer any form of mental illness.

Here is something that I took from yahoo answers regarding how I kind of feel.

Is autism a mental illness?

"The autistic brain quite simply has a notably different neurology in how it functions, much like a cat and dog are different in neurology, though seem mostly alike in many ways: a cat isn't a defective dog, just a cat. Likewise, if a cat attempts to be a dog, it doesn't work so well in practice: a cat that tries to be something it's not (a dog) will end up with mental problems from attempting to live that lie. So, too, will autistics have more psychological problems brought on by trying to (or being forced to externally) act like neurotypical (aka "everyone else") people, because it isn't natural, and results in a lot of long-term stress."

Do think that a person like myself, is trying to be someone I am not naturally. And that like Temple Grandin said, "autsim has been around since the beginning of time. And by trying to blend into a NT world I brought upon myself mental illness's.

 

[nowwhat]

Depression, for one.

 

[Aspie_rin]

Trying to fit in in a society that won't accept you as you are would obviously be bad to mental health

 

[SteveScrub]

That certainly does make a lot of sense. I worked with people in the intelligence field and the stress of taking on another persona caused a lot of mental issues.

 

[Clintos]

I can only imagine taking a NT person and trying to get them to act like us, would stress them out too, lol. I'm getting the feeling that embracing Autism is the way to go. And trying to take baby steps towards the NT world would be best, but except that I will always be on the spectrum no matter how hard I fight it.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

Autism makes you susceptible to a whole range of mental illness simply because it's not a world built for the autistic person in mind.

Depression and anxiety are the two highest comorbid conditions. But I believe that a whole range of mental illnesses is higher in the autistic population than the allistic population. Psychotic disorders is a fraction higher, I believe for

 

[SteveScrub]

If these comorbid conditions are a product of environment then we should see a reduction as our culture becomes more accepting and more accommodating of neurodiversity.

 

[FreeDiver]

When you're trying to find your place in this world. When you're trying to fit in and belong. When you're trying to find the meaning of life. And all these things just seem to fail one after the other. Ya! it will eventually take it's toll on your mental health. In other words, you'll go crazy.

 

[The Penguin]

Does having autism make one more susceptible to mental illness?

It a good question.

I admit I have my mental illness and been hard to coop over the years. I decided to make adjustments of my life so I can function better. One of the key things is cutting out people causing me pain including some family members. 2017 is the first year I can say to myself I am truly happy and haven't had any suicidal thoughts.