"Do Autistic Adults Have More Health Problems?"

[IContainMultitudes]

Look Me In The Eye: Do Autistic Adults Have More Health Problems?

 

[Tarragon]

Interesting article. Grim reading. Yup, I can tick a lot of those boxes myself personally. 433% higher attempted suicide rate is terrible! We need more help and awareness out there ASAP.

 

[Jimbo]

I'm guessing nearly every one of those health issues are related to the constant stress and anxiety. I have digestive problems, diverticulitis that is more than likely due to stress. I was over weight but am eating better and have lost 15 pounds so far.

 

[MovieMike]

I wonder how many of these are caused by autism vs how many are caused by autistic lifestyles. For example, I've always had a bit of trouble keeping a good sleeping pattern, and I think the reason is because my brain is constantly going off with thoughts, even when I don't want it too. I'm also willing to bet that anxiety is just a natural part of autism, since I've had anxiety issues as long as I can remember. On the other hand, issues with obesity are probably caused in part by lack of diversity in diets, something I'm sure most of us are familiar with. So I guess it's worth considering how to avoid certain health problems in the first place by adjusting the lifestyle of autistic people. Also with increased understanding from other people, since feeling alienated probably plays some role in things like depression.
Oh, and that 433% increase in suicide attempts needs to come down, like right now.

 

[King_Oni]

I wonder how many of these are caused by autism vs how many are caused by autistic lifestyles.

This is the main thing I'm wondering as well.

You could even wonder if it comes with autism from day 1 (as in, being born with it) or if it develops later in life because of autism. I mean, I don't think I've been born depressed and in general I'm not a depressed person, nor have I been (yes, I might be a bit more gloom and doom, but that's just me) in general. But circumstances can make one feel really horrible. Extensive bullying is one of those things. Feeling inadequate to actually live a decent life (having a significant other, succeeding in college, landing a nice job, and so on), might contribute there as well. No wonder depression and (attemped) suicide rates are up. If you add in that there's often no understanding by parents and/or friends on someones behavior, just because it doesn't mirror theirs it makes up for more confusion and feeling less accepted.

I guess the people on the spectrum who suffer the least from depression and such are the ones that don't care about social norms at all (or at least to only a minimal degree). They're so engaged in their own little worlds. Perhaps that's why I haven't been overly miserable most of my life as well. And while it doesn't make me outright depressed, having financial worries at the end of the month are detrimental to my mental health as well... just to a lesser degree than outright depression (though I will address this a bit more below).

As for physical health issues; I think the forum thread about daily exercise does underline it a bit. While quite a few do get out, and some might have jobs, there's an amount of people (myself included) that often do the bare minimum for a variety of reasons. Though that's just the overweight issue. And there's probably stuff like diets and more of that kind that often require some external support both through a qualified professional and finances, both things which might be an issue. Finances because; no job might limit your income significantly, and a qualified professional might not be understanding enough to deal with someone on the spectrum.

However, where I see most focus right now by governments as well as healthcare specialists is to get people on the spectrum employed, disregarding all the underlying issues that might or might not have their reasons for being the way they are. Don't get me wrong, having a job and making a living is important, but the moment the focus is on having a job rather than being able to live a meaningful and healthy life with the least complications as possible just doesn't really add to it. Jobs often do create more issues on top of the ones some of us already have. (and looking at some stories on this forum does underline this).

It's interesting though, since I've seen therapists who did focus a lot more on trying to hook me up with a more "stable" life situation that worked for me. All I've heard was, just make with what you have now. Engage in those hobbies and don't deny yourself anything. The last thing we want is you to come back being depressed because you can't keep yourself busy and motivated with personal goals. We're not a daycare nor do we want to be a revolving door. That by itself is good, since I feel it gave me confirmation that I should get into hobbies more (and so I did). The downside obviously is that I'm doing these hobbies at the expense of a government welfare check, that is (at least here) about half of minimum wage (and that number will greatly vary per country). I don't see myself sustaining this all in the long run, though given the low amount of people on the spectrum that are employed (and even worse, employed and happy with their job, since otherwise that'll inexplicably become a festering wound that turns into depression at some point), it's a vicious cycle by itself. I think I'm already a step ahead by understanding the cycle and putting the word out to those involved (social services, therapists and such) that there's a cycle which they are obviously missing since they're not being put in it.

 

[tlc]

I've wondered if some health problems do lead to autism in some cases. For example, my train wreck of a digestive tract started with Hirschprungs as a birth defect. Basically a portion of the large intestine is too small and has no nerves. According to my doctor, waste backs up, poisons you, and stunts your growth. My growth charts show me dropping farther and farther off and by 4th grade I was the size of a kindergartner. I had surgery in 3rd grade but still had serious blockage problems that almost killed me till 10th grade. Well the same can happen with constipation and other disorders. And if it can stunt your physical growth, I see no reason it can't stunt your mental growth too. And when a body is running on limited resources, I would think mainly the aspie traits would take precedent in development (black and white thinking, spatial reasoning, things like that) and social skills would take a back burner.

 

[anja]

I have extreme anxiety which causes me digestion related problems however this also caused me to lose weight not gain any

 

[Hannah]

My partner suffers from anxiety, most of it is related to his hyper sensitivity to noise, lights, busy places & touch sensitivity.
He was born prematurely at 26weeks old in 1975, it is almost unheard of that a child would survive at that age back then.
He has a number of conditions which i think have been linked to ASDs. For example hyperphotosensitivity - sensitivity to natural daylight (the sun). When he was a child it made him sneeze a lot & he took tablets for it. It happens very rarely now, only when we go from dark to light, like leaving the cinema. He has also been diagnosed with tourettes syndrome, i would say its mild although some of his hand movements i think are autistic - like hand flapping, and whistling when startled.
He also had extremely bad asthma throughout his childhood requiring steroid treatment & hospitalisation. I think asthma can be related to premature babies as well as ASDs.
He also has strong hayfever which i think links in with asthma. He also has quite a few allergies - dairy (not lactose ie. he is still allergic to lactose free products), parsley, cayenne pepper, oregano, erythromycin (general anti biotic), loratadine (eg. Clarityn - anti allergy tablet!).
And finally, he has duplex kidneys which means instead of having whole normal kidneys, his kidneys are split into two segments each with 2 small tubes per kidney. It means an increase in kidney stone problems because they cant pass down the small tubes. This problem is hereditary though, so I dont think it relates to the ASD.

 

[Rhymer]

Of course we get more health problems. All the anxiety, negative thoughts, stress and extra mental energy we expend just trying to keep up and fit in with the 'normal' world takes it toll on our bodies.

 

[weth]

Health wise apart from depression and being an aspie I've been tip top I'm rarely ill / sick and apart from time off 5 days I've taken recently due to switching meds I've been fine. Suppose after reading what other people have put I'm lucky

 

[Beverly]

Based on myself, I think all of those thing are a result of the additional stress we have to live with. Stress can lead to hypertension, overeating, problems sleeping, weakened immune system, all of it.

Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do about our brains being more easily overloaded and stressing us out. relaxation techniques help, finding time to process the day helps, having friends we can let go and be ourselves with helps. Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise routine helps but, all of that is very hard to do when you live more of your life in overload mode than not.

I know not everyone can get the time and space they need to unload and process it all and, that leads to doing less than healthy things in an effort to feel even a little better for a few minutes. It's a rough cycle to break and, a lot of people need help to do it. I know I did. I was blessed not to fall too far into it and cause myself permanent health issues but, I had people there to drag me back out of my depression pit and, basically watch me 24/7 and, make me do the healthy thing whether I liked it or not.

I learned to like it, well the results it gets at least and, now it's not a diet, mandatory exercise routine and forced quite time to relax, it's a way of life I enjoy and, willingly do the right things when I need to do those things for myself. I've still got health issues, arthritis, hearing loss, astigmatism but, that's old age and loud music, not stress induced and not poor diet and exercise choices.

There has to be a way to enable more of us on the spectrum to make the healthy choices, learn to reduce stress and overload in positive ways. I'm not sure what will help beyond awareness and education which doesn't seem to be working very well but, something has got to be able to make a difference.

 

[unsurewhattoname]

Astigmatism counts as a health problem? I have that but my glasses correct most of it. It would be all but I can't see the reason to update it - it's only (-) 0.25 D out in both eyes, which is nothing.