Mental Health and Autism

Ok, so we have had world mental health day (October 10th) and we've had autism month (April)....but where do the two meet?

So let's start with the basics. Autism is NOT a mental health condition.

However, many autistic individuals do live with mental health conditions.

In fact depression, stress and anxiety are often daily struggles for autistic individuals.

This could be for many reasons, but imagine living in a world where you don't think or feel like many others.

*Often these individuals have learnt from a very young age to 'pretend' to get through life, to 'fit in'...this can easily lead to depression.

*Never being sure if what you say or think or how you act is going to be accepted... this can easily lead to anxiety.

*Being told you can't be who you are...this can easily lead to self-doubt and low self-esteem.

And all these are mental health challenges.

Challenges which can be helped through increased self-care and therapy with an autism trained and experienced therapist.