Emotional Health in Autistic Adults and Building Better Supports

Nobody has ever acknowledged nor take seriously my cries for help, my concerns, my difficulties, my needs, my traumas. I am an almost 30 year old, ethnic minority, undeveloped, chronically pained and skin diseased, bullied, unemployed,isolated woman with no life quality. I am 95% sure I do have a learning disorder too but have never been assessed and therefore never given specialist support. I am struggling alone for nothing each day.

Well I’ll say this I’m sure as h*ll depressed that my autism has caused me so much grief and pain that I can’t even get out of bed in the morning to eat breakfast

Very interesting. The brooding ugh, wish I could jus delete it from my brain. One thing about CBT, sometimes Trauma Therapy is more effective and needed. Many good points in this video.

This is pretty good. However some critical issues are not covered. The speaker opens the webinar by saying if we get a better handle on depression we can develop better treatments. Ones that work for depressed Autistic people. Two big problems are; the level of non acceptance for very many Autistics. You can't develop a treatment for that. Secondly, the experience of Loss is not even mentioned. Both in experiences of plus the way Loss particularly affects an Autistic person. Thirdly, attachment and one's attachment status is missing. Yet it is well known that poor attachment is an obvious factor in becoming (and remaining) depression. Fourthly, there are very few therapeutic services for Autistic adults. Especially longer term adapted for Autism therapeutic services. And ultra little of through public sector healthcare. The speaker, for example, rightly mentions Alexithymia. But again despite it's high presence in Autistic people, there is extremely little therapeutic help for Alexithymia in (or not in) Autism. Major employment gaps for many Autistic people (again no treatment for) can be obviously a strong predictor for depression and even shame states of mind, again increasing the proneness to depression or maintaining depression. CBT is not well known for considering attachment or real world precipitators for depression or anything else. ACT as a therapy has so far shown little benefits for actually Autistic people. Plus many ACT practitioners have not done anything like major training in ACT. Next we have for many Autistics the experience of isolation & loneliness which also can easily trigger depression. Therapy is not the main answer for this as they are often caused by social bias and social indifference, plus the attachment problems I mentioned. This is not about "negative thinking" as in CBT, but the effects of Neuro-difference disadvantages. Honestly, the banging on about CBT is way overstated. Many of the unique depression triggers in Autism are not the kind of thing that CBT can or should see in a "treatment" lens. The fact that the speaker does not have an Autistic co speaker is disappointing. Many clinicians don't like or don't feel confident working with Autistic adults anyhow. That compounds the therapeutic accessibility problem which was mentioned but remains underplayed. Otherwise the presentation is not too bad. Clearly depression in Autism is a very major health problem. But it will take much more than CBT or ACT or mindfulness, none which address the huge social factors that significantly increase Autistic vulnerability. DBT is minimally available for Autistic people, plus the cost issue as it's mainly used in privatized settings. So maybe a 5 out of 10 for this presentation. Lastly, without a much more viable Autistic Community the risk factors for individual Autistic people will remain high. But the reductionist style and excessive psychological slant greatly weakens the overall usefulness of this presentation. Nick Glover Autistic Elder, Social Worker. & Psychotherapist.

No wonder dad and mom just hoped I would grow out of it

Yet another NT talking about. My tribe, but who down only theorise never truly empathise via experience. This talk of us as “partners” is bs…were are lab rats for your clinical curiosity. Show me you actually putting these “theory’s” into place and making a meaningful and more importantly sustained positive impact.