Autistic people are at higher risk of mental health issues, most commonly
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues autistic people face. This can be attributed to the differences in the makeup of the brain, or social isolation due to the lack of awareness and understanding from others. One of the first steps towards successfully treating this is for the person to visit their GP. The problem arises however that this in itself can be an insurmountable task. Always remember to offer reasonable adjustments for autistic people, for example, a first or last appointment in the day so that the surgery is not as busy as it usually would be.
A good rule of thumb is to always keep an eye out for sudden changes in behaviour with an autistic person. This can point to a newly developed mental health condition, like anxiety. It is also important to remember that they may not display the same symptoms as a neurotypical person.
For people with anxiety, they cannot just ‘sit out’ a situation that worries them. The event is one of such great fear that they feel the need to escape as soon as possible, perhaps before the event even occurs. In order to deal with anxiety issues the person usually needs to see a therapist, build a relationship with them and then approach the trigger slowly. They need to build up a ‘resistance’ to the anxiety over time in order to eventually overcome it.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is closely related to anxiety disorders. It affects between 2-3%* of the general population but tends to be more prevalent in autistic people. The classic issue with OCD is that it is overlooked in autistic people, as it presumed that repetitive behaviour is associated with autism rather than a separate problem. OCD can be broken down into two main components, the obsession (thoughts) and the compulsion (behaviours). When someone is suffering with OCD it means they have repetitive thoughts that are upsetting for them. If the autistic person thinks they may have OCD, they will need to undertake a specialist assessment where the doctor will try to separate their autistic tendencies and those of their OCD.
Once OCD has been identified there are two methods for treating the condition. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the non-medicinal treatment, whereby the person is given the tools to help deal with the thoughts that trigger their OCD.
The medicinal treatment involves selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. Drugs such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Seroxat) can help OCD. It is important to note that autistic people can be more vulnerable to the side effects of these drugs; therefore, extra care needs to be taken with their doses and, in this case, the dosage must start low. Also, if CBT is being undertaken the therapist needs to understand the autistic person’s needs and adapt their process accordingly.
Depression can be most easily described as a prolonged period of feeling sad or low, to a degree that begins to affect day-to-day functioning. There is no difference between a neurotypical person and an autistic person, depression affects them both in the same way. However, where around 20% of the population will experience a period of depression in their life, this percentage is much higher for autistic people.
It can be harder for an autistic person to approach a GP about their feelings. Not only might they have a harder time than usual describing how they feel, but the unpredictability of the practice and the anxiety of speaking to a stranger may be too overwhelming for them. As previously mentioned, it is important to make reasonable adjustments to help with this experience.
Treating depression can be either medicinal or psychological. Treatments do not change for autistic people and those who are neurotypical. Sometimes the person will need to be referred to a specialist service to help with this, it may be the case that the autistic person would be more reactive to the side effects posed by medication and, therefore, psychological treatment may be the best course of action at first.
