https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-018-0226-4
If you don't have time to read the whole paper, the abstract (the topmost section) is a summary of the contents.
A couple things to point out here.
First, I found the rate of "at risk for suicide" in the general population rather horrifying. 33%? Seriously? Naturally the autistic adult rate is much higher, at 72%, but if you've done the sort of reading I've done, you'll find that a lot more expected. We have a ton of stressors, many of which are reported here in this summary.
But the fact that a whole third of the general population is at risk of suicide? Gee, no wonder people can't treat us autistic people well. Apparently, society is systemically failing all of us in the mental health department. And really, with those kinds of numbers in the general population, of course a more stressed, prone-to-chronic-health-problems population is going to be at risk.
The second thing I wanted to point out was one particular risk factor: camouflaging. For the unfamiliar, camouflaging is the word given when autistic people "act neurotypical." Rather than balance ourselves and our needs with the demands of the society around us, we sometimes learn to pretend we're neurotypical so well, that it undercuts our mental and emotional wellbeing. Acting like a person you aren't and can't be, for upwards of half your waking hours every day has deleterious effects on a person's psyche. Surprise surprise?
At present, I maintain a balance between being myself and anticipating and meeting the demands of society. As I've gotten older, I've found I have less and less patience for other peoples' pettiness and unthinking rejection of my inherent differences. So I've started pushing back a bit. Not rudely, but engaging in behaviors like "not meeting the eyes of people I'm upset with," for example. Why should I have to waste energy and sanity on people who've hurt and angered me? I don't feel I should, so I don't unless the situation demands it. People that ask questions receive honest answers, but I'm no longer going to spend time agonizing over what the most socially appropriate course of action is. I literally don't have the energy, and would rather spend what I do have on things I like doing.
The other autistic-specific suicide risk traits mentioned, unmet support needs and non-suicidal self-injury, don't surprise me either. If you aren't receiving the help you need to live your life, you're going to feel stuck, helpless, worthless, and neglected. Having the help can be the difference between holding a job and wasting away in an institution. Non-suicidal self-injury, on the other hand, tends to be related to frustration and anger. Feeling stuck, helpless, worthless, and neglected can lead to frustration and anger, though, so you can kind of see how this whole cycle goes.
If this seems hard to understand, then let's pretend we have a guy named John. John is not autistic, but he doesn't have the money for a car (and car insurance). He does have a background in being a mechanic. John lives in the country, where there are only a couple places he can work as a mechanic. In order to earn a living, John needs transportation to apply for jobs at those places, and hopefully get one. He will then need transportation to and from work, as well as regular grocery runs.
Is the right answer to tell John to simply earn the money for a car, and then he can have the applications and the job? Because that's what society tells autistic people to do. Succeed first, then get help as an afterthought. We're told we don't deserve help until we don't need it, and if our circumstances are such that we'll always need the help, well... tough luck there, buddy.
The right answer, by the way, is to get John help with his transportation needs, and eventually, perhaps, he can buy a car and car insurance. However, if John simply can't drive for vision-related reasons or some other reason, the right answer is not to take away his transportation help when we find this out. It's to find a long-term transportation solution- perhaps carpooling with his coworkers, for example.
If you don't have time to read the whole paper, the abstract (the topmost section) is a summary of the contents.
A couple things to point out here.
First, I found the rate of "at risk for suicide" in the general population rather horrifying. 33%? Seriously? Naturally the autistic adult rate is much higher, at 72%, but if you've done the sort of reading I've done, you'll find that a lot more expected. We have a ton of stressors, many of which are reported here in this summary.
But the fact that a whole third of the general population is at risk of suicide? Gee, no wonder people can't treat us autistic people well. Apparently, society is systemically failing all of us in the mental health department. And really, with those kinds of numbers in the general population, of course a more stressed, prone-to-chronic-health-problems population is going to be at risk.
The second thing I wanted to point out was one particular risk factor: camouflaging. For the unfamiliar, camouflaging is the word given when autistic people "act neurotypical." Rather than balance ourselves and our needs with the demands of the society around us, we sometimes learn to pretend we're neurotypical so well, that it undercuts our mental and emotional wellbeing. Acting like a person you aren't and can't be, for upwards of half your waking hours every day has deleterious effects on a person's psyche. Surprise surprise?
At present, I maintain a balance between being myself and anticipating and meeting the demands of society. As I've gotten older, I've found I have less and less patience for other peoples' pettiness and unthinking rejection of my inherent differences. So I've started pushing back a bit. Not rudely, but engaging in behaviors like "not meeting the eyes of people I'm upset with," for example. Why should I have to waste energy and sanity on people who've hurt and angered me? I don't feel I should, so I don't unless the situation demands it. People that ask questions receive honest answers, but I'm no longer going to spend time agonizing over what the most socially appropriate course of action is. I literally don't have the energy, and would rather spend what I do have on things I like doing.
The other autistic-specific suicide risk traits mentioned, unmet support needs and non-suicidal self-injury, don't surprise me either. If you aren't receiving the help you need to live your life, you're going to feel stuck, helpless, worthless, and neglected. Having the help can be the difference between holding a job and wasting away in an institution. Non-suicidal self-injury, on the other hand, tends to be related to frustration and anger. Feeling stuck, helpless, worthless, and neglected can lead to frustration and anger, though, so you can kind of see how this whole cycle goes.
If this seems hard to understand, then let's pretend we have a guy named John. John is not autistic, but he doesn't have the money for a car (and car insurance). He does have a background in being a mechanic. John lives in the country, where there are only a couple places he can work as a mechanic. In order to earn a living, John needs transportation to apply for jobs at those places, and hopefully get one. He will then need transportation to and from work, as well as regular grocery runs.
Is the right answer to tell John to simply earn the money for a car, and then he can have the applications and the job? Because that's what society tells autistic people to do. Succeed first, then get help as an afterthought. We're told we don't deserve help until we don't need it, and if our circumstances are such that we'll always need the help, well... tough luck there, buddy.
The right answer, by the way, is to get John help with his transportation needs, and eventually, perhaps, he can buy a car and car insurance. However, if John simply can't drive for vision-related reasons or some other reason, the right answer is not to take away his transportation help when we find this out. It's to find a long-term transportation solution- perhaps carpooling with his coworkers, for example.
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