common conditions in families with autistic individuals

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I can identify several individuals on both sides of the family who have/had major depression and/or significant anxiety issues. The brother who I lost to cirrhosis from alcoholism and hepatitis C claimed before he passed that he had started the substance abuse and had difficulty overcoming it due to untreated depression. There aren't any other diagnosed Aspies in the family, but my father had strong Aspie traits and there are persons on both sides of the family, though mostly my father's side, who are other possible candidates. An aunt on my father's side and all her descendants to date have spina bifida occulta. Unless the mutation started with my aunt, this suggests a tendency toward neural tube defects on my father's side of the family. I am the only living person with Goldenhars on my family tree, but lately I've started wondering if there might have been non-survivors among early infant deaths and miscarriages. That's something I need to research.

Couldn't say, nobody in my family is diagnosed with anything, except my dad's mum with agoraphobia or whatever it is she has, and she's just a total weirdo, posting pictures of her bleeding toe on Facebook

I think she may possibly be on the spectrum.

When I was diagnosed, I was asked to catalog the mental illness in my family (basically, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins). I remember sitting down with my parents to collect this information. I was surprised to learn how “broad” it was. It included bipolar, hysteria, hyperactivity, depression (including suicide), anxiety, depression, OCD, addiction and general social ineptitude. One person had a nervous breakdown and was close to being institutionalized.

It seems like a lot. Then again, sometimes I wonder how abnormal it really is. In order words, maybe it is normal (to have so many conditions within the family).

Interesting thread topic! On my mom's side of the family, depression is common in the women and alcoholism is common in the men. I also have an aspie/adhd cousin on her side, although I haven't seen him since we were really young because he lives in a different state. My dad's side is interesting. There seem to be quite a few people with at least BAP traits but they also have a lot of very social but not so bright people. I don't think there's any history of actual mental illness on his side, except maybe one person but I'm not sure. They do have a few people with autoimmune diseases.

my ex was a narcissist, w/ocd, and low empathy.
On my side of the family: I have AS, my brother has AS, my mom has borderline personality disorder, aunt and grandma have/had bipolar. my son has autism and is non verbal.