Life expectancy - aspie Vs NT

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Does a typical aspie have a lower life expectancy than a typical NT?

Aspies endure a lifetime of stress, anxiety and depression which in no way can be good for their well being and health, especially stress which is a known killer.

Are there any studies that have been done on this?

Interesting question I don't know of any studies. If there are I'm not sure I want to read them as I bet it's depressing lol.

Even anecdotal experiences from members here would be useful...

I doubt it very much that Aspies have a lower lifespan than NT's.

I went through my whole suicidal phase and I am committed to getting on with my life for the rest of my life these days.

However natural causes and fast would suit me just fine not slow and painful like cancer.

I do not want to be an old age Aspie.

There is a person posting on this Forum who is 82 years old.

I've seen at least a couple in their 70s.

While Aspergers and Autism do not have a known effect on life span, some very common co-morbid conditions such as Anxiety and Depression have been shown in numerous studies to reduce life span. There are lots of studies on this. These are just two more recent.

http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc. ... 487&cn=144
http://longevity.about.com/od/longevity ... _worry.htm

^ That second link also mentions stress.

I read an article a few years back claiming that in general, pessimistic people outlive optimistic people because they have more realistic expectations and thus were more cautious with their life choices. A few months later, I found an article claiming the exact opposite, that pessimistic people tend to suffer more anxiety and stress related diseases that kill them off earlier. I was pessimistic about the first article, optimistic about the second, and confused about the whole. Just a fun example in how numbers, science, and goals can get all tangled up in a bunch. It's really tough to measure these things.

It doesn't surprise me that we would have a shorter life expectancy than most people, because we're also expected to squelch our tears from an early age as well. Something that takes a lot of effort for me to do.

Not sure all people with aspergers end up with anxiety and depression, but it's not uncommon so based on that I'd say we could have a lower life expectancy....since yeah a lot of stress can screw with physical and mental health. Also not everyone with depression finds it in them to live out their full life and might put a stop to it early.

Yes, the more you read these studies the more you realize they are not all of the same value or even correct. I remember the one you mention and was also doubtful. Many new studies are rather BS in my opinion and only involve sifting thru statistics. They don't involve actual experimentation or anything new. I think of these as lazy scientists coming up with junk so as to appear active - publishing studies.

Where they are published matters as well. The most serious are put into professional periodicals for peer review. Ones that are published in just popular sources are suspect to begin with.

Lastly one study alone does not normally establish facts. For that, the results must be repeated and validated in additional tests by other researchers.

For this reason I almost ignor any claims made on various foods being good or bad for you. I have seen so many reversed over time, and even reverse again. Often they are looking at too narrow a thing and not the entire systematic picture.

I read somewhere that A type blood means that you die about 25 years younger than O type blood. I think that non-secretors are more prone to aspergers. I am A pos non-secretor so I guess that i need to be careful about life.

That's very interesting. I am A +ve too. Do you have a link?

To borrow a phrase from an altogether different topic:

It's not all about how long it is. The more important thing is do you know what do with it/how to use it?

How on earth does that work.

I don't think that just because you have autism means you will die younger. And not all aspies/autistics endue a lifetime of stress and depression. I'm not stressed or depressed, I don't really get stressed, I just float along very content with most things. And if there are studies saying that anxiety and depression lower life span then that's not exactly the autism then is it.