Does depression show and improve differently in ASD?

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Hi,

I know I could search research data bases for this, but I'm really interested in hearing personal experiences. Have you found that depression comes about differently, shows in different ways and, maybe, is alleviated in different ways in ASD compared to NTs?

I am in the process of being referred to evaluation for Asperger's syndrome/ASD. I've seen increasing overwhelm and deteriorating life management skills over the last few years and was recently referred to a hospital unit for ASD. The referral was turned down twice and something in the process of finally opening up, then being turned down has worked to further worsen things (although I also feel some relief in trying to see my troubles and peculiarities through the lens of ASD).

I am not sure that I am ready to ask for medical treatment but I know that I must try to find ways to treat myself kindly and work on doing things that could lessen the suffering just at little. But right now things just seem bleak, overwhelming and meaningless, even things that used to absorb me (work and books and creative stuff).

Can anyone here relate to this experience?

DroseRose

If you don't express yourself very well verbally, and if you can't name your emotions - both of which may be ASD symptoms - it can be hard to get helped. Is that your main question - how to get helped?

Some people here complete online tests for autism or write a list of complaints to print and show the therapist or the intake person. In fact, a lot of autistic people find they can communicate this stuff better in writing, and find when they do show it to a therapist, it's the first time they get any help at all. If you look around the forums at WrongPlanet, you will find lists to scientific tests for autism.

There are also online tests for depression. One of the best known is the Beck Depression Inventory. Google it.

As for self-help, a good book is "Feeling Good" by David Burns. But I don't think you should give up on getting professional help. It could help you a lot.

You know, sometimes you have to pick what problem to work on first. Seek treatment for the depression, while waiting for the ASD evaluation to happen.

I know it's galling to finally open up about your experiences and feelings, and then be turned down for treatment. But there are many more therapists who understand and treat depression than there are for adult autism. So start with that, and you might even have to educate your therapist about the autism part, but you do need help with the depression, and it's more readily available.

Hi,

I'm actually quite verbose, it's more a question of thinking to inform my doctor about the relevant things.
I don't mean to count out professional help entirely but I was also thinking about people's views and experiences on what self-help works, especially whether autistic thinking means some typical tips and strategies ("go for a walk", "write diary" etc). work less well, work in a different way and so on.

It could also just be the severity of my depression that prevents me from doing these things. I find that sometimes if I don't think about it I can suddenly find myself doing chores or playing the guitar (and it does do some good to lift the fog).

So, yeah, mainly, whether depression can show up in different ways in ASD and, in people's experience, whether it can be somewhat alleviated in ways that may differ from what would help (some) NTs.

This definitely seems like depression to me. In answer to your question, I think it can show in different ways in everybody, but I can say how it was for me. Up until only 2 years ago, I had no clue whatsoever that I had ASD and ADHD. I was always terrible at understanding myself and my emotions. Once I started getting more and more depressed in late high school/college, all of a sudden a lot of symptoms of ASD and ADHD started getting more and more obvious and worse, things that used to actually be an advantage turned into disabilities; this led me to getting diagnosed and reanalyzing my whole life. Here's the thing, and I think you can try this: if you have ASD and depression, likely there have been signs of it your whole life. Try to look back if you remember at all those times when you made decisions and had feelings you had no understanding of at the time, and look at them from the ASD and depressive angle, now that you understand them more? If you find that a lot of these things make sense now in this new light, that was kind of what convinced me beyond a doubt that my diagnosis was correct. You should definitely keep trying to get a professional opinion as well, that can be extremely valuable in confirming your suspicions.

P.S. I used to read books by the hundreds and absolutely love it, now my ADHD has gotten bad enough that I can barely read at all and have no interest, it's definitely something I regret. That's why we have to hope that we can do something about it.

I definitely think you're correct that not all strategies that NTs will suggest and that might work for them would work well for you, I have kind of gone down the list of things that NTs usually use to motivate themselves and found that most don't work for me. It seems, however, that finding people who can understand and relate is something that works for both NTs and NDs! For that reason, a lot of people have said that finding a therapist/psychologist who specializes and understands in ASD (if you can) can be invaluable. You will also find understanding here on this site.

You will find some autistics who say CBT (cognitive-behavioral therapy) is no good at all for autistic people ... and you will find others who say it's wonderful. So it's a very individual thing.

What has been demonstrated empirically is that a good rapport with the therapist is much more predictive of therapy success than the discipline or school of therapy they were trained in or practice. If you do start therapy, remember that if it doesn't feel like a good fit after a session or two, it is not a criticism of the therapist, but simply a personality mismatch. Time to move on.

This makes sense, and I am in the process of doing that. I am an autism specialist myself, which both makes it harder and easier (I think it does contribute to the autism unit being reluctant to take me in). I have been toying with the thought that I myself may be on the spectrum for many, many years but it was only recently that a friend and colleague suggested that my trouble right now may be connected to being autistic, overwhelmed and depressed. I think, also, that you are absolutely right about understanding and connection. I find that nothing helps more than feeling understood. Other things can be somewhat helpful, but being understood is the one thing where I can really feel some relief or hope. Part of being depressed right now, I think, also stems from the referral process being so taking and not having my needs for understanding being met when finally I decided to seek help for suspected ASD.

I used to read constantly. About eight years ago I stopped. I read online news and follow a few forums but just can’t settle with a book. Ive just been diagnosed with ADHD on top of ASD. The doctor suggested that my reading could have been hyper focus. But almost fifty years of hyper focus? Ive been treated for depression for forty years.