Autism, Northern Ireland, and Trauma

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Northern Ireland has often been recognized globally for being a war-torn and deeply troubled country. In 2011, it was reported that Northern Ireland had the highest rates of PTSD in the world. In more recent years there has been a huge rise in the number of young people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Trauma is a normal and healthy response to a stressful and perceived threat to life and wellbeing. For the population of Northern Ireland, the threat to life and health was persistent, pervasive, and constant for three decades. The term "The Troubles" hardly seems adequate when we consider what it is referring to. When I think of being troubled, I think of being worried, discomforted, or inconvenienced. This does not adequately define a period that involved thousands of deaths, and which was characterized by bombs, murders, torture, and terrorism in a tiny, six-county country.

We are now twenty-plus years on from The Good Friday Agreement, which has been widely credited with bringing an end to terrorism and the conflict, but the country is still deeply divided along religious and political lines and the mental and emotional health of the general population is poor. Northern Ireland has tragically high rates of suicide and also reportedly has one of the highest rates of anti-depressant medication usage in the world. As mentioned earlier, the rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder have been documented as being the highest in the world, too.

What is interesting to me as a researcher, a counselor, and a late-diagnosed autistic adult who was brought up in Northern Ireland, is the prevalence of autism diagnoses within the younger generations. This suggests to me that the legacy and the trauma of the troubles may be impacting the neurological and mental development of the younger generations.

Recent figures produced by Autism NI state that 1 in 22 school-aged children in Northern Ireland have an autism diagnosis. In America, those rates are 1 in 59, in England, they are 1 in 57. I would argue that the numbers are even higher than what is being recorded as it is regularly stated that autism is an underdiagnosed condition, particularly in females.

It is well-researched and documented that trauma impedes development and it stands to reason that sustained long-term societal trauma will impact the development of many in the population. It makes sense when we consider the links between trauma and developmental issues within a deeply fragmented society with a precarious peace. At the very least it could be considered to be a contributing factor to our high rates of prevalence of ASD.

I have no issues with being autistic. I enjoy my life, and while this condition makes many things hard, I wouldn't wish to be any other way. But I would wish to know more about this condition and where it came from and for others to understand it better.