Weight, Depression, Suicide

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Ever since I read ghouna's post about bullying I have been wondering do people with autism have more problems with weight problems, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Also do more people with autism commit suicide more than NTs???

Any relevant information would help satisfy my curiosity.

suicidality alert cleared

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I'm not suicidal (if I didn't have my family that may be another story however) but I have had my fair share of weight problems and depression.

I was on medication for depression (Zoloft) and that made me gain weight and made thoughts of killing myself more prevalent.
I also broke my leg around this time, which made me gain even more weight and now I am also experiencing bullying at work.

So now I have a very negative view of myself, and along with other difficulties I am experiencing, sometimes I feel ending it all would be easier than carrying on.
But I have children, so for me that option is not one I could really consider without causing them damage. So that keeps me here.

I think that being Aspie's we don't necessarily cope with the build up of stress, and sometimes it is hard to see consequences of our actions, so all this leads to suicidal tendencies.
Just my opinion.

I used to have a very limited scope of what I considered pleasurable when I was a teenager. It was mostly eating. I got rejected a lot, didn't have many friends, and had little motivation to socialize. However, I was physically active, and I worked on a farm during the summers, and this kept me sane and healthy. I do get depressions that last a few days, but this is probably the norm for many people. I have never been suicidal.

I can certainly understand the point of view of deriving a large fraction of one's pleasure from eating instead of socializing and how this could lead to a weight problem. That could have been me if I wasn't lucky enough to have a high metabolism and grow up in a local culture of hard work.

Well as far as weight problems, I have created a post about weight related bullying that has occured on Wrongplanet here:

http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt76885.html

It seems that since the media constantly is drilling the notion into peoples' heads that one can change their genetically destined body weight, that even people on Wrongplanet have been harassing people of size. Suggesting well they must not eat right, or exercise enough. I have been trying to keep explaining that neither matter, health is what matters, and health can be at any size. Forcing someone fat to try and become thin makes them more unhealthy not healthier. Depriving your body of the energy it needs isn't healthy for anyone, yet as our society becomes more obsessed with the thin ideal, people will take drastic and in most cases, extremely unhealthy or even deadly choices when it comes to weight loss.

I was hoping here, where people have delt with adversity there would be some understanding, but even here there are people who want to insist that someone should be thin, that they will die if they remain their natural weight. If someone says they are healthy and they're fat, they are dismissed and given lectures on how they're not doing things right. There hasn't been a group of people that I'm aware of recently, that has to have constantly be scrutinized about their lifestyle as fat people are.

So yeah, I don't really see much hope for that unfortunetly, as people here seem to have bought into the idea that weight is a choice, and that if someone isn't thin they must be lazy or incompetant in taking care of their health.

I say yeah suicide is an issue foir aspies. Aspies in general (although not all) lead isolated and lonely lives, find it hard to make and keep friends, hold down employment, live independently etc. I especially find weekends very lonely given there are few things on tv and i dont have many friends to hang out with. I live with my best best friend Saphemie (Saphie) he is a platinum mink tonkinese kitten and is the loveliest personality.

i think suicidal toughts often happens to aspies sinds if your really trapd and you feel no way out you feel like killing yourself is tempting and easly to escape your life i had them lots of times but i always knew that it whas nothing more then just a feeling and not to follow it

Gluten intolerance can often cause a combination of these factors, weight problems because food intolerances often cause addictive cravings which push you to eat more than you need, over-eating because gluten and casein are food opioids which are known to suppress appetite inhibitors, ( encourage appetite) , and permanent depression is often associated with gluten-intolerance.

I find that when I eat wheat, ( I haven't eaten any ifor almost a whole year and it is clearer than ever before how much "lighter"/more positive I feel , both mentally and physically ) , however harmless it appears to begin with, very soon I am craving it, over-eating, and sinking into an increasingly gloomy/black and hopeless view on life.

.

not fat
not suicidal

have aspergers

nope doesn't seem to have a connection

ive know some aspies who also wouldn't even think of suicidal there loner's but they don't mind who they are

also every aspie ive seen was pretty lean "think the guy in rain man" aspies aren't naturally fat imo lots of em are quite skinny an rigid

*ignores protoss*

I have been giving it some thought about a weight connection and all and this is what I have come up with.


Since people with AS are four times more likely to be bullied it is logical to assume that Ghrelin levels will be higher. Ghrelin is a hunger/stress hormone, when you get hungry its in part due to the presence of Ghrelin however it also has affects on the brain as well that help you cope with stress, increase focus, and help memory. When you get bullied or put under high levels of stress your body uses Ghrelin to help you deal with it. There is a theory out that people with Anorexia nervosa might be addicted to the affects of Ghrelin however few studies have and more research is needed.

So do you think that being overweight or obese is due in part to people confusing actual hunger with a false hunger due to the presence of Ghrelin???

For me I think is partly responsible for some weight issues, especially weight gain due to bulling and abuse.

so whe gain weight of having a hard life?great is that im happy i lost lots of weight lately probbely going to
gain lots of weight when i stop eating gluten ive heard your stumach swells up from it for a while -_-'

If most people train like an athlete, most people can look like one. It is easy go to the gym before going to work and after, you just go. It is not easy overcoming loneliness