Does AS/Autism = depression...

Post Reply New Topic

Is being depressed a characteristic of being on the autism spectrum? I am not talking about the depression indirectly caused by not fitting in socially. I am talking about directly related.

There's no direct relation.

Because of the way autistic people are wired they may get depressed if they don't act autistic because the world doesn't permit them to be and get the unique things they want and act how they want.

The reason why I'm depressed is because I don't know how to interact properly with people. I think thats why a lot of aspies are depressed.

I dont know if it makes it a link, but i handflap when i get excited and often get publicly humiliated by it, which causes some depression for me. I recently made a trip to walmart to look at some electronics that i like (after not being out in quite some time).. when i got to the electronics, i accidently was doing the stimming i guess is what ppl call it, because i got excited. Everybody kinda stared at me and i overheard one couple say they wondered who would leave the ret*d guy there alone.

Depression is part of AS and autism even though other conditions have that too. Conditions share the same symptoms of other conditions or the same conditions such as depression.

Depression and anxiety are both quite common comorbids with AS, but not everyone has problems with them. I do, and always have.

I think that the isolation we often feel makes us very prone to depression - I also have a very bad problem in that after x number of years of feeling like I do every single thing wrong socially, I now spend half my life in a blind panic thinking about past incidences of social ineptitude and wondering when the next one will be.

On the other hand, when *not* melting down I am very good at placing myself apart from my emotions and making myself do "thought experiments" and forcing myself to think logically. This had helped me keep my head above water when I could have become depressed. Also, my obsessions bring me nothing but joy, they keep me going when everything else turns to s**t.

As others stated (but I want to post aswell instead of lurking only ) depression is NOT a direct cause / direct characteristic of AS.

I'd do think that if we would live in a much more AS friendly place (in terms of school, work, society etc) and having more of our "kind" near of our homes like the "normal people" so we could just walk out and having a chat with someone who understands us, we would have alot less depressions in our lives.

Sad fact is that isn't the truth and the current state makes us often depressed. But AS is not a direct cause. Therefore I think it is better to say that the often real direct cause is the current society in combination with AS.


On my personal experience, when I was a kid I was diagnosed suicidal / horribely depressed, which supposedly was a consequence of my Asperger syndrome. The psychologist knew that I had the AS and didn't look further to any causes because he believed suicidal depression was a "common thing" among the AS characteristics.

Little he know I had a Post traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which was eventually treated. But if he had looked further and made the PTSD diagnosis earlier I would have a way lesser damage in terms of school / social development.


What I'm trying to say is watch out when relating depression with AS, it is probably of the first reason stated above, but it also could be something else like PTSD. Don't draw any quick conclusions based on "global experience on AS".
But still aye, it's still common amongst aspergers, sadly.

Too much anxiety holds me back and then I get depressed because of that.