Autistic Adults have Mental Health Concerns too!

Today I want to talk about diagnostic overshadowing. There are so many reports of autistic people being left without therapeutic support because they are autistic. I have often heard professionals say “ they are acting/feeling/struggling this way because of their autism”. This results in people being turned away from traditional mental health and psychotherapy services. 

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Diagnostic overshadowing is the idea that everything -all symptoms-, can be explained by the presence of the person’s disability or one mental health condition, without looking at the wider context, and other possible mental health concerns. 

Autistic adults are impacted by mental mental health conditions equal to or more-so than the general population.

 Yes, an autistic person can have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which co-exists with the rituals/special interests which may be associated with their autism. 

An autistic person can experience social anxiety disorder, alongside the difficulty they *may* have with interpreting social cues, or social norms.  

An autistic person can experience both meltdowns and panic disorder.

An autistic person may have difficulty leaving their home because of sensory overload, but they may also have difficulty leaving their home because they have agoraphobia. 

An autistic person can also have generalized anxiety. 

And here is the thing, we can treat these coexisting mental health conditions! 

There is an emerging body of research supporting the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with autistic persons.  Autistic persons should not be overlooked when it comes to accessing mental health supports which over evidence based treatments. 

When a true assessment has occurred which looks at all contributing factors to a person’s struggles, we can then look to adapt the evidence based psychotherapy in order to meet the person’s neurodivergent needs. For example, I work mainly from a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy approach. In order to adapt this approach for my neurodiverse clients, I take my time really getting to know the person, really creating a safe space to ensure that I am getting to know their way of communicating information. I ensure openness, creativity, and space. 

I may use more concrete examples, I may use more visual aids. I am more creative about linking concepts to concrete goals. I look to create very experiential interventions. I may involve other supports as required/beneficial.

Let us not lose sight of the whole person when supporting autistic adults.