Anxiety and Depression in Autistic People - The Movies are not the place to develop an Understanding about Autism

Since the movie "Rainman" with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, many people have developed a perception of Autistic people. Autism suffers also have difficulties with anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, there are varying degrees of autism ranging from function to people who need constant institutional care.

Dustin Hoffman's character in Rainman was an autistic savant. This is not common and while the movie did a lot to raise out awareness of the condition, it also gave people an unrealistic image of the typical autistic person.

Autistic people face many challenges every day of their lives. They have difficulty communicating and rely on same ness to function. They can not process language adequately and they have many sensory issues as well. Many autistic people live in isolation even when they are surrounding by a loving family. Depression and anxiety are two major obstacles that autistic people face. Still, don't jusmp to conclusions when dealing with autism and other potential mental challenges.

With all of the other issues that are involved with autism, depression and anxiety often go unnoticed. This is often because the autistic person is not capable of expressing his emotions adequately. Depression is a complex emotional disorder that affects millions of people.

Even people with the best communication skills have difficulty explaining and understanding their depression. A person with autism has extreme difficulty explaining and understanding his depression and anxiety. Depression is not unique just to those without autism but is very difficult to diagnose and describe.

Anxiety is difficult to pinpoint in autistic cases because the autistic person may show symptoms of anxiety on a daily basis. Many tasks can make an autistic very anxious, especially if the task breaks the autistic person’s usual routine.

An autistic person relies on order and sameness to make sense of their physical world and surroundings. Any change in routine can cause great anxiety, but this does not mean that the autistic person has an anxiety disorder.

Depression and anxiety are common in autism and they can be very difficult to treat. It is very difficult to even diagnose the conditions, and once they are identified they are difficult to address because autistic people have so many communication and social obstacles to overcome.

Many choose to treat depression and anxiety in autism with medication. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications are often used in autistic cases even when the autistic person has not been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Good mental health is key. While teen anxiety and depression may be treated with a variety of options including counseling, someone with autism needs specialized care and treatment program.

Doctors have found that the antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications help autistic people stay on task and decrease stereotyped movements often associated with autistic disorder.

I have worked with one autistic girl for several years. As she got older, she demonstrated some signs of depression and anxiety. Her parents consulted with her doctor who prescribed an antidepressant medication. I added some light therapy and some sensory integration activities into her therapy routine.

We also introduced emotions into her program. Her depression and anxiety have lessened and she is functioning very well on the medication. Her attention to tasks has also improved greatly.

Parents who are living with an autisic child that they suspect may be suffering with depression or anxiety should carefully consider contacting their doctor and medical professional support. If it's found that your child has a mental problem such as depression, medication can often return them back to a more comfortable reality.