During National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, there has never been more of an urgency for inclusion, than that of suicide prevention in the autism community. Several studies have highlighted the elevated and disproportionate rates of both suicide attempts and death by suicide in Autistic adults and youth across the world. Autism occurs in 1 in 54 children and 1 in 45 adults and is often coupled with various comorbid medical and psychological conditions. Risk factors outlined in many studies include: camouflaging/masking Autistic traits in an attempt to be accepted and adhere to societal norms, co-morbid diagnoses (depression, anxiety, psychosis), barriers for accessing traditional mental health services, and lack of social support systems.
As September 5th, 2021 is the start of National Suicide Prevention Week, it seems appropriate to take this time to share how suicide impacts the autistic community.
- The suicide rate, and the suicide-attempt rate, among autistic individuals is three times that of neurotypicals (non-autistic) with some research demonstrating a rate that may be as high as 9 times that of neurotypicals.
- A 2014 study from the United Kingdom (UK) found that approximately 66% of respondents who held an Asperger’s diagnosis (now Autism diagnosis according to the DSM-5) reported having had suicidal thoughts and 35% reported having attempted suicide or having suicidal plans.
- In the UK, Autistic people have an average life expectancy that is 16 years lower than the national average. Suicide is a primary driver of this number among those on the spectrum without an intellectual disability.
Tom Taylor, Autistic Self-Advocate, Norman Oklahoma, shared some personal insights to help shine light on the need for inclusion in general suicide prevention efforts.
“As the autistic father of an autistic daughter, I look at my child and I think about suicide attempts and deaths of Autistics. I also look at the differences between the autistic traits of my daughter and my own. It has been my experience that autistic people without intellectual disabilities tend to come in three primary categories. The first are those, autistic people who do quite well in social situations and enjoy the company of others - these are autistic people who have cobbled together enough social skills to fake it in a neurotypical world. The second are those who don’t fit in with society and are either oblivious to this fact or they simply don’t care to interact with others. This is the type my daughter is. I worry that she’ll someday care, but at this point humans don’t interest her. The third type are those who want to interact with others and tend to do so poorly. This is me. I can fake social skills temporarily, but I spend a great deal of mental energy being worried that I have inadvertently offended someone.
I have been in social situations with other autistic people where the conversation moved to talking about suicide, and the stories told were troublesome to say the least. They spoke of their suicide attempts, or their suicidal thoughts - and every one of us had a harrowing story to tell about it.
The segment of society that encompasses socially inept people wanting to socialize is a group of people that tend to also have diagnoses dealing with depression. Going through life wanting to connect with people, wanting to be included in social events, wanting to find everlasting love, wanting to have children, wanting to get a job, or wanting a promotion is typically a life of unfilled desires when we so often lack the social skills to either obtain or to keep these things in life that neurotypicals oftentimes seem to take for granted. Suffering is caused by unfulfilled desires, and suffering leads to suicidal thoughts and/or attempts.
To help combat suicide in the autistic community, there are two things that need to be done. The first is that a conscious effort needs to be made to ensure that autistic people feel included in our society and social events. The second is that autistic people need to monitor how they are feeling, and they need to reach out for help before their loneliness and depression consumes all feelings of hope that they still have.”
We must continue to do better in building systems that are inclusive of diversity to reach all individuals needing support. Research continues to demonstrate a substantial need to engage Autistic individuals in traditional and nontraditional mental health and social supports to enhance their quality of life and truly meet them where they are as a supportive partner. There must be a continued effort beyond Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and Week, to address the preventative measures, policies, resources, and treatment in an inclusive way. There is a need to build additional protective factors for Autistics in all suicide prevention efforts.
This is the start of a much-needed conversation and it is the hope that the Autism community continues to be included in all suicide prevention dialog moving forward. Every life is precious and worthy of love, health, compassion, hope, and longevity and every person’s voice matters when designing systems that can save lives.
- Author
Dr. Crystal Hernandez - Executive Director, Oklahoma Forensic Center
Dr. Crystal Hernandez is a psychologist, forensic mental health administrator for the State of Oklahoma, Tribal disabilities expert, researcher, and autism mother. She serves as the first DEI Officer for the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma, as well as an expert working on Tribal projects with the National Council on Disability and the State of the States of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. She serves as the Executive Director for Oklahoma’s sole Forensic Psychiatric Hospital and is an active participant in her Tribe (Cherokee Nation). Dr. Hernandez prides herself on criminal justice reform efforts, justice, and building an inclusive world.
