Depression can also manifest as physical complaints that often accompany autism, including fatigue, restlessness and stomachaches. And depression can sometimes exacerbate autism traits, including aggression, self-injury and irritability.
The symptoms of depression include a flat or depressed affect (facial expression), reduced appetite, sleep disturbance, low energy, reduced motivation, social withdrawal and reduced desire to communicate with others. Clearly, many of these same symptoms can stem from autism rather than depression.
High levels of stress during pregnancy may also be connected to autism in children. This connection appears to have the most impact when the parent experiences stress between weeks 25 and 28 of pregnancy.
“What we have found so far is that depression looks different in some people with autism. But it looks a lot like the depression that we know, in a lot of people on the spectrum.” For example, one common symptom of depression is a loss of interest in things that someone used to enjoy.
The symptoms of depression and anxiety may be harder to recognize in individuals with autism because they may mimic some of the symptoms of autism. For example, lack of interest in socializing, sleep problems, and trouble concentrating are all potential symptoms of both autism and depression.
Other types of neurodivergence include Tourette's, dyspraxia, synesthesia, dyscalculia, Down syndrome, epilepsy, and chronic mental health illnesses such as bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, and depression.
Children who experience trauma when they are young may display autism-like behaviours that fit the timeline for an ASD diagnosis, which tends to occur around early school-age. In the absence of trauma-informed assessment, autism can sometimes be the default diagnosis.
Does The Father Or Mother Carry The Autism Gene? Autism was always thought to have a maternal inheritance component, however, research suggests that the rarer variants associated with the disorder are usually inherited from the father.
Does SSRI therapy help autistic children? Research suggests SSRIs don't change the core characteristics of autism in children. Also, emerging evidence suggests they might cause harm. It's possible, however, that SSRIs might help some autistic children with anxiety, but more high-quality research is needed.
Symptoms. Like all people on the autism spectrum, people who are high functioning have a hard time with social interaction and communication. They don't naturally read social cues and might find it difficult to make friends. They can get so stressed by a social situation that they shut down.
Autism in women can look like difficulty with social relationships, sensory overwhelm, sensory seeking, challenges in work life, and an intense focus on a desired topic. Treatment is only necessary if the symptoms negatively impact a person's life.
Some developmental health professionals refer to PDD-NOS as “subthreshold autism." In other words, it's the diagnosis they use for someone who has some but not all characteristics of autism or who has relatively mild symptoms.
Fawning is an attempt to avoid conflict by appeasing people. They are both extremely common in neurodiverse people as it is a way for them to hide their neurodiverse behaviours and appear what is deemed to be “normal”.
First, it's important to understand that autism cannot develop in adults. Autism is caused by atypical brain development that occurs at the young age we mentioned above. By the time someone has reached an adult age, basic neurodevelopment has already completed.
Differences between PTSD and Autism
PTSD is typically triggered by a traumatic event, while autism is a developmental disorder that is present from birth. People with PTSD may experience flashbacks or nightmares related to the traumatic event, while people with autism do not experience these types of symptoms.
In addition, recent data have shown that depression is a risk factor for the development of several neurologic disorders, including epilepsy, stroke, and Parkinson's disease and bears a negative impact on the course and outcome of most neurologic disorders.
Symptoms of depression include classic psychological symptoms, such as low mood, loss of interest, poor concentration, and associated anxiety, and somatic symptoms, such as changes in appetite, lack of energy, sleep disturbance, and general aches and pains.
Conversion episodes are nearly always triggered by an overwhelmingly stressful event, an emotional issue or a mental health disorder, such as depression. Although there may be no medical or physical cause found to explain the symptoms, they are real to the person who is experiencing them.