Autism and Anxiety Disorders
from attwoodgarnett on Instagram:
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"We recognise an association between autism and anxiety, with approximately 80% of autistic children and adults feeling mildly anxious for much of their day and for most of their lives. They often experience intense anxiety in specific situations, such as when there are changes in routine or expectations, uncertainty in what to do or what is going to happen, fear of imperfection and making a mistake and specific sensory experiences. There can also be anxiety in crowded places such as a shopping mall on a Saturday. Research has confirmed that an anxiety disorder is the most common mental health problem for autistic adults. Sometimes, the level of anxiety experienced may be perceived as actually more disabling than the diagnostic characteristics of autism.
Research and clinical experience indicate that approximately one-third of autistic adults experience cyclical feelings of sadness and pessimism that can evolve into clinical depression. There are many reasons why an autistic person may become sad and depressed. These include feelings of social isolation, loneliness, and not being valued and understood by family members and colleagues. Another reason for depression is the exhaustion experienced due to socialising, trying to manage and often suppress emotions, especially anxiety, and coping with sensory sensitivity. The person is constantly alert, trying to endure perpetual anxiety whilst suffering a deficit in emotional resilience and confidence. The mental effort of intellectually analysing everyday interactions and experiences is draining, and mental energy depletion leads to thoughts and feelings of despair."
I think I have most of these anxiety disorders. When I'm trying to come up with my happy memories for my rewiring activities, I always have to 'edit' my memories. I can't think of any time, regardless of what was going on, that there wasn't an undercurrent of anxiety.