Autistics die a lot younger then the general population

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I am going to die young because I am drug addict, not because I am autistic. I am curious what percentage of aspies are drug users, I don't mean to be offensive but consider this. A lot of people with autism have obsessive compulsive disorder and can't drugs be an obsession? There might be a correlation ‎between some of the comorbid disorders of autism such as OCD and poor decision making skills. Than you also have people like me who know they are making a poor choices but don't really care.

Worth a thought in my opinion,

I don't associate autism with drug addiction. I don't believe it is the autism, directly, that leads to it.

Many people, period, wear glasses. This is not an autistic type of phenomenon.

I think the drug addiction is borne of loneliness as well as some sort of obsession or compulsion.

You have useful abilities, DCJ. I know it isn't easy. But if you work towards sobriety, you might, through some process or other, REALLY see the light, and feel a new compulsion: to become as healthy as possible.

Aside from the considerable risk of death by epilepsy (40% of autistic people have epilepsy), it sounds like all other health risks are co-morbid ones from stress, depression, poor lifestyle, or failure to seek medical help. These are all big issues for autistic people, I think. Depression and anxiety lead to increased likelihood of suicide and drug/alcohol/nicotine abuse. Stress disorders include heart disease, ulcers, stroke. Overeating, undereating, or eating wrong foods are from stress or sensory issues. Agoraphobia may lead to lack of exercise. Fear of doctors (especially rude, hurried doctors who don't let us tell our stories) will lead us to not get regular checkups or visits to investigate possible cancer symptoms, heart attack, etc. I thought it was telling that the next story was about how doctors need to learn communication skills. Most doctors I've met are rude, rush me so much that I forget things, and dismiss my reported symptoms. I've frequently gone to doctors for more than a year to get a condition properly diagnosed and treated.

My last week was probably a classic example of why autistic people die young. I've been having headaches, nausea, and dizziness for the last several weeks, frequently triggered by bright lights, loud noises, or unpleasant smells. I was also having stomach pains from stress (busy time of year, I also support a physically disabled spouse). I was also dizzy when I got up, especially during commutes. I put it all down to sensory overload (I sometimes get headaches that last for days, triggered by sunlight). I finally went to the hospital after having a headache that lasted 14 days, with dizziness and vomiting. Turns out I have a bleeding ulcer, and the headaches are either from anemia or sleep apnea that the nurses observed. They kept me for three days, did an endoscopy to cauterize it, and gave me three units of blood. I'm also starting to have trigeminal neuralgia pain, which is a nerve in my face that can cause painful spasms. I'm not sure if that was kicked off by the endoscopy or just grinding my teeth, which I do.

I had not been getting any of this looked at because my experience with doctors is usually very negative--they usually just sneer, say "lose weight," and kick me out of their office. I do need to lose weight, a lot, but they don't give a lot of guidance. And clearly I have a lot of other issues going on that need work.

The staff at the hospital were super-nice--respectful, gentle, took the time to explain things, not patronizing, but telling me the truth--the first really positive medical experience I've had in a while. I wish all medical people were like that.

I think the title "Autistics die a lot younger then the general population" is rather insensitive to those of us who struggle with anxiety and hypercondriacs like myself, especially bringing up cancer and things in the text. Cancer makes me feel very anxious, and I get offended if it is mentioned lightly, especially on autism forums, and relating to autism. Cancer is serious and unpleasant.

I agree with what one of the posters here said, about health issues being co-morbid to depression, stress and anxiety, which can come hand-in-hand with autism.

I may hate living with AS, but I still don't want to be told that my life will be significantly shorter than my peers.

Maybe it doesn't have to be this way. Maybe this is something that doctors and other medical staff can improve upon, by changing the way they interact with autistic patients to lessen patient fears and have more productive appointments. For example, telling me "you need to lose weight" is not going to help me much--give me details, break it down into smaller issues I can tackle. Confronting me with a big problem and no specifics is just going to make me want to avoid thinking about it, and having a sneering, fat-shaming attitude is going to make me not want to come back. We're used to being insulted and going into avoidance mode. Doctors need to learn a more sensitive approach.

Patient education could help autistic people live healthier lives (along with making healthy food more affordable) and teaching us stress reduction techniques like yoga, meditation, or tai chi could lessen the adverse physical effects of stress. Autistic people with intellectual disabilities or communication problems may require a carer to be extra observant and ask questions that can get at symptom-related details, especially as that person ages.

Well I hope I will live long and I think the only thing that would make an autistic live shorter is suicide or drug abuse due to stress and the depression and anxiety because of no support. But this can be true for anyone with any disability or mental illness or terminal illness and this can also apply to slow learners as well.

Well put

jackinblack wrote:
Stress, anxiety, frustration, loneliness, nervous system overload. I have always known I have to be super quick with all I have to do in this life or find ideal living conditions


Those are the same things I'm dealing with. I have friends, though I feel very lonely around my family right now.

_________________
Schultz


I feel exactly like this too and I find it really reassuring to see the words that I might have chosen very carefully myself, written by someone else. I would like to be in a relationship but I fear feeling wrong, being taken advantage of (it's happened so many times before even by really nice men)... And I just long for the right space to live in. Birdsong, nature, clean and calm...

I identify with what you say. We seem to have a lot in common. But I'm writing to ask you not to do what I did. I worried myself sick about the BigC the whole 60 years that I was healthy as a hog. Then I got it, cured it, and that's all. I go for 6 month checkups, I'm back to being healthy as a hog.

So I'm begging you, although I do understand "the terrors", cut it out of your thinking. Don't borrow trouble, as they say. Don't deal with things that didn't even get there yet. Maybe I shouldn't be saying this. We don't do that kind of anxiety and worry because it's logical and we don't have control over it.

Today I don't care about the word at all. It used to give me fits. I'm asking you to find some way not to do what I did - and I certainly am not blaming you for it. But it was such a waste of my life. I hope somehow to lift an anxiety from you.

I'm very surprised that no one (including the study authors, apparently) have commented on the ameliorating effects of social support. Aspies tend to have fewer social relationships, in part because they aren't very sociable. I've also heard relatively little here from people who are happily married.

Were you aware that married people live longer than single people? This is a well documented effect. It may be because of good feelings associated with one's partner, but it could also be that married people tend to take care of each other, insist on a doctor's visit when necessary, eat well together on a regular schedule, and so on.

This suggests that if you want to live long, work on a loving relationship; if that one fails, work on the next.

My NT mother died in her 50s; my aspie father (by my informal diagnosis) at age 87, in his second marriage.

This is the point I was trying to make, I wasn't saying that autism causes drug use just wondering if there was a common comorbid existence between the two.

however,



I appreciate the concern and while I don't much enjoy the fact of using an illegal substance, I question rather its any worse than crap they already give me. Still not the best thread for this conversation so I'll take it at face value, thanks for the support.

You have to realize that the crap they give you is crap. You don't have to eat it. Just throw it in the toilet.

Dude, I question whether this is good advice. Some times you are so eager to connect that you say irrational things.

Yeah I was already considering getting off my meds and just start smoking pot but someone I know thinks thats a bad idea. Probably is but I mean, I am unstable before the meds, I am unstable on the meds, I am unstable off the meds and back on them again. I can only conclude that the meds have no impact on rather I am stable or not. Where as on pot I actually get hospitalized less and every time I get off it, I go to the hospital more.

The advice we are giving may seem simplistic. And it probably is simplistic.

But I do know you have strengths and have the ability to know your strengths and use them when you feel that lack of confidence which leads you to do destructive things.

I can't get into your mind and adjust the mechanisms. Only you have that ability. All we could be is liaisons between your inner and outer minds. Only you could adjust the mechanisms.

I should have by all reason died at least a decade ago. But who ever said I was reasonable?