What is the source of depression in people with autism?

Post Reply New Topic

So, I should never hold open a door? Is there no room for people who genuinely believe in courtesy and caring? I hold doors open for elderly people, for mothers struggling with multiple parcels and children, for anyone walking on crutches or just for whoever is walking behind me so the door doesn't slam in their face. I have a friend with CP. when I offer to carry a package for her she says, yes, please. I see all of us in this world together and helping each other out makes the world a better place. I understand the false superiority of people "helping the handicapped" and it makes me cringe. But should I stop holding open doors? Helping strangers picked up spilled packages, helping someone who has tripped get back on their feet? I hope not. I don't think I could.

To bring it back to depression. I have generally found that when I feel "depressed" it is really exhaustion. I just need way more rest than others.

Opening doors for people is not condescension.

I sometimes get depressed because I sense that some kindnesses are taken the wrong way. Gallantry is taken the wrong way. I’m not trying to put down a woman when I do something “gallant” for her. Nor am I denigrating a man when I help him with a package or something.

Some political correctness goes too far. It takes away people’s desire to be nice sometimes. I feel sad that I have to restrain myself from doing a good deed because it might be taken the wrong way.

Goodness no. I hold doors for people all the time, based on the simple principle of "if I get there first it's rude to let the door shut in the other guy's face". But Bea's point was that she actually asks people NOT to, because it's hard to navigate around them in a motorized scooter... and they go and do it anyway. Not listening to her wishes. Which kind of takes her out of the transaction, which is kind of depressing (see what I did there).

(And I greatly appreciate it when people hold doors for me - shout out to Kraftie . Edit in: a simple courtesy like that, from a stranger or a workmate, can be better than medicine, some days.)

And... I'm also old enough and snotty enough with it to say, Oh gee, thanks SO much! - loudly enough to be heard - clearly - when someone does let the thing shut in my face. (The "you @$$h0l&" part is silent, though.)

Another thing that causes depression, and the folks outside the US seem to have a much better understanding of this, is certain viruses. Influenza is notorious for this. Some influenza pandemics have been followed by spikes in suicide rates, in fact. (I'll see if I can find a citation online - I know this because I worked in a public health related job.) So yeah, exhaustion, illness.

Even malnutrition. Low levels of the B vitamins and vitamin D really mess people up emotionally and cognitively.

If I take an antihistamine, I tend to get in a apathetic/depressive mindset.

Oh my yes. I take chlorpheniramine all the time, even though it's on Beers' list and I shouldn't at my age (so I take smaller doses). Sometimes it makes me drowsy.

But I took brompheniramine once when I was in grad school - bummed an OTC antihistamine off someone because I had run out. Within an hour I was frantically suicidal. Shockingly intense. Somehow I realized it might have been the antihistamine and I held on by my fingernails and waited for it to wear off. Which it did. Just to be sure, I tried one more time, a few weeks after that, and the same thing happened.

All of which is to agree with you and furnish a second example...

The source of depression in people with autism? I think is always feeling like you are actually the gazelle, wildeebeast and zebra of the modern world, running away from almost everything and working waayy harder than everyone else just to survive, thats how i feel the aspergers life

^^ Too true.

"An Eskimo shaman said, Life's greatest danger lies in the fact that man's food consists entirely of souls[*]."

-- Annie Dillard

[*] = other people's, of course; ideally the different and/or the weak. -- Esmerelda Weatherwax (of Wrong Planet)

I have NOT read this entire thread.

Yeah, see, that's exactly what I was thinking----and, because of that, I don't think any of the things mentioned in the OP, are Depression. To me, the things mentioned in the OP, are things that people can get over / fix / change / whatever (understandably, with difficulty); therefore, they are things that make people feel "down" (but, that's not "Depression", in my book)----whereas, with Clinical Depression, one cannot get over that; it can be eased and/or controlled with prescriptions, though.

I've been "down" lots of times in my life, but I've never had Depression. One time I specifically told a Psychiatrist I didn't have Depression, and she gave me an anti-depressant, and it MADE me depressed----that, to me, was amazing; that a drug GAVE me, what it was suppose to "cure".

Because I am of the Christian faith, I thought the chart that someone posted on the first page of this thread, was particularly interesting. I don't remember ever feeling down, for long, and I've always attributed that to my faith in God, and that God was giving me strength, and so-on----plus, something just told me (God, maybe, putting the thought in my mind) that when my mother, aunt, sisters, et al., told me how stupid I was, and so-forth, that it was THEM with the problem, and NOT ME; 'course, I DID have a problem, but I just thought everybody was different----okay, so maybe I was a little more different, than most!! LOL

That's not what I was saying, though. I said these people often "fall all over themselves" to hold a door open. Often, it's not the action that would be helpful for me, and when that's the case, I say so. What I object to is they don't have any interest in hearing from me; they are caught up in their own little morality play.

There are many times when it IS helpful for me to have a door opened or held, and I invariably say thank you.

I was merely trying to make a point about the difference between visible/physical and invisible/mental disabilities.

I haven’t read the whole thread, but this seems like a good example of how genetics interact with the environment. Almost every single disease or disorder is thought to have a genetic cause or susceptibility, but the fact is, not everyone with faulty genes ends up with the disorder. This is a result of incomplete penetrance, and explains why identical twin studies do not always show 100% concurrence. There is still a genetic susceptibility there, but there was likely no environmental trigger for the twin without the disorder.

In people with autism spectrum disorders, environment can play a large role in development. Many autistic people have had negative experiences in the past with social interaction or people not understanding their needs. This, along with the presence of other commorbidities, may increase the risk of developing clinical depression. However, the fact of the matter is that there must be a biological susceptibility there for the person to develop the disorder. Oftentimes clinical depression is related to lowered level of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, more specifically serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. The reason for the lowered levels is likely because of mutations in the DNA. Sure, scientists have not pinpointed a single gene mutation that causes disorders like clinical depression, but the current and ongoing research suggests a strong genetic link, along with environmental factors, cause people to develop these disorders. This is why medical treatment is often focused on finding a way to stabilize the lowered levels of neurotransmitters through medications such as SSRIs, while at the same time implementing behavioral techniques that will allow the person to lead a more active, fulfilling life, despite the biological basis of the disorder.

Depression is not solely caused by genetic nor environmental factors. It is a combination of the both that result in the disorder, in people with or without autism.

The kind of depression discussed in the OP are in fact clinical depression; and I draw on the professional literature to develop my proposed mechanisms.

Furthermore, the things mentioned in the OP are not necessarily fixable. For one thing, we know that an abusive childhood can cause permanent learning differences at the brain and behavioral level. They ARE things that might be preventable with the right kinds of interventions.

Finally, I would mention that prescription antidepressants can be useful in both depression caused by experiential factors and biological ones. The best treatment, it is now agreed, incorporates (optionally) both medication and talk therapy. (I might extend those factors to include improvement in social connectedness, although I can't quote an author.) Also, the distinction between biological and experiential or psychosocial causes may be less important when it comes to treatment, because ultimately there has to be some common brain mechanism that results in depressive symptoms. Further, biological causes are not necessarily genetic causes: other posts mention antihistamine side effects, certain vitamin deficiencies, and viruses as capable of causing depression, and I will also throw in brain injury in specific parts of the brain. Postpartum depression is no doubt strongly related to hormone levels although probably mediated by social support.


Religious faith is a protective factor against depression, that is true. Of course, it may depend on the religion, with some being prone to ostracism of people with differences and to dogma and practices that may actually cause depression and anxiety.

I agree with the above except for the last sentence that implies the biological susceptibility is necessarily genetically encoded. In my previous post, I mention several biological factors that may cause depression independent of a person's genetics (viruses, brain injury, etc.).


Agreed. I was trying to understand those environmental factors that cause a relatively high co-morbidity of depression with autism. In other words, how does an autistic person's experience lead to a higher incidence of depression than a neurotypical person's ... and how could we intervene to prevent that?

If anyone is interested in the topic, but unwilling to read the entire thread, I have summarized some of the contributions on page 4.

I am going to ask to have this thread locked because I am having trouble responding to everybody, plus some of the later opinions are restatements (coincidentally) of earlier opinions. The whole thing will soon be unwieldy.

However, if people would like to start a new thread on some aspect of this one, I encourage you to do so, and I will probably contribute to that thread if I can.

I agree that biological factors can cause depression independent of a person’s genetics. The only question I would have is whether the mutations in the DNA could be acquired. I do believe that instances such as viruses and brain injury could cause depression independent of genetics, although I see these as potentially more rare than an interaction between environment and genetics.

I also agree that an autistic person’s experience could lead to higher rates of depression compared to a neurotypical person. Unfortunately, it may be impossible to tell whether the autism affects the person’s susceptibility to depression or whether it is mainly based on the person’s experience. I think it is both in most cases. In my opinion, I think one thing that is crucial to having a lowered risk of clinical depression (particularly if you are autistic) is a supportive environment, where the person feels comfortable and accepted. Accommodations would also be helpful, along with standard lines of treatment if they do end up developing a clinical depression. I realize this thread may soon be locked, but if you get to answer this question, then I would be curious as to what you think would be helpful for treatment resistant depression in certain autistic individuals.

You know, one biological cause that I did not discuss was the actual "faulty" (or at least "atypical") brain wiring present in autism. Could that also cause depression? I have not looked at research on this topic.

Stampy, you asked about treatment resistant depression in autism. I am not a clinician and would not have any hypotheses on this. Let me just reiterate the finding I mentioned a few pages ago, that a combination of antidepressant medication and talk therapy is considered the best approach for treating clinical depression. In the case of autistic people, I would suggest both of those plus environmental modifications to include sensory relief, structured socializing, and development of competencies, whether occupational or activities of daily living. This of course is PIE IN THE SKY in our current climate.

Moderator: Please lock this thread.