September: National Suicide Prevention Month

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Recently, I was at a meeting and overheard people talking about the increased rate of suicide in people on the autism spectrum. It was not a statistic I was aware of and it peaked my interest. As a system we know that those we support have a higher rate of psychiatric disorders than the general population. The most widely accepted statistic is anywhere from 30-35% of people with an intellectual disability will have a co-occurring psychiatric disorder. There are a ton of reasons that people within our system may be more susceptible to a mental health disorder. Some of those reasons may include loneliness, lack of control, higher rates of trauma, and possible neuro-developmental issues. This being said, why don’t we often think about the risk of suicidal ideation or attempts in people in our system?

There are not a lot of studies related to the rate of suicide in people on the autism spectrum. Of the research that is available statistics vary that people with a diagnosis of ASD (autism spectrum disorder) may be anywhere from 5-10 times more likely to die of suicide than the general population. How often do we hear, when supporting someone who is struggling, “It’s all behavioral”? Many times suicidality is not even a consideration. People on the autism spectrum have a full range of emotions. They just may not display these emotions in a typical fashion. Because of the characteristics of ASD, such as social problems and difficulty expressing feelings and emotions, it can be hard to determine if someone is in fact suicidal. The limited research that is available shows that people with a higher functioning form of ASD appear to be at the greatest risk for suicide. Particularly if that person also has a diagnosis of depression or another mood disorder.

It may be more challenging to determine if the person you are supporting is actually suicidal due to the lack of expression. So how might you notice? Watching for signs such as changes in appetite, sleep changes, and/or lack of interest in usually preferred activities may be an indicator. In addition, talking to the person to clarify any concerns you may have can be invaluable. It is also important to not dismiss someone when they tell you they are thinking of hurting themselves. Many times people believe this is just the person talking but suicide is never something we want to take lightly. When someone talks about hurting themselves and has a plan we need to take them at their word. According to Autism Speaks there are a number of things we can consider to reduce the risk.