What are some common symptoms that patients experience when affected by autism?

What is autism?

Autism is not a mental health problem. It's a developmental condition that affects how you see the world and how you interact with other people.

Just like anyone else, autistic people can have good mental health. However, people with autism do often experience mental health problems. According to Autistica, seven out of ten autistic people have a mental health condition such as anxiety, depression or OCD.

You might have heard the phrase ‘on the autism spectrum’, or ‘autistic spectrum’. Autism is a spectrum condition, which means it affects people in very different ways. However, there are certain traits that most autistic people experience to some extent.

Looking after your mental health

If you are on the autistic spectrum, just the same as any young person, it is important to seek specialist help when you feel like you need it. But it's also important to take good care of yourself. Young autistic people tell us that things like exercise, eating well, getting enough sleep and talking things through with people they know and trust can help their mental health.

You might find unexpected changes very stressful, so trying to keep daily routines as predictable as possible can help you to reduce anxiety.

Find out more about autism

With the right support, autistic people can recover from mental health problems, but it’s vital that there are specialist services in place to support us.

Supporting a friend

If you are worried about an autistic friend’s mental wellbeing, it is important to talk to them, and encourage them to look after themselves and seek specialist help if needed.

Autistic young people might find it harder to communicate how they feel, so here are some tips that can help you to have a positive conversation:

Background noise, fluorescent lighting – even the sound of you stirring your tea – can be really distracting and make a difficult conversation much harder.

Autistic people can find open questions such as "How was your day?" much harder to answer than something more defined, like "Did anything happen today that upset you?

It can be helpful to ask your friend how they prefer to communicate. Some people may prefer to text, or write something down, or to have time in advance to think about their answers. 

An autistic person may take some time to process your question and respond to it. When waiting for an answer, it might feel tempting to ask the question again, or rephrase – silences can feel awkward! Instead, give your friend plenty of time to respond, and be OK with the silence.

Real stories from autistic young people

Being diagnosed has helped me understand who I am and how I see things and begun to help me value the person I am rather than trying to be someone I am not.

Part of the reason my autism was missed for so long was because I put a lot of effort into masking my difficulties, which was exhausting.

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Where to get help

If you are autistic, or think you might be, and you're struggling with your mental health, here are some services that can really help.