Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Essay 2 - Autism and Mental Health - Coggle Diagram
Essay 2 - Autism and Mental Health
• What roll does gender play in an ASD diagnosis?
Autism and ADHD are still often seen as “male disorders”.
Women are socialized to mask their autistic traits.
Women are often told they are "too normal" or "too successful" to have an autism diagnosis.
The current DSM-5 diagnostic criteria are based on studies of mostly boys and men.
What are some other health issues that you believe are easily and closely linked to autism and how might these mental health issues impact men and women differently?
ASD and ADHD are both linked to internalizing other mental health issues like anxiety and depression. While there was a stronger link to ADHD the study did indicate that the link to ASD would benefit all individual who suffer from these mental health issues.
Funding for ADHD research is lacking in comparison to other conditions, such as autism. Yet, considering that almost 30% of autistic people also have ADHD, it’s clear that greater funding into this research area could have far-reaching benefits for many people.
Many women with autism and ADHD aren’t diagnosed until adulthood.
Nearly 80% of women with autism are misdiagnosed
Autism in women is misunderstood — and commonly misdiagnosed or missed altogether in the presence of an existing condition like ADHD.
ADHD vs. Autism: Similarities and Differences
Autistic women and women with ADHD can share the following traits:
executive functioning challenges
sensory processing differences
social difficulty
higher rates of learning disorders and comorbid conditions
“stimming,” which refers to movements, or occasionally noises, that a person makes in order to soothe their nervous system. These often-repetitive actions self-stimulate the senses in a predictable way, and many people who stim do so instinctively or subconsciously to manage stress.
A range of physical and mental-health conditions frequently accompany autism.
Health issues linked to ASD
Gastrointestinal (GI) problems
Epilepsy
Feeding issues
Disrupted sleep
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Anxiety
Depression
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
Schizophrenia
Bipolar Disorder
Down syndrome (DS)