Teresa is in her early 20s and looking forward to blogging about her journey with newly diagnosed autism. Within the past few years, she’s had to rebuild her entire life from scratch and navigate everything very differently. She recently had the opportunity to job shadow at different locations and has been inspired to attend college and one day work with children. Teresa is eager for this new chapter in her life and wants to inspire others with autism to never give up, despite whatever obstacles life may throw their way.
View all postsMental Health and Autism: The Importance of Being Heard
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Welcome back to the blog! Today I want to talk about something that’s important to me. As someone who is on the spectrum and who also struggles with metal health, I realize that the hardest part of living with mental health challenges and being autistic isn’t just the symptoms, it’s how people respond to them.
Too often, I’ve been treated as if my autism automatically means that I am incapable or that I don’t understand what the other person is trying to tell me, especially by doctors or other professionals.
Unfortunately there have also been times where instead of support, I’ve been invalidated. I’ll hear “get over it.” or “stop being so sensitive.” or “you’re being dramatic.” When really, I’m feeling down or upset and I’m trying to go that person for help and all I get is dismissed. Here’s the problem with that… When I’m depressed or overwhelmed and I get told to “get over it” or “stop being sensitive” it’s not like that immediately solves my problems, in fact it usually makes them worse. It makes me feel small and like my problems aren’t important. That is not okay.
No one should be shamed for it. Mental health doesn’t work that way. Also, autism doesn’t mean that I need decisions made for me or that I can’t communicate what I’m feeling. In closing, I’d like to say that mental health and autism don’t need to be fixed, they need to be understood. If someone tells you they’re struggling, your job isn’t to judge them, your job is to listen. That applies to friends, family, and especially professionals.
I hope you enjoyed this blog, and I’ll see you in the next one!
Teresa Cardona
