Autistic Survival Guide/Co-occurring Conditions

72% of autistic people also struggle with a mental illness so try not to get one and get help when needed.

Bipolar Disorder

• Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder that can ruin the lives of even non-autistic people.
• Autistic spectrum people are much more likely than non-autists to have it.
• It is a progressive disorder with a genetic basis that is usually first triggered by traumatic experiences. It may then progress from amplified mood swings that become wilder, to spontaneous mood swings which come closer and closer together.
• Stress and commitment usually makes the disorder progress.
• Like autism, it can have its creativity benefits.
• Like autism, there is no cure, and treatment has its health risks and occasionally makes things worse.
• Like autism, it is said that the best way to treat it is to understand it.
• Like autism, progress has been made in recent years that many practitioners have not caught up with yet.
• If you think that you might be bipolar, it is much better to address it sooner than later, because this disorder does not regress.
• This section does not constitute medical advice. Not only are there medical and medicinal treatments but support groups, books and plenty of researched information on the web to help.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

• like autism ADHD is not a mental disorder, it's a neurodevelopmental disorder.
• It is very common for autistic people to have ADHD in fact there is even a name for it: AuDHD.
• Like autism it can also have benefits, like hyperfocus.
• People with ADHD (or ADHD-ers if you want to use identity first language) stim but differently to --or less then-- autistic people do.
• Like autism ADHD does not go away and that's fine, just don't sit next to windows you might get distracted.