#Autism #MentalHealth

Of the countless issues facing autistic people – nothing is more urgent than preventing the growing suicide rates. Every day we delay taking action, more people die.

The statistics demonstrate the scale of the issues – autistic adults die more than 16 years younger than NT folk. 8 in 10 autistic people report suffering from mental health problems such as severe anxiety and depression. And the two main causes of death are suicide and epilepsy

Autistic people are being failed, with devastating consequences. They have a dramatically reduced life-expectancy compared to the general population, are more likely to have mental health problems, and report lower quality healthcare.

[source autismaction.org.uk/our-work/sui... ]

Suicide or deliberate self-inflicted harm is the most common category of death in autistic children without a learning disability

Suicide is the top cause of death amongst autistic adults without a learning disability.

Research shows that;

1 in 3 autistic people have considered suicide, and 1 in 4 have attempted to take their own life

#Autistic people are up to eight times more likely to die by suicide than non-autistic people

@mrjamesob.bsky.social would you be willing to cover this on your show?