As mentioned in the last post (Part 3 in this series) people too often think of depression as merely being a collection of sad thoughts and feelings. But it’s actually a complicated system of forces, all working together to generate an overwhelming sense of futility.
Depression Inc. (autism spectrum disorder and depression Part 3)
This is part of a continuing series on autism spectrum disorder and depression.
In Part 1, I provided a broad overview of the topic. It’s worth going into more detail about depression at this point due to it’s uncanny ability to go undetected by the outside world. It can be a dangerous situation, especially for those on the spectrum; as described in Part 2, depression can hide behind autistic traits creating a “masking effect”.
Making Shapes
I.
An office. Two chairs facing one another; a desk off to the side.
I glance at the clock…we’re only half way through the session. I breathe out, rub my face.
The psychologist says, “What happened is that, as a child, you were not developing non-verbal communication. And there was no diagnosis at that time. There were no services available. As the kids around you began to socially develop, you struggled to keep up. Lack of body language…lack of non-verbal cues…this made social interactions confusing. And that was happening because you didn’t know. Okay?”
I don’t say anything. It’s quiet for awhile. [Read more…]