Suicide in the autism community is a national crisis that requires transformative social change. Research is helping us to understand why suicide is more common among autistic people and what we can do to change it.
Self-harm is a concerning behaviour exhibited by many young adults experiencing mental health difficulties. It is highly dangerous, and parents may not know how to
When I first meet the parents of a child or teen who self harms or self injures, I am confronted by fear, distress, sadness, confusion
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious mental health disorder that affects the way a young person sees themselves and interacts with the world around them. Young people with BPD often have an unstable or incoherent sense of self, patterns of unstable relationships, and intense emotional reactions. They may experience chronic feelings of emptiness and a fear of abandonment by others.
Dissociative experiences often happen when someone is exposed to a traumatic event. When someone experiences trauma, they may be overwhelmed by stress and detach, in some way, from their experience, emotions, and/or body. People who have experienced acute trauma often describe dissociating from their bodies and watching something happen to themselves.
Despite the mental health epidemic among adolescents and young adults, only a minority access treatment. Barriers to treatment are often institutional: in many places, specialist services do not exist, or spaces are lacking with long waiting lists. But many young people don’t seek help for mental health problems in the first place. Studies suggest that only 18-34% of young people with mental health disorders try to access professional support.
