Whether it’s viewed as a developmental disorder, a label describing a wide spectrum of conditions, or a different way of interpreting the world, it’s a fair assumption to say people struggling with autism spectrum disorders face challenges in daily life.
Generally, substance abuse isn’t one of them.
However, a new study discovered while substance use among people with autism is somewhat low, the reasons which drive substance abuse in that community are troubling.
Self-Medication A Driver Of Substance Use In Autism Community
For the study, researchers from the University of Cambridge’s Autism Research Centre in the United Kingdom conducted an anonymous online survey. They polled nearly 2,400 individuals split roughly into two groups – one consisting of people with autism and another of people who did not have the disorder.
The participants were not polled directly about what substances they may have been using. However, many respondents made references to substances including alcohol, cannabis, heroin, and designer drugs. Additionally, nearly 1,000 respondents gave more in-depth answers as to why they used substances.
In general, results showed adults with autism were less likely to use substances. Example? Only 16% of respondents with autism said they drank three or more days a week compared with 22% of non-autistic adults.
The researchers were startled to discover something else: when it came to the reasons behind substance use, autistic adults were nine times more likely to report using substances to manage their condition’s systems, such as difficulties with sensory overload and attention span.
Digging deeper, the researchers found more troubling data. Autistic adolescents and adults were more than three times as likely to self-medicate with substances for mood disorders, including suicidal ideation. Several respondents said substances helped them deal with unwanted side-effects from prescribed medications.
It’s been known people with autism are at a higher risk of mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. For the Cambridge researchers, the survey results showed while autistic people were perhaps less likely to use substances, it shouldn’t be assumed that they were also immune to substance use, period.
“While some of our results suggest lower likelihood of substance use overall, physicians should not assume that their autistic patients aren’t using drugs,” said research team member Carrie Allison, PhD. in a Cambridge press release. “Drug use can be harmful so healthcare providers should aim to establish trusting relationships with autistic and non-autistic patients alike to foster frank and honest conversations about substance use.”
Previous work by the Autism Research Centre has shown autistic people are often more likely to report unpleasant life experiences and be at a greater risk of suicide than others. Worryingly, the study also revealed two more areas of concern around people with autism and substance use: the use of substances at age 12 (or younger) and being tricked, bullied, and forced into unwanted substance use by peers.
Finally, the study spoke to an area of substance abuse of concern to everyone: self-medication.
A Major Risk Factor For Substance Abuse: Self-Medication
Self-medication’s easy enough to describe: It’s using substances – legal or otherwise – to make the symptoms of a mental or physical condition more bearable. It’s a label which describes a wide variety of behaviors, from repeatedly drinking to cope with workplace stress to using someone else’s prescription medications.
It’s understandable, too. For a person reluctant to go to a walk-in clinic due to COVID-19 fears, self-medicating can seem like a safer route to take. Another person who lost their job and no longer has health insurance may often self-medicate so they’re able to use their savings for rent or food.
Whatever the reasons are, self-medicating is a bad idea.
Firstly, using substances as a cure for physical or mental symptoms might give temporary relief, but it’s not a cure. The underlying problem, be it chronic pain from an injury or distress from a mood disorder, is still there. Untreated.
Secondly, many substances may actually fuel certain mental disorders. Cannabis might make they symptoms of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia develop earlier, for example. Also, the National Institute on Drug Use reports cocaine use can make bipolar disorder worse.
Thirdly and finally, repeated substance use comes with the risk of addiction. Because of the effects they have on the body’s reward system, it’s easy to develop tolerance to addictive substances – meaning users have to take more and more of the substance to feel the same effects.
These repetitive behaviors eventually turn into addiction. Bad enough on its own, when addiction is combined with an untreated mental disorder the result is a dual diagnosis. This combination of conditions can rapidly spiral out of control.
Fortunately, dual diagnosis (also known as a co-occurring condition) is treatable.
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