Mental Health in Autism

Question 1

___% of the normal population receive a mental health diagnosis, whereas __% of autistic adults meet the criteria for a mental health condition at some point in their lives. Depression and anxiety is present in __-__% of autistic adults

Answer 1

23% normal
79% for autistic adults
depression/anxiety present in 30-50% of autistic adults

Question 2

What are the 4 types of causes in developing mental health in autism?

Answer 2

Enviroment
Biology
societal
psychological

Question 3

What are the 3 major risk factors in developing mental health issues which are more prevalent in people with autism

Answer 3

Difficult life experiences
Thinking style
Social interaction difficulties

Question 4

What 3 main implications does the double empathy problem lead to in autistic people?

Answer 4

Less readable by others
perceived more negatively by others
difficulty interacting with neurotypical

Question 5

What is Camouflaging in autistic people?

Answer 5

method of coping to fit in with neurotypical by acting normal

Question 6

What are the 3 main strategies in camouflaging?

Answer 6

Masking - self assessment to appear as NT
assimilation - to fit in in uncomfortable situations
compensation - for social communication difficulties

Question 7

Despite camouflaging being helpful, it can lead to a loss of ________ and can be physically ________. This may take a toll on _____ health, hence why camouflaging is predictive of ______ and ______ , and even suicidality

Answer 7

Loss of identity
physically exhausting
take a toll on mental health
predictive of anxiety and depression and suicidality

Question 8

What is the questionnaire used to capture camouflaging traits in autistic and non-autistic people?

A CAT-W
B CAT-Q
C CAT-S
D CAT-T

Answer 8

B CAT-Q

Question 9

People with ______ ________, _________ ___________, and capability for suicide are put into the category of lethal suicide attempts

Answer 9

thwarted belonging and perceived burdensomeness

Question 10

Despite strong evidence linking camouflaging to mental health, there is still _______ evidence

Answer 10

Mixed evidence linking the two

Question 11

Non-social risk factors of mental health in autism refer to a _____ ______ style, making it difficult to imagine ______ ________. This can lead to increased risk of _______ _______.

Answer 11

concrete thinking styles make it difficult to imagine positive alternatives
inc risk of suicidal thoughts

Question 12

There was an association found between ____-_____ skills and depression in people with autism

Answer 12

problem solving skills

Question 13

Stewart et al (2006) described a diagnostic _______ in symptoms of _______ and criteria for ________. This may lead to diagnostic ________

Answer 13

overlap in symptoms for depression and autism criteria
diagnostic overshadowing

Question 14

What is diagnostic overshadowing ?

Answer 14

attributing symptoms to one diagnosis when a different condition has similar symptoms

Question 15

What are the 5 qualities of a good measurement assessment?

Answer 15

structural validity/internal consistency - all items measure same thing
hypothesis testing - can it differentiate our hypothesis
criterion validity
content validity - are questions appropriate for target
reliability - similar findings reproduced

Question 16

Alexythymia in autistic people is the difficulty in _________ internal ______ and ______.

Answer 16

difficulty in verbalising internal theoughts and feelings

Question 17

What 4 main cognitive aspects of autism make it difficult to carry out tests/diagnosis for mental health?

Answer 17

Alexythimia
impaired ToM
Literal interpretations of language
reduced thinking flexibility

Question 18

Adapting depression diagnosis for autistic people need to make sure that items capture the ______ presentation of depression in autism. This may involve including questions ______ to people with autism, such as questions about _______.

Answer 18

Adapt depression questionnaire to make fit with unique aspects of autism
such as questions about camouflaging

Question 19

Anxiety in autism is associated with insistence on ________, and certain rituals. This may lead to an intolerance of __________, increasing _______ behaviours to help cope.

Answer 19

associated with insistence on sameness
intolerance of uncertain situations and increase of repetitive beahviours

Question 20

Social anxiety in regular people is the fear of ________ ________ of others, however in autism, it may be the fear of violating _____ ______ or the ___________ nature of social situations

Answer 20

normal pop = fear of negative evaluation
autism = fear of violating social rules or the unpredictable nature of social situations

Question 21

What is the name of the autism anxiety-depression assessment adapted for autistic people?

Answer 21

ASC-ASD

Question 22

What 3 examples of additional areas were added to the autistic version of the anxiety-depression assessment?

Answer 22

phobias
sensory anxiety
intolerance of uncertainty

Question 23

What are 4 key issues with autistic people getting help and having therapy for mental health difficulties?

Answer 23

many staff are not trained
obstacles
difficulty expressing feelings
sensory sensitivity

Question 24

What technique allowed 8/9 autistic children to help tackle their phobia?

A Cognitive Behavioral therapy
B Virtual Reality
C Sensory deprivation technique
D Therapy outside, in nature