Navigating Autism Mental Health Crises: Empowering Families

Prepare a safety plan in case a mental health crisis strikes

Mental health crises can be a shadow component of dealing with mental health conditions, and autism is no exception. When a patient and their family start to fall apart, I feel considerable empathy for them. This is one of the toughest parts of my job. I want all my patients to feel happy, balanced, and stable. And a person's mental health crisis has a ripple effect that tends to make an impact on the entire family unit. 

My practice is currently focused on outpatient mental health, but in the past, I have worked in a variety of different settings. Those experiences taught me that while the environments vary, one thing stays the same – a mental health crisis can strike anytime, anywhere.

While we hope and pray it doesn’t happen, that shouldn’t prevent us from devising a safety plan in case we need it. This is a crucial element of mental health treatment strategy. If you are prepared for a potential crisis, you will be ready to respond with tools already in mind.

Shed the stigma

Autistic individuals are at greater risk of experiencing a mental health crisis. We know this can be attributed in large part to decreased availability of outpatient practices and services. Patients might wait years to get the help they need. They often land in emergency rooms that are ill-equipped to meet their needs and can wait months in a psych unit waiting to get help.

The most common causes of mental health crises in autistic kids and adults are severe depression with suicidal urges, severe self-harm behaviors, agitation, and out-of-control threats of aggression and property destruction. It can also present as a sudden and complete loss of function compounded by severe isolation and a refusal to eat or drink. The child may exhibit paralyzing anxiety or have excessive concerns about contamination. 

These things are not pretty and they’re not popular to talk about, but that doesn’t change the fact that they do happen. As a society, if we want to decrease the risk for these kids, we must decrease the stigma placed on families dealing with these issues. We should recognize these reactions as mental health symptoms, not personal failings. The symptoms might indicate something serious, such as an underlying psychiatric issue, or a medical or neurological condition. 

Parents aren’t to blame

A crisis can also be triggered by social or environmental factors. I work primarily with kids, and school is one of the most common agitating factors. That’s why ensuring we are supporting a child’s mental health, particularly at times known to be stressful, is so critical. 

It’s true that you can’t plan for everything. Sometimes there aren’t warning signs if there is a sudden change in the environment, such as an unexpected family trauma. Or the changes in your child might be subtle and not register with you until after the crisis occurs. We all know hindsight is 20/20, and the crisis can still be a valuable learning experience for dealing with future situations. 

It’s important to realize that a mental health crisis didn’t happen because you’re failing at your job as a parent. I speak with families of autistic children all day who are deeply invested in their health and safety, and despite their best efforts, these crises still occur. 

If you are grappling with a mental health crisis with your child, don’t despair. There is hope. It will not happen to every autistic person dealing with mental health concerns. But if it does happen, recognizing it early and quickly – and having a contingency plan in place – can make the situation much more manageable and lead to a better outcome. It is well worth learning what steps you can take to mitigate the crisis. 

For those who want to have deeper discussions about crisis management and my strategies, my online community Autism Roadmaps is open and accepting new members. 

Learn more!

Articles Coming Soon

Warning Signs

What are the warning signs that your child might be on the brink of a mental health crisis? 

Seeing your child struggling can be heart-wrenching for any parent. But there are often observable signs that a crisis is coming before it sets in. This article will outline what to watch for.

De-escalation Tactics

Have you witnessed behavior in your child that indicates they are about to experience a mental health crisis? You can take tangible steps to ease your child’s distress and diminish the magnitude of their emotional meltdown, and possibly even avert the crisis altogether.