Introduction. 1. Mental Health Services and Me: What Worked, and What Didn't. Janet Christmas. 2. Coping with Depression: Positive Advice for Aspies. Debbie Allan. 3. My Fur-lined Bucket: Alternative Methods of Dealing with Mental Health Issues. E Veronica Bliss. 4. This Aspie Life: The Undiagnosed Aspie Experience. 8ball. 5. A Colourful Rainbow: Embracing Autism as a Neurological Difference, Rather than a Mental Health Disorder. Melanie Smith. 6. Getting the Right Diagnosis, and its Impact on Mental Health: Is this the Best the NHS Can Do? Cornish. 7. Positive Mental Attitude: Coping with Setbacks, Knowing Your Own Strengths, and Finding Happiness Any Way You Can. Dean Worton. 8. "It's all in your head": The Dangers of Misdiagnosis. Neil Shepherd. 9. A Fairytale Life It Isn't (AKA Chapter 9): Alcohol, Self-harm, and the Benefits of Exercise. Alexandra Brown. 10. "Getting My Life Back": A Mother's Struggle to Get Mental Health Services for Herself and Her Son. Anne Henderson. 11. A Week in the Life Of: Strategies for Maintaining Mental Health as an Aspie. Steve Jarvis. 12. My Plastic Bubble: Dealing with Depression, Anxiety, and Low Self-confidence. Wendy Lim. 13. The Art of Being Content: Asperger Syndrome, Buddhism, and Me. Chris Mitchell. 14. A Journey Looking for Answers About the Way I Am. Anthony Sclafani. 15. A Label that Fits: Diagnoses, Self-harm, and Mental Health. Natasha Goldthorpe. 16. Through the Looking Glass into Lynette Land: Making Humour Work. Lynette Marshall. 17. Mental Health and the Workplace: Dealing with Criticism, Coping with Stress, and Taking Control of Your Environment. Dr. Christopher Wilson.
A window into the world of mental health issues on the Autism spectrum
E. Veronica Bliss has over 20 years' experience working with individuals on the autistic spectrum, and has been working as a solution focused psychologist for the past six years. Chris Mitchell was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 1998, when he was 20 years old. Having completed an MA (Hons) in Information and Library Management, he currently works at Durham County Council. He is an active advocate for raising awareness of the positive aspects of AS, giving talks, seminars and workshops throughout the UK. He also offers mentoring and support services for school leavers and students entering higher education with AS. Chris has written an autobiography of his own experience of AS, entitled Glass Half-Empty, Glass Half-Full: How Asperger's Syndrome Has Changed My Life and practices meditation in his spare time.
I found several of the stories relevant to my own life and helpful
in my understanding both of myself and of the situations - reading
someone else's story gives you that bit of objectivity and so
allows you to see the overall perspective more clearly. Well worth
a read if you find such stories useful.
*Asperger United*
I found this book hard to put down and in fact read it in one
sitting, only pausing to replenish my tea mug... I enjoyed every
account and found many to be both painful, informative and
sometimes seriously funny with an enormous amount of
self-deprecating humour and exceptional awareness of their own
differences...This book is a gem and has much to teach us all
however experienced we might feel ourselves to be, in an easy to
assimilate format. All the accounts are well-written and all have a
purpose. Buy it, enjoy and pass it on, particularly to mental
health professionals.
*ASTeens*
At last a book that honestly declares the reality of a population's
Mental Health status. It will only be as we take the named issues
seriously and act upon these that our mental health outcome for all
involved, especially those with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC),
has an opportunity for prevention rather than cure. Certain
environments can be conducive to health, others not so. As
professionals we dare not miss the messages contained within this
book. To do so would be detrimental to the future of humankind.
*Dr. Wendy Lawson*
People who have Asperger's syndrome are at greater risk than the
general population of developing a mental health problem. At last
the story can be told of how life experiences, and especially being
bullied, misunderstood and feeling lonely, can cause mental health
problems for children and adults who have Asperger's syndrome. This
book is essential reading for all staff employed in psychiatric
services. Ignorance of Asperger's syndrome is no longer a valid
excuse.
*Tony Attwood, author of The Complete Guide to Asperger
Syndrome*
I found this book hard to put down and in fact read it in one
sitting, only pausing to replenish my tea mug... I enjoy every
account and found many to be both painful, informative and
sometimes seriously funny with an enormous amount of
self-deprecating humour and exceptional awareness of their own
differences. Many of the contributors offered their own solutions,
either revealed as part of their story or laid out in bullet
points. The accounts are well written, each with their own style
and character, all having needlessly suffered through the ignorance
of those around them. A recurring theme is that trying to make
someone on the spectrum into a neuro-typical person is harmful and
damaging... It is an interesting read in its own right simply as a
human interest book but is a must for anyone dealing with Aspergers
professionally or personally, particularly mental health
professionals. Anyone on the spectrum would probably relate to most
of the accounts and feel comforted to hear their own experiences
mirrored, particularly those with anxiety and depression. I also
feel that it has much to offer all professionals who work with or
may encounter those on the spectrum, helping them to understand why
someone may react in a particular way. This book is a gem and has
much to teach us all however experienced we might feel ourselves to
be, in an easy to assimilate format. All the accounts are
well-written and all have a purpose. Buy it, enjoy it and pass it
on, particularly to mental health professionals.
*BFK Books*
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