Mental Health Services

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain.

People with ASD may behave and interact in ways that may be different from most other people. The abilities of people with ASD can vary significantly, for example, some people with ASD may have advanced conversation skills, whereas others may be nonverbal. Some people with ASD may need a lot of help in their daily lives; others require none. 

 Signs and Symptoms 

People with ASD often have problems with social interaction, restricted or repetitive behaviours. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning and concentrating. Of course, some people without ASD might also have some of these symptoms.

 Diagnosis 

Diagnosing ASD can be difficult as there is no specific test to make the diagnosis. Our Psychiatrist will look at a number of factors during an assessment, in order to ascertain the diagnosis

 Treatment 

Current treatments for ASD aim to reduce symptoms that interfere with daily life. ASD affects people differently, meaning that people with ASD have unique strengths and challenges and different treatment needs.

Everyone has times in their lives when they feel fed up or miserable.

However, if these feelings go on for some time, or become so bad they start to affect your daily life, you may have depression.

What are the signs of depression? 

People experience depression differently. It may be mild, moderate or severe.

People’s experience of depression is also influenced by other factors such as cultural background.

If you are depressed, you will notice some of the following:

• feel unhappy– this feeling just won’t go away and can be worse at a particular time of day, often first thing in the morning
• can’t enjoy anything
• lose interest in socialising and seeing friends 
• feel restless or agitated
• lack of energy
• lack of sleep or sleeping too much

Anxiety

If you have an anxiety disorder, you may respond to certain situations with fear. You may also experience physical signs of anxiety, such as a pounding heart and sweating.

It’s normal to have some anxiety. You may feel anxious or nervous if you have to tackle a problem at work or make an important decision. An anxiety disorder goes beyond the regular nervousness and slight fear you may feel from time to time. An anxiety disorder happens when:

• Anxiety interferes with your daily life.
• You often overreact to things.