Autistic and ADHD individuals experience heightened mental health challenges and increased vulnerability to suicidality due to the cumulative effects of trauma, adverse experiences and systemic discrimination (Spicer, 2022). These populations face more unique social traumas, such as chronic bullying, social exclusion, and internalised ableism, which negatively impact self-concept and mental well-being (Spicer, DeCicco, Clarke, Ambrosius, & Yalcin, 2024). The intersection of trauma, neurodivergence, and mental health is understudied, with many individuals facing barriers to appropriate care, including stigma, misdiagnosis, and lack of access to neurodiversity-affirming services. Recent studies (Cassidy et al., 2020; Hirvikoski et al., 2016) reveal alarmingly high rates of suicidal ideation and attempts among autistic individuals in comparison to the general population, with similar patterns observed in those with ADHD (James et al., 2022).
Part 1: In part one of the presentation, I will provide an in-depth exploration of the trauma pathways contributing to mental health difficulties and suicidality in Autistic and ADHD individuals. This will include understanding the higher rates of trauma, adverse experiences, and mental health challenges, and the importance of considering areas such as intersectionality. The presentation will importantly highlight the influence of social experiences such as discrimination and exclusion on Autistic and ADHD mental health and suicidality and will provide an overview of the key suicidality risk factors identified in the research.
Drawing on the presenters own lived experience of neurodivergence, and professional experience of working clinically and academically in this space, the presenters will give the audience the opportunity to reflect on the changes required within society to reduce Autistic and ADHD suicidality. Importantly there will be a discussion on both the individual and social protective factors that can be strengthened in various forms of support. These protective factors include areas such as the importance of early identification, positive neurodivergent identity formation, along with peer connection.
Part 2: In part two of the presentation, I will introduce Chairwork Psychotherapy, a transformative experiential therapy technique that brings internal dialogues and emotional parts into tangible form. A live demonstration will showcase how this powerful method can be directly applied to the complex experience of suicidality by facilitating a dialogue between different aspects of the individual's internal world related to their suicidal thoughts and feelings. This process can facilitate deeper understanding, promote emotional processing, and potentially uncovering pathways toward safety and change, and offer insights into how to integrate this technique into your own therapeutic practice.