If you need help now

Being autistic is often hard.  Being autistic is often painful.  The things you are going through are real, even though nobody around you seems to understand.

The things that you are going through are not your fault.  You are not defective or inferior or broken.  There are people who can help you.  There are people who want to help you.  You deserve to be helped.  You are worth the effort.

If you are thinking about hurting yourself or ending your life

Suicide is the second most common cause of death among autistic adults.  The suicide rate among autistic adults may be as much as eight times higher than the rate in non-autistic adults.

Before you do anything, consider reaching out to one of the following resources:

In the United States: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline​.

For other countries, please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention or see this list of resources from Psychology Today.

If you are the victim of sexual abuse or assault

About 90% of autistic women have been the victim of sexual abuse or sexual assult.  This is roughly four times higher than the rate in the non-autistic population.

If you are experiencing sexual abuse or assult, please contact one of the following resources:

In the United States: the National Sexual Assault Hotline.

For other countries: Women Against Violence Europe or see this list of hotlines in other countries.

If you are a vicitim of domestic abuse

Autistic adults are more likely to be the victim of domestic or partner abuse than non-autistic adults.

If you are the victim of domestic or partner abuse, please contact one of the following resources:

In the United States: the National Domestic Violence Hotline

For other countries: please see this list of international domestic violence resources