• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Life expectancy

Many times. Even at 68 I'm still a bit surprised I'm still around.

I still recall telling my mother on occasion (decades before suspecting my own autism), "People like me don't live very long."
 
There was another thread or i don't remember youtube comment section,
that life expectancy is low, because lots of autistics, ehm 'unalive themselves' sadly.
I don't like to talk about that but may be a reason.
 
NB79 said:
....that life expectancy is low, because lots of autistics, ehm 'unalive themselves' sadly.
Click to expand...
A major reason put forward in Australia is because of our lack of access to medical help. And that one really resonates with me, I've had issues with doctors all my life. The high end medicos are all really good but the average general practitioner seems to know less about medicine than they do about being the school yard bully. I don't react very politely to bullies.

According to statistics in Australia I've only got 5 years left, but I've been bucking trends and refusing to conform my whole life, why stop now? :)

(Average life expectancy in Australia is one of the highest in the world, 81 for men and 85 for women. Average life expectancy for an autistic man in Australia is 64. )
 
Last edited:
Those statistics don't surprise me when you consider the amount of depression and anxiety, as well as the amount of meds we are given. Being less depressed and more joyful is a benefit to a long fulfilling life. We have emotional challenges, none of which would suggest living a full, happy life. Too many upsets.
 
Although both grandmothers lived to 80s+, my mother died at 63. I felt I was going to die around then too. Because looking back, I am certain she was autistic and had the same health problems I do.

Well, I’m still here at 70. But I still feel the cold breath over my right shoulder.
 
I am shocked l am still breathing. I have calculated the amount of stress in my life ÷ by life expectancy, and l shouldn't be here.
 
I'm trying to outlive the odds also, but I've had a lot of health issues.
In agreement that the anxiety, depression and stress is the reason.

I survived liver cancer at age 52. Poor prognosis, but I made it. Fifteen- year survivor now.
But at 67 I've lost my ability to walk without mobility aids.
It has been a gradual process and just found out this year I have Multiple System Atrophy. Knockin' on Heaven's door.
I don't stop keeping on, keeping on, though.
 
My children do their final school year soon, I think I'm going to make it. I know how hard finding ones feet can be, and now I'm relieved most of headaches and aches in joints cleared with vitamins and tissue salts.
I'm back to myself and happily taking over meal cooking and house looks a lot tidier....going out to beach and feeling more energetic, think Candida almost gone, took some s. Boulardi and no more bloating.
Keep hearing about benefits of paprika for my legs, it's winter now so not so bad but in summer the heat is bad, lift legs up. I also noticed laying down, raising my legs to folded position helped with sciatta. Really want to remove spider veins but medical isn't cheap.
I think now I'm staying on healthy diet for health, even if not for body image issues. Maybe my son can test weights training as I'm just relieved I've got this much progress.
I did have times where I pushed myself to live life to fullest, tried new things so I think for me it's just taking it easy from here.
 
The aspie side of my family averaged over 90 years, but I'm not at all sure that I would survive living in a hospital for a week even if I went in healthy.
 
Judge said:
Many times. Even at 68 I'm still a bit surprised I'm still around.

I still recall telling my mother on occasion (decades before suspecting my own autism), "People like me don't live very long."
Click to expand...
68 isn't a bad run, so far.
 
Peter Morrison said:
Those statistics don't surprise me when you consider the amount of depression and anxiety, as well as the amount of meds we are given. Being less depressed and more joyful is a benefit to a long fulfilling life. We have emotional challenges, none of which would suggest living a full, happy life. Too many upsets.
Click to expand...
This is why I embrace: "Laughter is the best medicine."
In addition to this, I ruminate in my mental "Happy place" often.
It seems to be working.
See you in 100 years...:cool:
 
I hate when these life expectancy threads pop up. As if I hate autism enough without being told it's going to kill me earlier than everyone else. So depressing.
 
Misty Avich said:
I hate when these life expectancy threads pop up. As if I hate autism enough without being told it's going to kill me earlier than everyone else. So depressing.
Click to expand...
Autistic life expectancy may have something to do with depression/PTSD which can "hurry" things along.
Don't let the "Black Dog" bite you, and you should be fine.
Remember: "Laughter is the best medicine." :cool:
 
Put this together years ago. A good friend of ours wife and I lost her husband last year just told us she is in hospital heart arrhythmia issues. This really bothers me as she currently 59 right on inflection point.
 

Attachments

Last edited:
Misty Avich said:
I hate when these life expectancy threads pop up. As if I hate autism enough without being told it's going to kill me earlier than everyone else. So depressing.
Click to expand...
Autism itself does not affect life expectancy, however research has shown that the mortality risk among individuals with autism is twice as high as the general population, in large part due to drowning and other accidents.
Click to expand...
https://nationalautismassociation.org/resources/autism-fact-sheet/
 
Well this life expectancy myth seems to be centred around low-functioning autistic people, like most 'studies' are.
Some of us aren't clumsy. Some of us do have a sense of danger. Some of us do know how to look after ourselves. Some of us do feel physical pain and know when to see the doctor. There's no need to scare us all by naming a study "autism life expectancy" as though it's trying to say that autism is a disease that causes you to drop dead sometime in your 50s. It's more down to the individual and their life circumstances and functioning, not autism itself.

It's like when autistic people were apparently in the high priority group for the first covid vaccine, although thankfully I didn't get this priority and just had my first covid jab along with my age group. I read up on why autistic people were in a high priority group and it said that it was because autistic people are less likely to understand rules or understand basic hygiene.

This is why I'm glad I was diagnosed with Asperger's and not autism, which I assume is still on my medical records. This indicates that I'm more or less like a quirky NT and won't be treated like I'm a fragile 80-year-old with health problems or dementia.
 
I based my life expectancy on how long my ancestors actually lived 0. 09% chance of living to 117. that's as long as any currently living person.
 
For me, i don't want to live long so this fact does not depress me. Wanting to die but being unable to is more of a scary thought.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom