Their rates of depression rise with intelligence and with age. Nicholas’ ongoing battle with major depression is not unusual for people on the spectrum, according to a meta-analysis of 66 studies published in January: They are four times more likely than neurotypicals to experience depression over the course of their lives, although scientists are unsure why. The drug has helped Nicholas feel “even-keeled,” he says, but he is still anxious that his life is changing. Again, he spiraled into depression, and his psychiatrist prescribed an antidepressant. Then he started worrying about what he would do after graduation. He switched to a private special-education school, where he thrived until about age 17. The bullying got so bad that his mother pulled him out of the public school he was attending. “The autism caused me to take insults a lot. Meanwhile, his social problems only grew worse. His mother increased his therapy sessions from once to twice a week.
He disengaged from everyday activities, such as talking with his family at dinner and playing video games, and he began sleeping a lot - common signs of depression. “It posed a real problem.”Īt 13, Nicholas’ mood plummeted further. He was smart enough to know that,” his mother says. “He was made fun of because he was different. By 12, the socially awkward, bright boy was in therapy for depression, too. Nicholas was diagnosed with autism at age 9. His mother, Kelly Lyons, is worried, too - but more about his health than his plans: At 18, Nicholas has already endured several bouts of depression, one of which drove him to contemplate suicide. Like many of his classmates, he is unsure what he is going to do next.
In June, Nicholas Lyons graduated from a private special-education high school in Maryland.
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