The Pervasive Loneliness of Autism

The Pervasive Loneliness of Autism: https://time.com/6551520/loneliness-autism-essay/

Hari Srinivasan , Neuroscience PhD Candidate and likely one of the most powerful and inspiring advocates for autistic and disabled people, writes a truly powerful essay in Time magazine this week.

Please read.

He makes the connection between US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy ‘s highlighting of the loneliness epidemic and the lived experience of autistic people.

As a physician, whose dedicated my career to innovating on the systems we use to treat adults and children with complex conditions, I can see much of what Hari is pointing to in the great number of inspiring people whose disabilities require extensive hands-on support I’ve work with

The loneliness epidemic

And its particular relationship with physical and cognitive disability
In both young people
And older people

Also has a relationship to healthcare worker burnout.

Hari states :

“As someone who has autism, I’ve experienced a revolving door of over a 100 support staff—and I plan on living for many more years. The reality is that any person with autism is a client, a case, a job to the people they tend to interact with most—and that’s not the same as family or friends.”

As a professional member and leader in the types of organizations that serve as that “revolving door of support support”, this statement stings.

But…

He’s right.

In the end, we paid caregivers who are employed by outside agencies, while we are essential for the dignity, safety, and comfort of people affected by disability

We can never truly replace the universal need for stable and supportive family and caring community.

Yet, those of us attracted to the caring professions, especially those of us focused on people with disabilities and complex conditions,

Chose caring professions because

We Care.

Yet we must have the humility to understand the role we must play in our clients’ lives,

we can’t,
no matter how much we long to,
replace true caring local communities and family structures

Seeking to do so only worsens our burnout as professionals and adds to this “ pervasive loneliness “ of disabled individuals

We can’t medicalize all society’s problems
Even if many of society’s problems have significant health consequences.

Loneliness is a real issue
Epidemic levels of crisis
With real health consequences

But it has its roots in the weakening of social ties within local communities and the families those local communities support

And the macroeconomic and microeconomic and cultural circumstances that affect those social bonds

Public policy
Cultural movements
And entrepreneurial enterprises

Outside of healthcare

That strengthen local communities
Enable families to stay close
And strongly affirm the inclusion of people who are disabled
physically, cognitively, or behaviorally
at whatever age

Are what is needed to address this,

Not just placing another social problem on the backs of burnt out healthcare workers

#disability #autism #loneliness #healthcareinnovation #burnout

Full list of my publications: https://uniquelyhari.blogspot.com/p/published-work.html