#suicide-risk

#suicide-risk

Claney (2025) describes autistic masking as "a complex phenomenon in which autistic individuals consciously or unconsciously hide or modify their behaviors and traits to fit within societal expectations." Masking, Claney argues, takes a massive emotional toll on autistic adults and can be devastating to mental health. A substantial body of research supports these findings, with the entire neuroaffirmative movement as evidence of the psychological and physical costs of long‑term masking.

The US House will vote on legislation criminalising gender-affirming care for trans young people later today (17 December) following approval from House leadership. HR 3492, dubbed the ' Protect Children's Innocence Act ', would make it a federal crime for medical professionals to prescribe puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and other kinds of gender-affirming healthcare to trans youth. If passed into law, medical professionals found guilty of providing care could face hefty fines and up to 10 years imprisonment.

In an announcement first reported by Wired, the Sam Altman-led company estimated that, in any given week, around 0.07 percent of active ChatGPT users show "possible signs of mental health emergencies related to psychosis and mania." Grimly, an even larger contingent, 0.15 percent, "have conversations that include explicit indicators of potential suicide planning or intent."

It is estimated that nearly 90 percent of suicide attempts among high school students under age 18 and as many as two-thirds of adult suicide attempts are directly attributable to ACEs. Individuals with 6 ACEs are 13-30 times more likely to attempt suicide (depending on age), while those with at least 7 ACEs show up to a 51-fold increase. In other words, if we prevent and treat ACEs, we could prevent the majority of suicides.

There are differences in the way the sexes respond to stress, happiness, and social expectations in daily life. Men and women are not the same when it comes to mental health issues. It isn't clear why depression affects men and women differently. But these differences could be due to brain chemistry, hormones, and life experiences. These differences also could stem from the traditional male role, which discourages the expression of emotions and encourages the pursuit of success, power, and competition.

Suicide is a topic that is often challenging to mention for those struggling with these thoughts, their families, and those around them. Misophonia is likely a neurophysiological condition that causes significant distress from otherwise normal auditory stimuli such as chewing, snapping, sneezing, and more (Brout, 2018). Distress is a major component of misophonia, and it may not be shocking to some that misophonia has been linked to self-harm and suicidal ideation (Edelstein, 2013; Alekri, 2019). Despite this link, misophonia suicide awareness is rarely a detailed topic of conversation in social media and peer support communities.