Psychiatry & Neurology | Psychiatry Questions Depression

Is it normal to have depression with autism?

My son is a teenager, and I noticed that he's been depressed lately. He also has autism. He's not being bullied with school and is taught with the other kids that have learning disabilities. Is it normal to have depression with autism?

2 Answers

Autism is diagnosed without depression, but some cases may suffer from depression in addition to autism.
As you probably know the diagnosis of autism refers to a whole spectrum of disorders. Nearly all of these share a difficulty with communication and engagement with others. These difficulties can certainly lead to symptoms of depression, but there is no inherent degree of depression associated with the diagnosis of autistic disorders.