Suicidality + PDA
Hi all!
I’m a therapist assisting someone with diagnoses of ADHD, PDA/Autism.
I’m looking to get some perspective on a piece of this that myself and my client are struggling to conceptualize. Everyone in the situation is safe for now.
- Client feels stuck / trapped because they feel that living itself is the demand. Being conscious I guess is a better way to frame it. Like there’s the demands that come with living, eating, drinking etc, but there’s also the demand of “being here at all” because they didn’t choose to be here. They struggle with “the point of it all”
1a. To complicate the above, Mostly I see the biggest help to reduce suicidality is to reduce demands but the issue with that is the low support they have. No family, no close friends. Hoping to get them help in the home but even signing up for that / going through the process is a demand.
ANY perspective, advice, frameworks that have helped you etc would be much appreciated! Specifically about the first piece of living being the demand, but I felt like sharing the second piece was important context and the two are interconnected for sure!
I’ve read The PDA paradox, I follow @Erin Rackman, and I’ve read several other books written by autistic writers. I don’t have PDA but I am neurodivergent & try my best to be neuroaffirming Also this post was helpful. https://www.reddit.com/r/PDAAutism/s/g5rh08JtJU
Thanks for the help! (With acknowledgement that answering this post could be experienced as a demand! :) )