For decades, May has been Mental Health Month. Many autistic people have the comorbidity of mental health with their autism. It is sometimes an every day or even every hour battle, but one thing I have learned is that you have to value and respect your mental health for what it is.

With the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic over the past few years, mental health has been brought to the forefront of society. It is nothing new for me as I have experienced it in some form all my life. Growing up, it was always seen as a “problem” when having to go and do activities that required social interaction and in fact there were times where my mental health did not bring out my best. Even in this current age, I still face challenges, but one thing is that I never give up!

I have to accredit my parents for seeking treatment at an early age and in fact we went to the big city to seek treatment and at times it was not best, and this portrayed challenges in the educational system but I got through it with my parents help and the numerous professionals, some of which I still interact with every week. I have to express my gratitude to them as I have always had a great respect for their knowledge and experience and value them as equally as the diagnosis that I bestow.

It is through them that I have garnered the many skills needed to co-manage my mental health challenges and function as an independent adult in society with minimal incident. It has been through accepting the challenges set forth by them and understanding with their guidance that I would be able to accomplish the goals that they helped me to set for myself to be the man I am.

If I had not been provided many of the not only professionals but also the services that I have been offered in the past two and half decades I would have not have been able to accomplish the things that I have done like finish high school, vocational rehabilitation, community college, obtain part-time employment, independent living and a driver’s license to name a few.

There are also the soft-skills that come with being autistic that require me as a member of the community to function in society such as being financially independent, communicate effectively and make sound decisions in all my matters. Many of these factors were or are made with the guidance in some cases of esteemed mental health professionals who oftentimes are undervalued or undercompensated for many times going the extra mile when they do not have to .

It is always understanding that your mental health must be valued when being able to live the life that you want and that if you do not hide and seek the proper treatment and services that you can in order to thrive as an individual, that there is no shame in seeking whatever you need to be mentally well and just be satisfied with your well-being. For too long there has been a great deal of stigma of seeking treatment for mental health challenges, but I see it as a routine part of life that is just a part of the motions because life can be so much better if you do the right thing and fight the challenges that you are facing rather than keep them a secret or hiding the reality of what you are facing. As they say, there is no health without mental health!