A few weeks ago, a YouTube video from the Columbus Dispatch has been coming across the Autism community online of autistic teenager that lived independently who was jailed for 10 hours and subsequently died at the hospital three days later as a result of his injuries that he succumbed as a result of his needs not being taken care of.

The video itself is quite brutal but the autistic person’s mother wanted to get it out there because of the harsh reality of what happens in worlds where autistic people are not understood by the other communities, whether that is the law enforcement, medical communities and so forth. It is something that has stuck with me and can be a reality if I had not taken the right path to care for my mental wellbeing.

The crux of why police were called to the young man’s residence was for a noise complaint. As a result, the police discovered a warrant from a “wellness check” that was unknown to the family. While things are different in my home state of Pennsylvania, there is the reality that things could turn out differently as a result of things being similarly different.

There is the reality that wherever you go, whether that is the police station or the psychiatric hospital, things could be really uncomfortable and unwanted. Sometimes it is not until you end up is where reality sinks in and it is too late to go back and fix the issues that you have caused whether you are autistic or not. Being autistic, we often do not stop and think before we act on the issues that we do and that is where the potential lies for being in severe consequences.

There is a harsh reality of what life is like whether it is on the psychiatric unit or in a legal capacity and that is nothing that I would ever feel comfortable being in when I am in my right mind. Over the past six years until a few months ago, reality did not sink in of how bad things could be if I did not take care of myself and it really sunk in when I became abreast of this video of how bad things could be. It showed me that even if you have a voice as this young man did, there is still an uncertainty that things will be where you need them to be.

It can start with something as simple as a noise complaint or something that other people may witness as disturbing to them as a result of my behavior that could get the trail started toward very consequential actions. I have a fairly good life, and it could be taken away in a matter of seconds by not abiding by the orders that are given to me. It is something that I am beginning to see more of the signs that I need to take care of myself deeper and be honest about caring for my mental health and wellbeing. Life outside of what is safe for us can be quite scary and dangerous. It could have a riffle effect where there could be very considerable difference of reality that we could never get the life back that we need to have to be our best selves.