Follow
STATES CHRONICLE – Struggling with any form of disease or disorder that doesn’t manifest any physical symptoms can be one of the most challenging things in a person’s life. This is, of course, available for some physical conditions, but it’s rarely as prominent as in mental issues. And there are many reasons as to why that’s so.
First of all, people are still people. So bullying, misbelief, and lack of awareness are a day to day issue for most people struggling with mental disorders. And this has to stop, as it leads to many unfortunate circumstances that could easily be prevented. In their decades-long fight against prejudice and misinformation, United States authorities urge people to go blue for the World Autism Day.
Instituted almost a decade ago, in 2007, by the United Nations, April 2nd is meant to raise awareness about the mental disorder and to raise funds for research. Coincidentally, it comes just two days after March has ended; a month designated Developmental Disabilities Month in 1987 by Ronald Reagan.
A great many number of businesses, organizations, and landmarks will “Light It Up Blue” in order to raise awareness about the condition. Many events will be held in order to raise funds and to raise awareness, with many American states and worldwide cities will do their best to promote knowledge about the disorder.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, somewhere around one in 68 children is identified with an autism spectrum disorder is the United States. Meanwhile, on a global scale, one in 160 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum according to the World Health Organization.
And sadly, many things about the condition warrant clarification. Few people actually understand what a spectrum disorder is, so they assume that all people suffering from autism manifest in the same way. Instead, the condition can be far more varied and manifest in many different ways for many different people.
While it mostly revolves around social issues, communication issues, and repetitive behaviors, the manifested symptoms affect different abilities, pose different challenges, and hit people at widely varying severities. This is why autism spectrum disorders are so often misdiagnosed.
Raising awareness about the condition is pretty much a must, especially after the disturbing results of a study published last month. According to the Swedish and British researchers, some of those affected by more severe forms of autism die about thirty years earlier than the average population mostly due to seizures, while those affected by milder forms die on average some eighteen years earlier, with suicide as the leading cause of death.
Image source: Flickr
