“Lives in connection.” With that motto, the 3rd Asperger World Meeting of 2024 broke a taboo and put suicide at the centre of the conversation. The reason was summed up by the organizers as the day opened: autistic people, including the Asperger community, face a suicide risk up to nine times higher than the general population.
“Caring for brilliant minds”: Dr. Virna Hernández's talk
Clinical psychologist Virna Hernández, a suicide-prevention specialist, laid out the problem at its real scale. The World Health Organization considers suicide a public health problem and estimates some 730,000 deaths a year worldwide — roughly one every 40 seconds — and acknowledges that it is still surrounded by stigma, myths and under-reporting.
Her central thesis: the approach has to be twofold.
- Risk factors: previous attempts, depression, anxiety (highly comorbid in ASD), bullying, isolation, stigma, low family support, low self-esteem, social crises and migration grief.
- Protective factors: a support network, assertive communication, early identification of warning signs, integrated care and recognition of the person's strengths.
The myths to fight
“Less taboo and more awareness.” Stigma works as a form of exclusion: when the topic is hidden, the chance to prevent and intervene moves further away.
Xarifa Sarache took it one step further in her talk: stigma, once internalized, becomes self-stigma and acts as a risk factor.
Two common myths, according to the studies she cited: “only depressed people die by suicide” — depression is a factor, not a necessary precondition — and “whoever says it won't do it” — any mention must be taken as a warning sign.
Bullying: the way in
Dr. Diana Acosta, from Fundación Alumbra, shared the hardest testimony of the day: her son Juan Felipe, a young autistic man, died by suicide in 2021 after years of bullying. In the literature, bullying appears as one of the main causes of suicide in the autistic population. Dr. Andrea Villegas developed this in “Living outside the standard: bullying as a suicide risk factor in the ASD population.”
First-person testimonies
María Auxiliadora Ramírez and Margory Henríquez spoke from their own experience of having gone through suicidal thoughts and come out with professional, family and peer support. Tony Hernández Pumarejo closed with “An autistic life with purpose,” and Miguel Eduardo Dorado brought the view of faith as support.
If you or someone you know is in crisis: seek professional help immediately and do not leave the person alone. Many countries have mental health helplines; the WHO keeps an international directory of suicide-prevention resources.
The Asperger World Meeting runs on donations. Your support keeps it free.
♥ Donate with DonorBoxFrequently asked questions
Why did the 3rd Asperger World Meeting focus on suicide?
Because autistic people, including the Asperger community, have a suicide risk up to nine times higher than the general population. The 2024 edition sought to give the topic visibility, reduce stigma and offer prevention tools.
What are the main suicide risk factors in autistic people?
According to Dr. Virna Hernández: previous attempts, depression and anxiety, bullying, social isolation, stigma, low family support and low self-esteem.
What is the link between bullying and suicide in autism?
Bullying is one of the main causes associated with suicide in the autistic population. It generates depression and suicidal ideation, especially in adolescence, and it was one of the core themes of the 3rd Meeting.