The Mental Health Crisis Of Autistic Men with Kieron Lee

Why is there so much stigma for mental health in Autistic men? Is body dysmorphia an issue for men? What support can Autistic people get at University?

TW: Mental health, ED, SH, and light mentions of SUI

Kieron Lee (@mr.kieronlee) is an Autistic music artist, Autism advocate under Anna Kennedy OBE, JAAQ content creator, and collaborator with Born Anxious. His first single NYN, touched on his experiences of relationships as an Autistic man, and is hopeful for the success of his upcoming album ACRONYMS. Kieron has had a lot of experience with mental health as an Autistic man and seeks to share the more stigmatised sides of men's mental health on the podcast.

My Links - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thomashenleyUK⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ // Kierons Website - https://www.mrkieronlee.org.uk/

Dbud Noise Cancelling Adjustable Ear Buds (20% Off with code: THOUGHTYAUTI) - ⁠https://dbud.io/thoughtyautipodcast⁠

Priory Group did a recent study on mental health in men, which highlighted some concerning statistics:

40% of the polled men have never spoken with anyone about their mental health

40% of the polled men said it would take thoughts of SUI or SH to get them to seek support

With the diagnosis rate of mental health conditions being 19.5%, it could be thought that men are more resilient to mental illness, but with 75% of registered SUI's in the UK in 2020 being from men... we may need to make a greater effort to support men and destigmatise mental illness.

Thomas Henley kicks off the episode by talking to Kieron Lee about his lifelong affinity to music and all the complex elements of sound that bring him joy. Diagnosed at a VERY young age, Kieron talks about the autism stigma carried by the older generations and how his framing of Autism turned from negative to positive in his adult life.

You would think that Universities would be proactively supporting disabled and Autistic students in our modern day, but both Thomas' and Kieron's experiences seek to challenge this assumption. Accommodations are to be identified and fought for by Autistic students, and in Kieron's case getting said support, it's not always followed up on or enforced by the University staff.

Kieron Lee touches on his experiences as an empath and how Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria has impacted his pursuits in the workplace and in love. They speak on the differences in processing trauma as autistic people, and how this process can often be prolonged and intense for us. Addiction and SH played a large role in Kieron's way of coping with mental illness as a young adult but has since made strides in finding positive outlets in the form of creativity.

Opening up about ED, Thomas shares his experience with body dysmorphia and low self-esteem, and how he sought to offset his social difficulties with superficial improvements. Both agree on the heavy stigmatisation, lack of support, or campaigns around both ED and mental illness in men, with Kieron