ABSTRACT
This chapter presents data from a study with 19 young adults with Asperger syndrome (AS). It explores the theme of self-reliance among young people with mental health problems and presents a view that draws on the experiences of these young adults with AS. The chapter discusses how self-reliance can be a product of how autism is understood and be a response to an ambivalence about available support. It develops accounts of 'neurotypical' youths that link self-reliance to a resistance to 'being defined in terms of mental health problems'. The chapter explores how mental distress is conceived as part of or in relation to AS. It addresses what this understanding means for how distress is managed. Silence around mental distress can reinforce non-help seeking. There is an acknowledged need for evidence of how young adults with AS experience support, including support that is targeted at improving their understanding of AS and support aimed at helping them with mental health.
