Autism affects over 700,000 people in the UK (more than 1 in 100).

Hello,

I am so proud to be able to join this blog hop organized by the awesome RJ Scott. We all read statistics. Maybe not every day but we do come across them.

Autism affects over 700,000 people in the UK (more than 1 in 100). 

And then we just go on and ignore them because those numbers can't possibly affect us, right?

Well, they can. I have to be honest, my knowledge of autism is very limited. I won't give you any facts about it or just start talking about it. I want to share an experience from my life, and, I hope, it will highlight why a fact like that isn't just statistic.

The World Health Organization estimates that about 121 million people worldwide have some form of depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 14.8 million adult Americans experience clinical depression in any given year -- or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population over 18. Women are more likely to have major depression than are men. In fact, people 65 years and older commit suicide at a higher rate than the national average.

More statistics, right? The point is, judging from those numbers, the number of people suffering from this is high but surely, since the numbers are still rather huge, the chances of me being among those is rather slim, right? Wrong.

My grandfather (on my father's side) committed suicide by driving his bike into an oncoming bus when he was barely thirty. My mother has been suffering from depression from years. As a matter of fact, my best friend suffers from depression too (and we aren't releated!)

Numbers are never just numbers. They affect everyone. Just because you read 1 in a 100 is affected by autism doesn't mean you can stick your head in the sand and go lalala. If you don't know anyone affect by it, don't think this isn't any of your concern. You might not be affected by those numbers but you might fall into another category and need help.

Don't treat people as numbers. Look around your circle of friends, of acquaintances, of people you work with, and help wherever you can. Might be with something small: a smile, a cheerful hello, a cup of coffee or by lending an ear. Often the simplest gesture can make someone's day!

We are all connected. We should remember that!

Now, for something maybe a bit more cheerful. If you want to participate in a contest, all you have to do is comment below. Please do not forget to leave me your E-Mail address otherwise you might win and never know!

The winner can choose 2 e-books from my book list.

Thanks so much for stopping by - and please check out all the other posts in this blog hop too!

Anna - now, let's all ride off into the sunset, right?