Adults with Asperger's Syndrome at Higher Risk for
Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
Depression and Suicidal Thoughts
Transition into adulthood for people with Asperger’s syndrome
is often accompanied by a lack of support services, and poor outcomes in terms
of health and social difficulties, quality of life, limited occupational
potential, social exclusion and isolation, and high rates of depression. Adults with Asperger syndrome are much more likely
to think about and attempt suicide than those in the general population,
according to a study published in The
Lancet Psychiatry.
In a clinical cohort
study, researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical survey data
from adults newly diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at a specialist diagnostic
clinic in England. Patients completed a self-report questionnaire
before clinical assessment, recording lifetime experience of depression,
suicidal ideation, and suicide plans or attempts, along with self-reported
measures of autistic traits and empathy. The researchers compared the rate of
suicidal ideation in the sample with published rates of suicidal ideation in
the general population and other clinical groups. They also assessed
associations between depression, autistic traits, empathy, and likelihood of
suicidal ideation and suicide plans or attempts.
The study found that the lifetime experience of suicidal
ideation for adults with Asperger’s syndrome was more than nine times higher
than in the general population in England and significantly higher than rates
previously reported in other clinical groups with medical and psychiatric
conditions. Among adults with
Asperger’s syndrome, those with depression were four times more likely to have
suicidal thoughts and twice as likely to plan or attempt suicide, compared to
those without depression. Those who planned or attempted suicide also had a significantly
higher level of self-reported autistic traits than those who did not.
According to study
co-leader Dr. Sarah Cassidy, of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University, these findings lend support to anecdotal reports of increased rates
of suicidal ideation in adults with Asperger’s syndrome, and depression as an
important potential risk factor for suicidality in adults with this condition.
Because adults with Asperger’s syndrome often have many risk factors for
secondary depression (e.g., social isolation or exclusion, and unemployment),
the findings emphasize the need for awareness and appropriate service planning
and support to reduce risk in this group of individuals.
Cassidy, S., Bradley, P.,
Robinson, J., Allison, C., McHugh, M., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2014). Suicidal
ideation and suicide plans or attempts in adults with Asperger’s syndrome
attending a specialist diagnostic clinic: a clinical cohort study. Lancet
Psychiatry, 1, 142–47.
Lee A. Wilkinson, PhD, is a licensed and nationally
certified school psychologist, and certified
cognitive-behavioral therapist. He is author of the award-winning
books, A Best Practice Guide to Assessment and
Intervention for Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Schools and Overcoming Anxiety and Depression on the
Autism Spectrum: A Self-Help Guide Using CBT. He is also
editor of a text in the APA School Psychology Book
Series, Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and
Adolescents: Evidence-Based Assessment and Intervention in Schools. His latest book is A Best Practice Guide to Assessment and
Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools (2nd Edition)