Autism and suicide

Autism and suicide.
Children with autism may have a higher-than-average peril of contemplating or attempting suicide, a imaginative study suggests. Researchers found that mothers of children with autism were much more credible than other moms to authority their child had talked about or attempted suicide: 14 percent did, versus 0,5 percent of mothers whose kids didn't have the disorder. The behavior was more standard in older kids (aged 10 and up) and those whose mothers tenderness they were depressed, as well as kids whose moms said they were teased vitoviga. An autism superb not complicated in the research, however, said the observe had limitations, and that the findings "should be interpreted cautiously".

One intellect is that the information was based on mothers' reports, and that's a limitation in any study, said Cynthia Johnson, conductor of the Autism Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Johnson also said mothers were asked about suicidal and "self-harming" meeting or behavior. "A lot of children with autism give about or employ in self-harming behavior," she said. "That doesn't dismal there's a suicidal intent".

Still, Johnson said it makes faculty that children with autism would have a higher-than-normal imperil of suicidal tendencies. It's known that they have increased rates of gloominess and anxiety symptoms, for example. The pour of suicidal behavior in these kids "is an formidable one," Johnson said, "and it deserves further study".

Autism spectrum disorders are a circle of developmental brain disorders that delay a child's ability to communicate and interact socially. They series from severe cases of "classic" autism to the relatively mild cut called Asperger's syndrome. In the United States, it's been estimated that about one in 88 children has an autism spectrum disorder.

This week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised that predominance to as pongy as one in 50 children. The renewed findings, reported in the record Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, are based on surveys of nearly 800 mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder, 35 whose kids were liberal of autism but suffered from depression, and nearly 200 whose kids had neither disorder.

The children ranged in lifetime from 1 to 16, and the autism spectrum confound cases ranged in severity. Non-autistic children with bust had the highest toll of suicidal colloquy and behavior, according to mothers - 43 percent said it was a refractory at least "sometimes".

Among children with autism spectrum disorders, those with pit symptoms were at greatest risk of suicidal harangue or attempts. Overall, 77 percent of autistic children with suicidal behavior were considered to be depressed by their mothers. The results highlight the happening that children with autism spectrum disorders go through from a spread of issues other than the classic autism symptoms, said Angela Gorman, one of the study's researchers.

And "Sometimes these other things get overshadowed by the autism spectrum rumpus symptoms themselves," said Gorman, an helpmate professor of daughter psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine, in Hershey. She suggested that parents get revenge on shut attention to what "normal behavior" is for their child, so they can awareness when a potential red flag arises, such as an increase in sad moods or smarting outbursts.

So "If you have any concerns, take your child in for an determination with a psychologist or psychiatrist," Gorman said. Although the burn the midnight oil tied having autism to more suicidal talk or attempts, it didn't show that these children are more likely to commit suicide. Besides downturn symptoms, bullying also seemed to be a risk factor for suicidal behavior, the researchers found.

Kids with autism whose mothers said they were teased were three times more probably to show such behavior. And teasing was common, reported by 57 percent of mothers. That's in cable with a current read that found nearly half of US teens with autism spectrum disorders have been bullied by other kids.

Johnson agreed that these most recent findings underscore the many issues children with autism spectrum disorders face. "These are powerless children," she said. Johnson said she already talks with parents about the increased risks of dent and eagerness associated with autism. As for exact screening for suicidal behavior, that might be done in some cases, she said. But there's no prevailing guideline on screening. Gorman said she thinks all children with autism spectrum disorders should, at some point, be screened for suicidal behavior.

It would convert sense, she said, to stay until children are older, but there are no set-in-stone rules for how or when to screen. And if your sprog is showing developing warning signs? Gorman said psychotherapy would depend on each child's situation, including how harsh the autism is and what co-existing problems - such as depression - there might be. Johnson said that if parents are distraught about changes in their child's behavior, they should oust it up to their doctor. But she also stressed that disposition or behavior shifts could have any number of causes whosphil.com. "My advice to parents is, don't panic," she said.