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Neurological and psychiatric disorders among autistic adults: a population healthcare record study.
- Source :
-
Psychological Medicine . Sep2023, Vol. 53 Issue 12, p5663-5673. 11p. - Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Background: Co-occurring psychiatric disorders are common in autism, with previous studies suggesting 54–94% of autistic individuals develop a mental health condition in their lifetime. Most studies have looked at clinically-recruited cohorts, or paediatric cohorts followed into adulthood, with less known about the autistic community at a population level. We therefore studied the prevalence of co-occurring psychiatric and neurological conditions in autistic individuals in a national sample. Methods: This retrospective case-control study utilised the SAIL Databank to examine anonymised whole population electronic health record data from 2001 to 2016 in Wales, UK (N = 3.6 million). We investigated the prevalence of co-occurring psychiatric and selected neurological diagnoses in autistic adults' records during the study period using International Classification of Diseases-10 and Read v2 clinical codes compared to general population controls matched for age, sex and deprivation Results: All psychiatric conditions examined were more common amongst adults with autism after adjusting for age, sex and deprivation. Prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (7.00%), bipolar disorder (2.50%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (3.02%), psychosis (18.30%) and schizophrenia (5.20%) were markedly elevated in those with autism, with corresponding odds ratios 8.24–10.74 times the general population. Depression (25.90%) and anxiety (22.40%) were also more prevalent, with epilepsy 9.21 times more common in autism. Conclusions: We found that a range of psychiatric conditions were more frequently recorded in autistic individuals. We add to understanding of under-reporting and diagnostic overshadowing in autism. With increasing awareness of autism, services should be cognisant of the psychiatric conditions that frequently co-occur in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *PSYCHIATRIC epidemiology
*PUBLIC health surveillance
*NEUROLOGICAL disorders
*NOSOLOGY
*RETROSPECTIVE studies
*CASE-control method
*MENTAL health
*COGNITION
*SOCIAL isolation
*COMPARATIVE studies
*AUTISM
*DESCRIPTIVE statistics
*RESEARCH funding
*ELECTRONIC health records
*LONGEVITY
*ODDS ratio
*LONGITUDINAL method
*COMORBIDITY
*DISEASE complications
*ADULTS
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00332917
- Volume :
- 53
- Issue :
- 12
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Psychological Medicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 171833745
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291722002884