Citation

Anckarsäter H, Nilsson T, Saury JM, Råstam M, Gillberg C. Nord. J. Psychiatry 2008; 62(2): 160-167.

Affiliation

The Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden. henrik.anckarsater@neuro.gu.se

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/08039480801957269

PMID

18569781

Abstract

What do we know about the prevalence and the specific features of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) among subjects in forensic psychiatry and special youth centres? A clinical case series consisting of 42 subjects with ASD, recruited from three well-characterized populations in forensic psychiatry and special youth care, was used to determine: 1) the prevalence of ASD in these institutions (at least 13%), 2) the distribution of diagnostic criteria in this special population (mostly social interaction and communication problems, few or atypical flexibility problems), 3) the degree of comorbidity (the rule rather than the exception), 4) neuropsychological test profiles (lowered IQ with uneven profiles), 5) types of crimes and offences (very heterogeneous, often stress-related with dissociated features), 6) mental health care needs (high), and 7) special clinical features (especially expressions of flexibility deficits in non-classical areas and proneness to dissociation). This descriptive study indicates that ASD is a clinically relevant problem among forensic populations that has to be considered in diagnostics, assessments of needs and treatment planning.

Language: en