|
Abstract
|
Autistic people are 7.55 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population.
Around 800,000 people lose their lives to suicide each year. The World Health Organisation propose that for every person lost to suicide, there will be 20 more attempting suicide. Autistic people are 7.55 times more likely to die by suicide than the general population. Approximately 1% of the population is Autistic, but many will remain undiagnosed1.
When you consider a relationship between Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Mental Illness, and Suicide you will not fall short for evidence relating to the psychological nature of their connection, such as the JAMA network report published this January, which states that Autistic people have a "more than 3-fold higher rate of suicide attempt and suicide than neurotypical individuals, and that over 90% of people with ASD who attempted or died by suicide had another comorbid mental health condition2. But what if we want to go deeper? Can we establish a biological explanation for why Autistic people are at such an exaggerated risk of mental illness, suicidal ideation, and death from suicide compared to the Neurotypical population?
What is Autism?
Autistic Spectrum Disorder [ASD] is a neurodevelopmental condition which affects how a person experiences the world around them, how they perceive others, and the way in which they communicate. With ASD, everything is different, and everyone is different. Due to the phenotypic heterogeneity as well as the accompanying differences in things like brain connectivity, it has been extremely hard for research to completely describe ASD neurobiology. However, promising progress is being made with identifying the molecular pathways underpinning ASD3. With the increasing success in neuroimaging data and genetic analysis, it is likely we could see breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of ASD and co-morbidities in the future.
Before exploring the biology of ASD and Suicide, we should make note of the psychiatric evidence for relationships between ASD and Mental Illness. In 2017 AUTISTICA - the UK's leading Autism research charity - partnered with the National Suicide Prevention Alliance. They produced a report wherein it was mentioned that depression is present in 30-50% of adults with Autism4. Meanwhile in a meta-analysis of 21,797 Autistic participants, 11.8% of were also diagnosed with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders5. Another large-scale meta-analysis of 26,070 people with ASD reported that the prevalence of co-morbid Anxiety Disorders was 42%. This same study also reported the lifetime prevalence of OCD within participants was 22%6.
In the UK there are approximately 500,000 adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Eight in ten of these adults will also suffer from mental illness7. From a study of 374 adults with ASD researchers found that 66% had experienced suicidal thoughts, and 35% had attempted suicide...
Available:
https://bioscientistmagazine.wordpress.com/2021/05/10/is-there-a-biological-relationship-between-austism-and-suicide/ |