Autism And Suicide

Autism And Suicide.
Children with autism may have a higher-than-average hazard of contemplating or attempting suicide, a recent study suggests. Researchers found that mothers of children with autism were much more likely than other moms to approximately 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 plain in older kids (aged 10 and up) and those whose mothers touch they were depressed, as well as kids whose moms said they were teased. An autism maven not involved in the research, however, said the study had limitations, and that the findings "should be interpreted cautiously".

One mind is that the information was based on mothers' reports, and that's a limitation in any study, said Cynthia Johnson, captain of the Autism Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Johnson also said mothers were asked about suicidal and "self-harming" bunk or behavior. "A lot of children with autism hokum about or engage in self-harming behavior. That doesn't mean there's a suicidal intent".

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

Autism spectrum disorders are a place of developmental brain disorders that hinder a child's ability to communicate and interact socially. They rank from severe cases of "classic" autism to the relatively mild form 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 primacy to as intoxication as one in 50 children. The inexperienced findings, reported in the journal Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, are based on surveys of nearly 800 mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder, 35 whose kids were untie of autism but suffered from depression, and nearly 200 whose kids had neither disorder.

The children ranged in life-span from 1 to 16, and the autism spectrum kurfuffle cases ranged in severity. Non-autistic children with despondency had the highest rate of suicidal talk and behavior, according to mothers - 43 percent said it was a question at least "sometimes".

Among children with autism spectrum disorders, those with unhappiness symptoms were at greatest risk of suicidal talk or attempts. Overall, 77 percent of autistic children with suicidal behavior were considered to be depressed by their mothers. The results highlight the incident that children with autism spectrum disorders go through from a range 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 discompose symptoms themselves," said Gorman, an aid professor of child psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine, in Hershey. She suggested that parents reimburse away attention to what "normal behavior" is for their child, so they can notice when a potential red flag arises, such as an spread in sad moods or angry outbursts.

So "If you have any concerns, take your child in for an evaluation with a psychologist or psychiatrist". Although the review tied having autism to more suicidal talk or attempts, it didn't authenticate that these children are more likely to commit suicide. Besides depression symptoms, bullying also seemed to be a endanger factor for suicidal behavior, the researchers found.

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

Johnson agreed that these modern development findings underscore the many issues children with autism spectrum disorders face. "These are helpless children". Johnson said she already talks with parents about the increased risks of cavity and anxiety associated with autism. As for formal screening for suicidal behavior, that might be done in some cases. But there's no all-embracing guideline on screening. Gorman said she thinks all children with autism spectrum disorders should, at some point, be screened for suicidal behavior.

It would come to sentiment to wait until children are older, but there are no set-in-stone rules for how or when to screen. And if your child is showing capability warning signs? Gorman said therapy 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 fretful about changes in their child's behavior, they should bring it up to their doctor. But she also stressed that temper or behavior shifts could have any number of causes vitoviga. "My advice to parents is, don't panic".