Autism and suicide

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

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

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

Autism spectrum disorders are a band of developmental brain disorders that hinder a child's ability to communicate and interact socially. They chain 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 currency to as gamy as one in 50 children. The original 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 rescue of autism but suffered from depression, and nearly 200 whose kids had neither disorder.

The children ranged in grow old from 1 to 16, and the autism spectrum ailment cases ranged in severity. Non-autistic children with despair had the highest rate of suicidal talk and behavior, according to mothers - 43 percent said it was a emotionally upset at least "sometimes".

Among children with autism spectrum disorders, those with gloom 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 event that children with autism spectrum disorders experience 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 hubbub symptoms themselves," said Gorman, an subsidiary professor of child psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine, in Hershey. She suggested that parents stipend at hand attention to what "normal behavior" is for their child, so they can notice when a potential red flag arises, such as an flourish 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 den tied having autism to more suicidal talk or attempts, it didn't analyse that these children are more likely to commit suicide. Besides depression symptoms, bullying also seemed to be a hazard factor for suicidal behavior, the researchers found.

Kids with autism whose mothers said they were teased were three times more meet to show such behavior. And teasing was common, reported by 57 percent of mothers. That's in stripe 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 most recent findings underscore the many issues children with autism spectrum disorders face. "These are defenceless children". Johnson said she already talks with parents about the increased risks of hollow and anxiety associated with autism. As for formal screening for suicidal behavior, that might be done in some cases. But there's no common guideline on screening. Gorman said she thinks all children with autism spectrum disorders should, at some point, be screened for suicidal behavior.

It would return nous 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 possible warning signs? Gorman said therapy would depend on each child's situation, including how serious the autism is and what co-existing problems - such as depression - there might be. Johnson said that if parents are agonized about changes in their child's behavior, they should bring it up to their doctor. But she also stressed that inclination or behavior shifts could have any number of causes helpedalt.com. "My advice to parents is, don't panic".