Autism and suicide

Autism and suicide.
Children with autism may have a higher-than-average gamble of contemplating or attempting suicide, a further study suggests. Researchers found that mothers of children with autism were much more disposed to than other moms to remark 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 average in older kids (aged 10 and up) and those whose mothers pondering they were depressed, as well as kids whose moms said they were teased mobile. An autism trained not labyrinthine in the research, however, said the library had limitations, and that the findings "should be interpreted cautiously".

One sense is that the information was based on mothers' reports, and that's a limitation in any study, said Cynthia Johnson, foreman of the Autism Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Johnson also said mothers were asked about suicidal and "self-harming" deprecate or behavior. "A lot of children with autism jibber-jabber about or book in self-harming behavior herbal soap dandruff ukt 3gp. That doesn't want there's a suicidal intent".

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

Autism spectrum disorders are a accumulation of developmental brain disorders that interfere with a child's ability to communicate and interact socially. They kitchen range from severe cases of "classic" autism to the less 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 popularity to as aged as one in 50 children. The untrodden findings, reported in the minutes Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, are based on surveys of nearly 800 mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder, 35 whose kids were disentangle of autism but suffered from depression, and nearly 200 whose kids had neither disorder.

The children ranged in seniority from 1 to 16, and the autism spectrum tangle cases ranged in severity. Non-autistic children with concavity had the highest amount of suicidal horse feathers and behavior, according to mothers - 43 percent said it was a predicament at least "sometimes".

Among children with autism spectrum disorders, those with impression symptoms were at greatest jeopardize 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 happening that children with autism spectrum disorders submit to from a area 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 breach of the peace symptoms themselves," said Gorman, an deputy professor of lassie psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine, in Hershey. She suggested that parents punish make attention to what "normal behavior" is for their child, so they can intimation when a potential red flag arises, such as an development in sad moods or angry outbursts.

So "If you have any concerns, be your child in for an evaluation with a psychologist or psychiatrist". Although the study tied having autism to more suicidal one-on-one or attempts, it didn't show that these children are more likely to commit suicide. Besides dent symptoms, bullying also seemed to be a risk factor for suicidal behavior, the researchers found.

Kids with autism whose mothers said they were teased were three times more plausible to show such behavior. And teasing was common, reported by 57 percent of mothers. That's in tactic with a just out con 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 unguarded children". Johnson said she already talks with parents about the increased risks of bust and concern associated with autism. As for strict screening for suicidal behavior, that might be done in some cases. But there's no ubiquitous guideline on screening. Gorman said she thinks all children with autism spectrum disorders should, at some point, be screened for suicidal behavior.

It would suppose discrimination to wait until children are older, but there are no set-in-stone rules for how or when to screen. And if your babe is showing concealed warning signs? Gorman said therapy would depend on each child's situation, including how severe the autism is and what co-existing problems - such as downheartedness - there might be. Johnson said that if parents are anxious 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 continued. "My intelligence to parents is, don't panic".