Adults with Asperger Syndrome are at Higher Risk of Having Suicidal Thoughts: Study

People suffering from Asperger syndrome have high risk of having suicidal thoughts, a new study by the Cambridge University shows.

Asperger syndrome is a developmental disorder and falls under autism spectrum. People with AS have difficulty communicating with other people and responding to social cues.  

The study was based on data from 374 individuals diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. The participants were diagnosed with the condition as adults between 2004 and 2013 at the Cambridge Lifetime Asperger Syndrome Service (CLASS) clinic in Cambridge UK and around 256 of them were men.

Researchers found that there was 66 percent higher risk of Asperger syndrome patients having suicidal thoughts as compared to general population (17 percent) and people with psychosis (59 percent). The data on suicidal behavior in people with psychosis was taken from other databases.

"Our findings confirm anecdotal reports that adults with Asperger Syndrome have a significantly higher risk of suicide in comparison to other clinical groups, and that depression is a key risk factor in this," said Dr Sarah Cassidy, Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge.

Researchers found that 66 percent or about two-third of Asperger syndrome participants had thought about committing suicide, while a third or 35 percent had attempted suicide. People with depression plus Asperger syndrome were more likely than others to think about ending their lives.

Depression along with Asperger syndrome raised suicide ideation risk by four times and suicide attempt risk by two times, researchers said.

"Adults with Asperger Syndrome often suffer with secondary depression due to social isolation, loneliness, social exclusion, lack of community services, under-achievement, and unemployment. Their depression and risk of suicide are preventable with the appropriate support. This study should be a wake-up call for the urgent need for high quality services, to prevent the tragic waste of even a single life," Simon Baron-Cohen, Autism Research Centre at the University of said in a news release.

A secondary risk factor for suicidal thoughts in this group was a higher level of autistic traits, researchers said.

The study was funded by the Three Guineas Trust, the Baily Thomas Foundation, the Medical Research Council and others. It is published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry.