Cited by 432Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchDown syndrome and intellectual disability research

Suicidal ideation and suicide plans or attempts in adults with Asperger's syndrome attending a specialist diagnostic clinic: a clinical cohort study

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Cassidy, Sarah, Bradley, Paul, Robinson, Janine, Allison, Carrie, McHugh, Meghan, Baron-Cohen, Simon·2014·The Lancet Psychiatry

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Asperger's syndrome in adulthood is frequently associated with depression, but few studies have explored the lifetime experience of self-reported suicidal ideation and suicide plans or attempts in this clinical group. We aimed to assess this prevalence in a clinical cohort of patients in the UK. METHOD: In a clinical cohort study, we undertook a retrospective analysis of clinical survey data from adults newly diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome at a specialist diagnostic clinic between Jan 23, 2004, and July 8, 2013, in England. Patients completed a self-report questionnaire before clinical assessment, recording lifetime experience of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide plans or attempts, along with self-reported measures of autistic traits and empathy. We compared the rate of suicidal ideation in the sample with published rates of suicidal ideation in the general population and other clinical groups. We also assessed associations between depression, autistic traits, empathy, and likelihood of suicidal ideation and suicide plans or attempts. FINDINGS: 374 adults (256 men and 118 women) were diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in the study period. 243 (66%) of 367 respondents self-reported suicidal ideation, 127 (35%) of 365 respondents self-reported plans or attempts at suicide, and 116 (31%) of 368 respondents self-reported depression. Adults with Asperger's syndrome were significantly more likely to report lifetime experience of suicidal ideation than were individuals from a general UK population sample (odds ratio 9·6 [95% CI 7·6-11·9], p<0·0001), people with one, two, or more medical illnesses (p<0·0001), or people with psychotic illness (p=0·019). Compared with people diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome without depression, people with Asperger's syndrome and depression were more likely to report suicidal ideation (p<0·0001) and suicide plans or attempts (p<0·0001). INTERPRETATION: Our findings lend support to anecdotal reports of increased rates of suicidal ideation in adults with Asperger's syndrome, and depression as an important potential risk factor for suicidality in adults with this condition. Because adults with Asperger's syndrome often have many risk factors for secondary depression (eg, social isolation or exclusion, and unemployment), our findings emphasise the need for appropriate service planning and support to reduce risk in this clinical group. FUNDING: The Three Guineas Trust, the Baily Thomas Foundation, the Medical Research Council, NIHR-CLAHRC-EoE, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), and the Autism Research Trust.

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  • Suicidal ideation (66%) and suicidal behaviour (35%) were common among autistic adults.

    “In line with high depression prevalence, suicidal ideation (66%) and suicidal behaviour (35%) were also common among autistic adults (Cassidy et al., 2014).”

    From Diagnosis of autism in adulthood: A scoping review (2020) · cites this paper as Cassidy et al., 2014

    The Discussion reports 66% lifetime suicidal ideation and 35% lifetime planned or attempted suicide. Those figures come from adults with Asperger’s syndrome attending a specialist diagnostic clinic, not autistic adults generally. The 35% also includes plans, so it cannot be described solely as suicidal behaviour. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  • Studies most commonly discussed depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders, comparing autistic adults with the general population and/or adults who were assessed but not diagnosed with autism.

    “Studies most commonly discussed depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders, comparing autistic adults with the general population (e.g. Cassidy et al., 2014; Kanai, Iwanami, Hashimoto, et al., 2011) and/or adults who were assessed but not diagnosed with autism (e.g. Happé et al., 2016; Wilson et al., 2016).”

    From Diagnosis of autism in adulthood: A scoping review (2020) · cites this paper as Cassidy et al., 2014

    The Results (page not provided) compare suicidal ideation in adults with Asperger’s syndrome with a general UK population sample. The paper also examines depression and uses people with psychotic illness as a comparison group, but its primary outcome is suicidality; it does not study anxiety or compare rates of depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorders with the general population. The comparison with adults assessed but not diagnosed with autism is attached to other citations, not Cassidy et al. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Among adults newly diagnosed with AS (n=355), 32% reported a history of depression, 66% suicidal ideation, and 35% suicide plans or attempts.

    “32% reported a history of depression, 66% suicidal ideation, 35% suicide plans or attempts.”

    From Diagnosis of autism in adulthood: A scoping review (2020) · cites this paper as Cassidy et al. (2014)

    The table in Statistical analyses reports 32% with a history of depression, 66% with suicidal ideation, and 35% with suicide plans or attempts. But the Results identify 374 newly diagnosed adults; 355 is the number for whom informants were available, not the cohort size. The denominators also differ across the three survey questions. (LLM, conf=0.91)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Autistic people have high rates of suicide.

    “have increased vulnerability to mental ill‐health (Lai et al., 2019), including high rates of suicide (Cassidy et al., 2014; Kirby et al., 2019).”

    From Annual Research Review: Shifting from ‘normal science’ to neurodiversity in autism science (2022) · cites this paper as Cassidy et al., 2014

    The Discussion reports high lifetime rates of suicidal ideation (66%) and suicide plans or attempts (35%) among adults with Asperger’s syndrome attending a specialist clinic. It does not establish a high rate of death by suicide, and its clinical cohort does not represent all autistic people. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Autistic people are at substantially higher risk of suicidality and mental illness than others.

    “One group at substantially higher risk of suicidality and mental illness are autistic people [10, 11].”

    From A 'choice', an 'addiction', a way 'out of the lost': Exploring self-injury in autistic people without intellectual disability (2019) · cites this paper as [10]

    The Results report substantially higher lifetime suicidal ideation in adults diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at a specialist clinic than in a general UK population sample. The Introduction describes high rates of depression in this group, but the paper does not establish a higher risk of mental illness generally, or extend its clinical-cohort findings to all autistic people. Page numbers are not available for these passages in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  1. WHO. The ICD-10 classifi cation of mental and behavioural disorders: clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines (Vol. 1). Geneva: World Health Organization, 1992.

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Authors
Cassidy, S., Bradley, P., Robinson, J., Allison, C., McHugh, M., & Baron-Cohen, S.
Affiliations
  • University of Cambridge (GB)
  • Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
Corresponding author
Cassidy, Sarah
Venue
The Lancet Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2014-07
Volume
1
Issue
2
Pages
142-147
ISSN
2215-0366 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2126021938
Cited by
432
References
30
Citations by year
2026: 33 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 65 · 2019: 44 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 3
FWCI
21.30
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The Lancet Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Repository@Nottingham (University of Nottingham) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Coventry University Open Collections (Coventry university) (submittedVersion)
  • The Open Collections (Coventry University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institute for Health and Care Research
  • Medical Research Council
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Down syndrome and intellectual disability research
Keywords
Asperger syndrome, suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, suicide planning, depression, autistic traits, empathy, suicide risk factors, social isolation, unemployment, social exclusion, secondary depression, psychiatric comorbidity

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