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Psychiatric Comorbidity and Medication Use in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders volume 44, pages 3063–3071 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate comorbid psychiatric disorders and psychotropic medication use among adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) ascertained as children during a 1980’s statewide Utah autism prevalence study (n = 129). Seventy-three individuals (56.6 %) met criteria for a current psychiatric disorder; 89 participants (69.0 %) met lifetime criteria for a psychiatric disorder. Caregivers reported a psychiatric diagnosis in 44 participants (34.1 %). Anxiety disorder had the highest current and lifetime prevalence (39.5 and 52.7 %, respectively). Participants with intellectual disability (n = 94, 72.8 %) were significantly less likely to have community-based diagnoses of anxiety (χ2 = 5.37, p = 0.02) or depression (χ2 = 13.18, p < 0.001) reported by caregivers. Seventy-six participants (58.9 %) were taking ≥1 psychotropic medication. Comorbid psychiatric disorders occur frequently in adults with ASD, though identifying these disorders poses a challenge in community settings. A greater understanding of the presentation of these conditions within this population will increase assessment validity and the potential for efficacious intervention.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the individuals and caretakers who have participated in the ongoing research projects at the Utah Autism Research Program. We would like to acknowledge Drs. Riva-Ariella Ritvo and Edward Ritvo for their contribution to the original autism prevalence study and preservation of this important resource. This work was supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health R01 MH094400 and Autism Speaks. Drs. Bilder and McMahon have served as consultants to BioMarin. Dr. McMahon has a patent with Lineagen. Tara Buck, MD and Deborah Bilder, MD had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

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Author notes

  1. Tara R. Buck

    Present address: University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine, Tulsa, OK, USA

  2. Megan Farley

    Present address: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Tara R. Buck, Megan Farley, Hilary Coon, William M. McMahon, Jubel Morgan & Deborah A. Bilder

  2. Utah Autism Research Program, 650 Komas Drive, Suite 206, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA

    Joseph Viskochil & Deborah A. Bilder

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  1. Tara R. Buck
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  2. Joseph Viskochil
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  7. Deborah A. Bilder
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Correspondence to Deborah A. Bilder.

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Buck, T.R., Viskochil, J., Farley, M. et al. Psychiatric Comorbidity and Medication Use in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 44, 3063–3071 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2170-2

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Keywords

  • Autism spectrum disorder
  • Psychiatric comorbidity
  • Psychotropic medication
  • Intellectual disability