A national profile of substance use disorder among Medicaid enrollees on the autism spectrum or with intellectual disability.
Anne M Roux, Sha Tao, Steven Marcus and 2 others
PMID 35367189WHAT IT FOUND
Substance use disorder prevalence rose fastest among Medicaid enrollees with autism between 2008 and 2012.
Depression doubled the risk of substance use disorder across all groups. Cannabis was the most common substance for those with autism, while alcohol dominated for those with intellectual disability.
Key findings
01The prevalence of substance use disorder increased by 46% in the autism and intellectual disability group and 36% in the autism-only group between 2008 and 2012, outpacing the 19% and 23% growth seen in other groups.
02Individuals with a co-occurring diagnosis of depression had more than double the risk of substance use disorder compared to those without other psychiatric conditions, regardless of their disability status.
03Cannabis abuse was the most frequent type of substance use disorder among those with autism only, occurring in 41% of cases, whereas alcohol abuse was most frequent among those with intellectual disability only.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The results are only generalizable to Medicaid enrollees, excluding those with private insurance or no insurance. The data relies on insurance claims, which likely underdiagnose substance use disorder, meaning the true prevalence is probably higher. The study could not account for the severity of autism or intellectual disability. The data is from 2008-2012, so it may not reflect current trends, especially regarding the opioid crisis.
Declared interests
The research was supported by the U.S. Government, Public Health Service, and Non-U.S. Government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that because substance use disorder prevalence is lower in people with autism or intellectual disability than in the general Medicaid population, the risk is negligible. The prevalence is rising fastest in these groups, and the data likely underreports actual cases due to diagnostic coding practices.