Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours Among Autistic Adults Presenting to the Psychiatric Emergency Department: An Exploratory Chart Review.
Patrick Jachyra, Meng-Chuan Lai, Juveria Zaheer and 4 others
PMID 34128145WHAT IT FOUND
Half of autistic adults presenting to a psychiatric emergency department had suicidal thoughts identified only during routine screening, not as their chief complaint.
Charts showed suicidal thoughts often emerged during life transitions or interpersonal conflicts, with 62% of patients perseverating on these thoughts.
Key findings
01For 50% of the sample, suicidal thoughts and behaviours were not the presenting issue and were only identified during the mental status exam.
02Suicidal thoughts were frequently linked to interpersonal conflicts (31%) and life transitions such as starting post-secondary education or moving homes (31%).
03At the time of the emergency visit, 62% of individuals were perseverating about suicidal thoughts, plans, or previous attempts.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (16 individuals), limiting the generalisability of the findings. The study relied entirely on retrospective chart reviews, which may not capture the full clinical picture or the patient's subjective experience. The data came from a single tertiary psychiatric emergency department in Toronto, so the findings may not apply to other healthcare settings or regions. The study did not include a comparison group of non-autistic adults, so it is unclear if these presentation patterns are unique to autism.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources are declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that autistic adults will present to emergency services with suicidal thoughts as their chief complaint. Half of the patients in this study had suicidal ideation identified only through routine screening during a mental status exam, not because they volunteered the information.