A study conducted using a clinical sample of Turkish adolescents with autism found that these people have a higher rate of suicidality than others (Demirkaya, Tutkunkardas, & Mukaddes, 2016). By suicidality, the authors mean that Turkish autistic adolescents have a higher rate of suicidal thoughts, declarations, and behaviors. The suicidality rate for the participants in the study was 29%, with the most common expression of suicidality being suicidal behaviors (43.7%), followed by suicidal thoughts (37.5%) and declarations (18.7%).
While the rate of suicidality for Turkish autistic adolescents (29%) is only barely higher than the rate of the general population of Turkey (25.6%), the rate of suicide attempts (12.7%) is almost three times higher than the rate of suicide attempts for Turkish adolescents generally (4.5%) (Demirkaya et al., 2016). For Turkish autistic adolescents, a family history of attempted or completed suicide and psychotic disorders (such as schizophrenia) increases the likelihood of suicide attempts. For these reasons, those with autism are especially at risk.(See below for more information about the Demirkaya et al. (2016) study.)
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Further Information About the Study:
Methods
This study examined the medical records of 55 adolescents (six of whom are girls, 49 of whom are boys) with high-functioning autism. The ages of the participants ranged from 7 to 20 years. Using the criteria from the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Eskin’s Suicide Screeing Questionnaire, and data reported by the patient’s doctors, the researchers formed a detailed history of the participant’s suicidal behaviors and performed a clinical assessment (Demirkaya et al., 2016).
Limitations
The study by Demirkaya et al. (2016) has several important limitations. Because the participants were all referred by doctors and were under regular psychiatric care, they are not representative of all autistic adolescents. Furthermore, the autistic adolescents were not compared to a control group of non-autistic adolescents. Additionally, the clinicians did not assess other potential factors related to the suicidality of the participants, such as the severity of their autism and whether they were victims of bullying. Despite these limitations, this study provides an important start to understanding the correlation between autism and suicidality in Turkey and helps to reveal an important population in need of attention from clinicians.