Autism Linked to Mental Illness of Parents

Parents of children with autism are twice as likely to have been hospitalized for a psychiatric condition than parents of children without autism. Moreover, mothers of autistic children are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression or personality or neurotic disorders.

The findings of this study published in the May issue of the Journal of Pediatrics could lead to a better understanding of autism and it sources helping to guide experts toward more effective treatment and prevention of the developmental disorder. Epidemiologist Julie Daniels, of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, analyzed health records of the parents of 1,237 Swedish children with autism born between 1977 and 2003 who had been diagnosed with autism before the age of 10, and found that these parents were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with schizophrenia as parents of children who didn't have autism. The autistic children were compared to 30,925 kids who were matched in gender, age and hospital of birth. Seventy-seven per cent of the children involved in the study were boys.

According to Daniels, "Establishing an association between autism and other psychiatric disorders might enable future investigators to better focus on genetic and environmental factors that might be shared among these disorders." She also noted "Earlier studies have shown a higher rate of psychiatric disorders in families of autistic children than in the general population."

The findings of the study suggest that people diagnosed with either schizophrenia or autism frequently have the same rare genetic mutations. According to studies of early childhood brain development of people with autism and schizophrenia, acceleration of brain development occurs from birth to age 3.

Autism is a neuropsychiatric disorder that impairs social interaction and communication, and causes restricted and repetitive behavior, all starting before a child is three years old. The cause of autism is not known, but researchers believe that several genes and possibly environmental factors may contribute. There are some autism advocates who believe childhood vaccinations play a role but most medical experts disagree.

The children in the study had a diagnosis of autism disorder, Asperger Syndrome or pervasive developmental disorder. Asperger Syndrome is a form of autism characterized by patients exhibiting extensive knowledge of a specific interest. Pervasive developmental disorder symptoms include impairments in social interaction, imaginative activity, communication skills (verbal and non-verbal), as well as a limited number of interests and activities that are repetitive.

The study also found that mothers of autistic children were 1.7 times as likely to have been diagnosed with depression or personality or neurotic disorders whereas this was not the case for their fathers. This could be due to the burden of caring for these special needs children as no other research has shown a between autism and depression.

Judith Rapoport, head of child psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health is one of several researchers who have found common genes in schizophrenia and autism. She said that in adults, the symptoms of autism and schizophrenia are often so similar that even trained psychiatrists are confused. Only since 1980 has the psychiatric community formally recognized autism in the Manual of Mental Disorders. Prior to this time, the diagnosis was called "schizophrenic reaction, childhood type label."

The authors of the study wrote, "These results support those of smaller studies that indicated an increase in psychiatric conditions among parents of children with autism, specifically schizophrenia, neurotic disorders and depression. Identifying families with a propensity for rare psychiatric conditions may help uncover rare genes that contribute to the susceptibility of both disorders."

The results of the study may not be easily generalized as the study looked only at children and parents who had received a diagnosis during a hospitalization and therefore involving severe cases of the disorder. However, the findings do suggest a familial predisposition for autism.