Measuring self-harm: Two new studies investigate aspects of suicidality in autistic adults; both studies found more suicide-related behaviors in autistic people than in non-autistic people. One paper reported that, after accounting for participants’ experiences of trauma that contribute to mental health issues, people with autism were more likely to report self-harm, suicide attempts and suicide plans than those without the condition. In the other study, older autistic people (aged 65 and up) disclosed more thoughts and acts of self-harm than did those in midlife (aged 40 to 64). Further, autistic women reported significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation and self-harm than autistic men.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, help is available. Here is a worldwide directory of resources and hotlines that you can call for support.
More autism research we spotted:
- “Leveraging clinical neuroimaging to chart brain structure in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome” medRxiv
See also: “Connectivity takes U-turn in people with rare autism-linked mutations” - “Investigating the neuronal role of the proteasomal ATPase subunit gene PSMC5 in neurodevelopmental proteasomopathies” Nature Communications
