In 2021, the Netherlands Autism Register conducted research on suicide in people with autism. Questions in the annual NAR questionnaire were used to examine the experiences of people with autism and thoughts of suicide.
Research on suicide and suicidal thoughts
The survey found that 80% of the participants have had some experience with thoughts of suicide. Of this 80%, 38.7% made a plan and 15% actually attempted suicide. In contrast, 8% of those without autism had ever had thoughts of suicide.
We found that the presence of second diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder, feelings of loneliness, and a greater number of autistic traits were associated with experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings. For those who had experienced these suicidal thoughts in the past month, we found that having (multiple) diagnoses of psychiatric disorders and a greater number of autistic traits were associated with more severe and frequent thoughts of suicide in the past month. Our findings show that additional factors should be considered in autistic individuals when assessing suicide risk, and it brings us one step closer to understanding why suicide is more common in autistic people.
All publications on this study can be found below.
Are you thinking about suicide, or are you worried about someone else? Talking helps and can be done anonymously via the chat at 113.nl or by phone at 113 or 0800-0113.
