Co-morbidity

In one of his books, Gillberg says that 80% of children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism will develop psychiatric disorders during puberty. He mentions disorders like depression, psychosis, schizophrenia.

A report from one of Norway's leading centers on autism reports has a report on the issue. Part 2.4 of the report deals with co-morbid disorders and sum up the research on the prevalence of different co-morbid disorders. However, the research results are not unanimous;

1) ADHD - Between 38% and 50% of those with AS/HFA mets the criteria for ADHD.
2) Depression - 4%-41%
3) Bipolar Disorder - 6%-27%
4) Tics/Tourettes - 6%-20%.
5) Anxiety - 13,6%-50% have general anxiety. 4%-14% have separation anxiety. 7%-23% have phobias.
7) OCD - 1,5%-25% meets the criteria, although as much as 50% have symptoms.
8) Schizophrenia - The risk is assumed to be the same as the general public.
9) Schizoid disorder and other paranoia disorders - No clear connection.
10) Personality disorders - Can resemble AS/HFA
Aggression - 13% had a morbid fascination with violence, but fewer that the average of the US population had committed acts of violence
12) Other
a) Eating disorders as anorexia, compulsive eating, compulsive drinking, purging, tirual eating and pica (appetite for earth and other non-foods). No known connection.
b) Sleep disorders affect many. Often noticeable before 8 years of age.
c) Gender identity problems - greater risk, but there are often sensory issues behind problems with gender identity.
d) Little to no knowledge on drug use.

In his book, The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome, Tony Atwood argues that other disorders, like depression, is not a problem until the child becomes aware that it is not like the other children. It's not there until the child starts to feel left out during playtime, and the 'otherness' continues to grow more and more till children reaches puberty. AS children are often behind their NT-peers when it comes to flirting and 'noticing the other sex', and it is during this time (when all children are more vulnerable) that AS children feel even more left out. Having normal to above normal IQ, AS kids are very aware that they are different and in their struggle to fit and be like any other kid, they are prone to develop depression.

Myself, I have been depressed for as long as I can remember. Most of my childhood memories are from situations where it, once again, became apparent that I did not fit in, that I was not like the other girls in my class. I didn't fit in with them and I didn't fit in with the boys. I was somewhere in the middle, trying my best to be liked by both groups. I failed. The girls shut me out from their little groups and the boys called me names for, I guess, trying to hard to be liked. This lasted through jr. high.

Once in high school, things got better, but I still had problems making friends, and I was still depressed. My depression was not apparent to myself, that is; I didn't think that I was depressed. It was not something I was aware of. It just was.

During all of my years in school, there have been days where I've stayed home due to the depression combined with the anxiety of meeting people and having to be friendly and social. There have been days where I've been so drained due to excessive social contact that I cannot dread another day where I have to 'make social'. It's been easier to stay in bed. This wasn't just in high school, but during elementary school as well. No one did anything about it. Every year I've had too many days of absence. Nothing was ever done about it. Not by my parents and not by the school. Maybe if someone had stopped and asked why, the AS could have been picked up on earlier, and I could have had it easier. But at the same time, I'm not sure what I would have preferred.

Since no one noticed I'm in a place I might not have been if I had received the diagnosis earlier. If I had been diagnosed in elementary school there might not have been the same expectations when it came to school work, etc, but I could also have had it easier now and not been described as lazy. I'm not lazy, I'm just scared of not coping!