Autism linked to Parents Mental illness

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Registered: 11-05-2004
Autism linked to Parents Mental illness
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Mon, 05-05-2008 - 3:40pm
What do you all think about the article released today linking autism to children born to a parent with schizophrenia or certain other mental illnesses?

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Registered: 06-25-2003
Mon, 05-05-2008 - 4:03pm

ScienceDaily (May 5, 2008) — Parents of children with autism were roughly twice as likely to have been hospitalized for a mental disorder, such as schizophrenia, than parents of other children, according to an analysis of Swedish birth and hospital records by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher and colleagues in the U.S. and Europe.

"We are trying to determine whether autism is more common among families with other psychiatric disorders. 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," said study author Julie Daniels, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the UNC School of Public Health's epidemiology and maternal and child health departments.

"Earlier studies have shown a higher rate of psychiatric disorders in families of autistic children than in the general population," she said. "We wanted to see if the parents of autistic children were more likely to be diagnosed with mental disorders.

"Our research shows that mothers and fathers diagnosed with schizophrenia were about twice as likely to have a child diagnosed with autism. We also saw higher rates of depression and personality disorders among mothers, but not fathers," Daniels said.

This information will help researchers look among related diseases, such as psychiatric disorders, for causes of autism, Daniels said. "It may eventually help identify opportunities to prevent or treat the disorder."

The study examined 1,237 children born between 1977 and 2003 who were diagnosed with autism before age 10, and compared them with 30,925 control subjects matched for gender, year of birth and hospital. The large sample size enabled researchers to distinguish between psychiatric histories of mothers versus fathers in relation to autism. The association was present regardless of the timing of the parent's diagnosis relative to the child's diagnosis.

The study, "Parental psychiatric disorders associated with autism spectrum disorders in the offspring," appears in the May 5, 2008, issue of the journal Pediatrics.

Coauthors of the study include Ulla Forssen, Ph.D., GlaxoSmithKline epidemiologist, Collegeville, Pa.; Christina Hultman, Ph.D., Sven Cnattingius, M.D., Ph.D. and Par Sparen, Ph.D., all of the department of medical epidemiology and biostatistics at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; David Savitz, Ph.D., director of the Center of Excellence in Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Disease Prevention, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York; and Maria Feychting, Ph.D., Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

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That was the version of the article I found. There are many version of it out on the Net already.

I find this interesting in that it relates to an inherited cause for Autism -which we all knew. I also find the timing interesting. If the children were born in 1977-2003, then those parents were probably born in the 1940s to the 1980s; -back when Autism was considered "very rare". Back in the day Autism was often misdiagnosed as schizophrenia. Therefore, I wonder how many of those parents are in fact on the Spectrum, and not "mentally ill" at all?

Remember Autism was not an official diagnosis in the US until the 50s or 60s (I think) and Asperger's was not a recognised diagnosis until 1996 (or was it '94?). When were these diagnoses recognized in Sweden, I wonder?

I can't help but think back to Donna William's autobiography. They thought she was schizophrenic initially. She even quoted some medical book she found while on her own journey of self-discovery: "Autism is not to be mistaken for schizophrenia..." That doesn't mean it never was.

I question these results. I bet that a large majority of these parents -were they born today, would be diagnosed as ASD, not schizophrenic. It's just yet another attempt to give Spectrum parents a bad name. Unfortunately, -given the huge amount of press it has received already -that will probably work

-Paula


visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2005
Mon, 05-05-2008 - 4:37pm

I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, my family is definitely represented in that article. My now-deceased MIL had classic schizophrenia (hearing voices of God & Satan instructing her to do various things). She also had many other quirks that in hindsight we recognize was probably autism. MIL only child, dh, has AS. Before we knew dh had AS, he'd been treated for depression and panic attacks. We have four kids. Two very clearly look and behave like dh, two very clearly look and behave like my side of the family. Of the two that take after dh, both are AS.

On the other hand, as much as I recognize genetics playing a role in autism for some people, genetics is clearly not the only reason for the dramatic increase in autism. It also doesn't explain autism among families who don't have a family history of autism. I think the research exploring the various reasons for autism is helpful, but I wish the news articles would indicate that there are various reasons rather than one day saying autism is a result of this, and the next day saying autism is a result of that, especially when it involves mental illness. To me, it kind of dismisses autism as a mental illness, which it clearly isn't.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 05-05-2008 - 5:27pm

Well, I am a mom of a spectrum kid who has recurring depression.

                                

Avatar for betz67
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 05-05-2008 - 8:15pm

"opportunities to prevent or treat the disorder"

My knee jerk reaction is that the general public will have a knee jerk reaction "Let's prevent all mothers with mental disorders from conceiving and bearing children" that'll take care of 75% of the problem and "then we can screen all newborns or children in-utero and "take care of the rest". The general public doesn't want to deal w/ the problem-- just make it go away.

We don't really have mental illnesses or psychiatric disorders on either side of the family-- just quirky people-- and yet, I have an autistic son. Several of my cousins have kids on the spectrum and Dh has other genetic issues on his side.

Betsy

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Registered: 04-28-2007
Mon, 05-05-2008 - 11:01pm

OK my first calm reaction is....
...ARE YOU FRIGGIN" KIDDIN" ME??!!!!!

I have to back me old pal Paula up on this one. Mental illness is such a misunderstood and misdiagnosed issue, I think the article in question is difficult at best to swallow.

I have heard of the the "is there bipolar/schizophrenia in the family?" question before but I do wonder whether my Granddad who was Chief City Engineer for Cork city in Ireland and who later on used alcohol to self medicate was in fact a high strung aspie as opposed to the un-dx bp/mental patient that other family members have labelled. Don't get me wrong he was an awful sob, but I still wonder. How much of the sob would be present after EI and various other strategies.

Then that brings in Liam's co-morbid dx; I have often wondered how much is separate and how much is an all in one package. Today I treat each symptom as it comes, but the fact that he has all these dx (ASD/ADHD/BP-NOS)......I know they all stem from the same place, and most probably autism.

I suffer from a mood-disorder, but I look back and see the ADH dx I would have received if I'd been born 15 years later. I think there is no separation, where you have one neurological, trust me there are others to follow. More and more they are interactive rather than co-morbid separates.

Dee

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iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2001
Mon, 05-05-2008 - 11:03pm

I think it is more likely that exposure to medications given during pregnancy that might be given for psychiatric disorders can cause autism.


iVillage Member
Registered: 11-28-2006
Mon, 05-05-2008 - 11:29pm

When I look at all of the dx's my family and extended family has had, it's no wonder my kids have what they have.


My Grandfather had epilepsy and I was told spent some time in a mental hospital so I'm positive some other things were going on with him.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-28-2006
Mon, 05-05-2008 - 11:30pm

ooops and I forgot my oldest dd as she was dx-d with ADHD and Borderline Personality Disorder (I think they were wrong) but add the OCD and sensory issue's to boot.


Tony and I actually think she is bi-polar tho.


Lainie

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Registered: 07-23-2004
Mon, 05-05-2008 - 11:44pm

I did not have depression until after my ASD son was born.


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Registered: 03-28-2003
Tue, 05-06-2008 - 10:10am

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