Psychiatric comorbidity and medication use in adults with autism spectrum disorder.

Ellingsen et al. (2014) looked at medical charts of adults with autism spectrum disorder. They counted how many had a second mental-health diagnosis and how many took psychiatric drugs.

The sample included adults with both autism and intellectual disability. The team wanted real-world numbers, not lab data.

About 57 out of every 100 adults with autism also met criteria for a current psychiatric disorder. Anxiety topped the list.

Nearly 59 out of every 100 were on at least one psychotropic medicine. The study shows high overlap of autism, mental-health conditions, and medication use.

Lugnegård et al. (2011) saw the same pattern earlier in Asperger syndrome: 70% had faced major depression and 50% had anxiety disorders. R et al. widen the lens to the whole autism spectrum and add medication data.

Guisso et al. (2018) later compared UK medical records. They found UK adults with autism were prescribed psychotropics at only one-third the US rate seen in R et al. The gap warns you that prescribing culture, not just need, drives numbers.

Cummings et al. (2024) updated the picture. Among adults receiving their first autism diagnosis, half were already on psychiatric meds, mostly antidepressants or stimulants. Taken together, the studies trace a timeline: many adults arrive medicated, stay medicated, and may be medicated more in the US than in the UK.

High comorbidity plus high drug use means you must screen every adult with autism for anxiety, depression, and other conditions. Ask about medicines at intake and at each review. Coordinate with prescribers, especially when clients also have intellectual disability, because their symptoms are easy to miss. Use the UK data to question whether each prescription is needed or just habitual.