Adults with autism face a significantly higher likelihood of being hospitalized for mental health issues, with over one-third of their hospital admissions linked to such conditions, a new study reveals.
Published in the June issue of Research in Autism, the findings shed light on critical gaps in mental health support for this population.
Led by Jessica E. Rast, Ph.D., of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute at Drexel University in Philadelphia, the research analyzed data from the 2019 National Readmission Database.
The team examined national rates of mental health hospitalization (MHH) and 30-day all-cause readmissions among adults with autism, as well as those with intellectual disability (ID), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other mental health conditions.
Key results showed that 36% of all 2019 hospital admissions for adults with autism were MHHs, with schizophrenia being the most frequent cause. Among those admitted initially for mental health reasons, 17% were readmitted within 30 days for any cause.
Notably, readmission rates were higher for adults with both autism and ID (25%) compared to those with autism alone (15%). Female adults with autism also had a slightly elevated readmission rate (20%) versus their male counterparts (16%), with an odds ratio of 1.30.
Across all groups, an initial diagnosis of schizophrenia was tied to a 37% higher risk of readmission (odds ratio, 1.37).
“The high rates of mental health hospitalizations and readmissions we found should push us to investigate and improve systems that are failing autistic individuals with mental health needs,” Rast stated.
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