[Self-harming behavior and suicide attempts in autism spectrum disorder: A systematic overview].

This research review found that people with autism are about three times more likely to self-harm or attempt suicide than people without autism. Women with autism are especially at risk, being 5-13 times more likely to die by suicide. People with autism who don't need as much daily support have higher suicide risk than those who need more support.

This systematic overview of meta-analyses examined self-injuring behavior and suicide risk in autism spectrum disorder. The analysis found that individuals with autism have approximately three times higher risk of self-harming behavior and suicide attempts compared to the general population. Particularly concerning, women with autism show 5-13 times higher suicide completion rates than neurotypical women. High-functioning individuals with autism demonstrated significantly higher suicide risk compared to those with greater support needs, while the latter group showed higher risk of death from medical causes.

The review aimed to help healthcare professionals and families recognize warning signs for early intervention.

Healthcare professionals should implement routine suicide risk screening for autistic individuals, with particular attention to women and high-functioning individuals. Early recognition protocols needed for self-injuring behaviors. Gender-specific and functioning-level-appropriate prevention strategies should be developed and implemented.

The abstract does not specify which meta-analyses were included, their quality assessment, sample sizes, or methodological details. No information provided about study selection criteria, geographic scope, or potential publication bias assessment.

Recent research indicates that the risk of suicide attempts in autism spectrum disorder is substantially higher than in the general population. Although a number of factors may play a role in suicide, in the present review we focused on the meta-analyses that examined self-injurious behavior and suicide attempts in autism due to the importance of these factors. Results to date suggest that the risk of self-harming behavior and suicide attempts in autism is approximately three-times higher than in the general population. Of concern, are findings that suggest that women with autism are 5-13 times more likely to complete suicide than women without autism.

It is noteworthy that the high-functioning autistic group has a significantly higher risk of suicide than the low-functioning group. By contrast, the risk of death from somatic causes is higher in the low-functioning autistic group. The results of this systematic overview of the available meta-analyses may help health care professionals, decision-makers, affected persons and their relatives to recognize self-injurious behavior and suicide risk in time, thereby facilitating prevention.