![]() ![]() Families of autistic patients are more likely to make frequent primary care visits, thus, primary care physicians play an important role in diagnosis, and prompting early intervention for depression-especially for patients and families who may not seek psychiatric care. Screening for depression is essential for early detection and treatment. A prospective study over a period of 1–5 years investigating psychiatric comorbidities in autistic youths aged 6 to 20 years reported that 42% had experienced an increase in expression of suicidal behaviors from childhood to adolescence, and of the 30% that suffered from major depressive disorder (MDD), 20% exhibited severe suicidal behavior or had attempted suicide. Conclusionsįuture studies should improve on the validity and reliability of existing depression screening tools, or develop more appropriate screening methods of depression, for autistic youths.ĭepression is a common comorbid psychopathology in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The PHQ-9 displayed low sensitivity with high false negative rates at conventional, adjusted and proposed cutoffs. Parents rated depressive symptoms severity lower than their children. Areas under the ROC curve and statistically optimal cutoffs were determined. Mean total PHQ-9 scores, percentage ratings for severity of symptoms of depression, functional impairment, dysthymia and suicidality were compared. One hundred one youth, mean (SD) age 14.6 (2.3), were enrolled. MDD was verified using the MINI-Kid (Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Kid version). Participants completed the respective self- and parent-rated PHQ-9 independently. MethodsĮnglish speaking youths aged 10–18 years, with DSM-IV/DSM-5/ICD-10 diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and their parents presenting to a child psychiatric service were invited to participate between May 2018 to August 2020. The study examines the validity of the PHQ-9 for detecting major depressive disorder (MDD) in autistic youths. The Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ-9) is a brief screen for depression. Early detection is essential for timely treatment. Autistic adolescents have greater predisposition to depression and suicidality than neurotypical adolescents. ![]()
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