Comorbidity of Asperger Syndrome: a Preliminary Report

by M. Ghaziuddin, E. Weider-Mikhail and N Ghaziuddin (1998) Jr. of Intellectual Disability Research, 42, 279-283.

“This preliminary report describes the occurrence of psychiatric disorders in a series of patients with AS diagnosed according to the ICD-10/DSM-IV criteria. Out of 35 patients, mean age 15.1 years, 23 patients (65%) presented with symptoms of an additional psychiatric disorder at the time of evaluation or during the 2-year follow-up. Children were most likely to suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, while depression was the most common diagnosis in adolescents and adults.” (p. 279)

“None of the patients was given a diagnosis of schizophrenia” (p. 280)

“From a clinical standpoint, these findings indicate that children with a diagnosis of ADHD who present with social difficulties should be carefully screened for AS, while adolescents and adults with AS should be examined for comorbid depression.”

“It is possible that children with AS are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD.” (p. 281)