The global burden of suicide mortality among people on the autism spectrum

Abstract

We aimed to quantify the risk, mortality, and burden of suicide among autistic persons. We searched PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO on 5th April 2023 for sources reporting the relative risk (RR) of suicide or suicide attempt among autistic persons (PROSPERO registration: CRD42021265313). 

Autism spectrum prevalence and suicide mortality and years of life lost (YLLs), were sourced from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. RRs pooled via meta-regression and health metrics estimates were used to estimate the excess suicide mortality and YLLs among autistic persons. We sourced 983 unique studies of which ten studies met inclusion criteria, consisting of 10.4 million persons. The pooled RR for suicide for autistic persons was 2·85 (95% UI: 2·05–4·03), which was significantly higher for autistic females than autistic males. 

No evidence of publication bias was detected via inspection of funnel plot and Egger's test. Globally, we estimated 13 400 excess suicide deaths among autistic persons in 2021, equating to 1·8% of all suicide deaths and 621 000 excess YLLs. Studies were limited in number and geographical coverage. 

Effective suicide prevention strategies for autistic persons may substantially reduce the fatal burden of suicides globally and reduce the health burden experienced within this population.