Screening for autism spectrum disorder in adult psychiatric outpatients in a clinic in Taiwan.
Patients with adult autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continue to suffer from impairment in socialization and communication skills, and a proportion of them may develop psychiatric symptoms. It is thus likely that physicians in adult psychiatric departments may see a number of patients with ASD. Identification of patients with ASD is helpful and important for rehabilitation. This study estimated the prevalence of ASD among adult psychiatric outpatients in a Taiwanese medical center. A total of 660 patients were screened with Nylander and Gillberg's "Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adult Screening Questionnaire." Patients with high scores then underwent a diagnostic clinical interview conducted by child psychiatrists. Four patients (0.6%) were found to have ASD.
Chang
Hsueh-Ling
HL
Department of Child Psychiatry, Chang Gung Children Hospital, Republic of China, Kewi-Shan, Taiwan. chang0687@adm.cgmh.org.tw
Juang
Yeong-Yuh
YY
Wang
Wei-Ti
WT
Huang
Ching-I
CI
Chen
Ching-Yen
CY
Hwang
Yu-Shu
YS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology