Autistic Traits and Illness Trajectories

Abstract

In the framework of increasing attention towards autism-related conditions, a growing number of studies have recently investigated the prevalence and features of sub-threshold Autistic Traits (ATs) among adults. ATs span across the general population, being more pronounced in several clinical groups of patients affected by psychiatric disorders. Moreover, ATs seem to be associated with specific personality features in non-clinical population, implying both a higher vulnerability towards psychopathology and extraordinary talents in specific fields. In this framework, the DSM-5’s Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presentations may be considered as the tip of an iceberg that features several possible clinical and non-clinical phenotypes. Globally, the autism spectrum may be considered as a trans-nosographic dimension, which may not only represent the starting point for the development of different psychopathological trajectories but also underlie non-psychopathological personality traits. These different trajectories might be shaped by the specific localization and severity of the neurodevelopmental alteration and by its interaction with the environment and lifetime events. In this wider framework, autistic-like neurodevelopmental alterations may be considered as a general vulnerability factor for different kinds of psychiatric disorders, but also the neurobiological basis for the development of extraordinary abilities, eventually underlying the concept of geniality. Moreover, according to recent literature, we hypothesize that ATs may also be involved in the functioning of human mind, featuring the peculiar sense of “otherness” which can be found, with different grades of intensity, in every human being.

Investigating the Relationship between Autistic Traits, Ruminative Thinking, and Suicidality in a Clinical Sample of Subjects with Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder

“…However, different patterns of association between autistic symptoms and suicidality were highlighted in the two disorders. In line with previous studies that stressed a possible neurodevelopmental basis for all psychiatric conditions, it might be hypothesized that different kinds of neurodevelopmental alterations may lead to different phenotypes of autism spectrum, in both quality and severity, shaping the different manifestations of psychiatric conditions [ 14 , 65 ]. Further studies should address the presence of specific patterns of autistic traits in different mental disorders, and how it might affect psychopathological trajectories and clinical outcomes.…”

“…Autistic traits were firstly noticed and investigated among parents of children with ASD, leading to the conceptualization of a Broad Autism Phenotype (BAP) [ 6 , 7 ], and further stressing the presence of a continuum between clinical and subthreshold manifestations of the autism spectrum even from a genetic and neurobiological point of view [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. On the other hand, autistic traits have been reported, as highlighted by several studies, not only in first-degree relatives of individuals with ASD, but also in other high-risk groups from the general population and in subjects affected by other psychiatric disorders [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Recent findings stressed the importance of recognizing and addressing autistic traits even with subthreshold due to their possible impact on quality of life [ 5 ].…”

Camouflaging: psychopathological meanings and clinical relevance in autism spectrum conditions

“…From this point of view, camouflaging may change a deficit in an efficient tool for competing with others and reaching better, eventually extraordinary, results. 17,18 How Common is Camouflaging Among the General Population and How Much in Autism-Related Conditions?…”

Subthreshold Autism Spectrum in a Patient with Anorexia Nervosa and Behçet’s Syndrome

“…This clinical picture should be globally considered in light of the most recent hypotheses in the field of psychopathology, which suggest the possible presence of a neurodevelopmental alteration at the basis of different kinds of psychiatric conditions [45][46][47]. According to this conceptualization, while the specific severity and timing of the neurodevelopmental alteration and its interaction with the environment may determine different psychopathological trajectories, a common feature of this "neurodevelopmental continuum" would be a higher vulnerability towards traumatic or stressful events during lifetime [45][46][47]. This perspective may shed more light on the altered, often autisticlike, premorbid functioning reported in psychiatric patients suffering from different kinds of disorders (AN, mood disorders, and schizophrenia) [13,[48][49][50] as is the case of Mr. XY.…”