1 Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Psychiatry Unit, University of Pisa, Italy.
2 §IRCCS Stella Maris, Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Calambrone (Pisa), Italy.
CNS Spectr. 2014 Apr;19(2):157-64. doi: 10.1017/S1092852913000941. Epub 2013 Dec 19.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) include a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders with early onset in childhood. ASDs should be considered lifelong clinical entities, although there is a certain variability in developmental trajectories, and therefore should be considered of great interest also for adulthood psychiatrists. A few studies have been carried out to explore the clinical picture and course development of these disorders during adulthood, or their relationship with other mental disorders. Indeed, ASDs often share overlapping features with other disorders, such as schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive, mood, and personality disorders, and as a result misdiagnoses often occur. The aim of this review is to summarize the available literature on ASDs in adulthood with a specific focus on the clinical picture, course, and psychiatric comorbidity. It is proposed that a careful diagnostic screening for ASDs in adults would contribute to clarifying the relationship with comorbid psychiatric disorders, while improving the possibility of treatment and outcome of such conditions.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）包括一组具有儿童期早期发病的异质性神经发育障碍。ASD 应被视为终身的临床实体，尽管在发育轨迹上存在一定的可变性，因此也应该引起成年精神病医生的极大关注。已经进行了一些研究来探索这些障碍在成年期的临床特征和病程发展，或它们与其他精神障碍的关系。事实上，ASD 通常与其他障碍（如精神分裂症和强迫症、情绪和人格障碍）具有重叠的特征，因此经常会出现误诊。本综述的目的是总结关于成年 ASD 的现有文献，特别关注临床特征、病程和精神共病。有人提出，对成年人进行 ASD 的仔细诊断筛查将有助于阐明与共患精神障碍的关系，同时提高这些疾病的治疗和预后的可能性。
