Casey Madison R, Sall Saveen, Parsons Gina, Raveendran Keerthiga, Zaheri Alexa
Department of Psychiatry, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, USA.
Cureus. 2024 Aug 29;16(8):e68129. doi: 10.7759/cureus.68129. eCollection 2024 Aug.
With the increase in autism diagnoses in recent years due to improved public and clinical awareness, the association between autism and mental health has emerged as an important issue for patients and their caregivers. Although many with autism spectrum disorder also have coexisting mental health conditions, there exist differences in the presentation and etiology of these symptoms. This case report explains an interaction with a 17-year-old adolescent autistic male with a history of mild depression who was found non-responsive in the shower at home. Although the emergency medical team interpreted the scene as an attempted suicide, after lengthy interviews with the patient and the patient's family, the psychiatry team revealed a pre-existing condition, subdural empyema, that caused him seizures. This case highlights how autism characteristics can mask other relevant clinical details and delay proper diagnosis and treatment, especially when patients are non-responsive or exhibiting atypical behavior. It also underscores the importance of investigating all relevant clinical diagnoses, including those not related to psychiatric conditions. It is vital that healthcare providers learn how to effectively communicate with autistic patients to ensure proper treatment and improve patient outcomes.
近年来，由于公众和临床意识的提高，自闭症诊断数量有所增加，自闭症与心理健康之间的关联已成为患者及其护理人员的一个重要问题。虽然许多自闭症谱系障碍患者也同时存在心理健康问题，但这些症状的表现和病因存在差异。本病例报告讲述了与一名17岁的自闭症男性青少年的一次接触，他有轻度抑郁症病史，在家中淋浴时被发现没有反应。尽管紧急医疗团队将现场情况解读为自杀未遂，但在与患者及其家人进行长时间访谈后，精神科团队发现了一个先前存在的疾病——硬膜下积脓，该疾病导致他癫痫发作。本病例突出了自闭症特征如何掩盖其他相关临床细节并延误正确诊断和治疗，特别是当患者没有反应或表现出非典型行为时。它还强调了调查所有相关临床诊断的重要性，包括那些与精神疾病无关的诊断。医疗保健提供者必须学会如何与自闭症患者有效沟通，以确保正确治疗并改善患者预后。
