Abstract

Co-occurring conditions, both psychiatric and somatic, substantially impact autistic individuals’ quality of life. Understanding the association between autism and co-occurring conditions and identifying factors that influence this association is a leading priority for autistic individuals. Across different cohort studies we explored the association between sex and co-occurring conditions using Swedish nationwide register data. We investigated sex differences in psychiatric diagnoses preceding a diagnosis of autism, their association with age at autism diagnosis and their stability post autism diagnosis. Moreover, we examined mental health problems and psychiatric hospitalization in autistic females and males aged 16 to 25 compared to nonautistic individuals. Lastly, we explored how somatic conditions in childhood (SCCs) are associated with psychiatric conditions in young adulthood (PCAs), and how psychiatric conditions in childhood (PCCs) are associated with somatic conditions in young adulthood (SCAs). I will make the case that autistic people, especially women, have considerable mental health needs.