Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148:1705-1707
Copyright © 1991 by American Psychiatric Association
Comorbid association of autism and schizophrenia
FR Volkmar and DJ Cohen
Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510.
OBJECTIVE: In the last several decades, considerable evidence has suggested
that autism and schizophrenia are unrelated. However, recent reports have
suggested that individuals with autism may be at greater risk for
schizophrenia and that the conditions may be more closely related than
generally believed. METHOD: The authors examined detailed case records of
163 adolescents and adults with well-documented histories of autism. These
cases included 139 males and 24 females. RESULTS: Only one individual had
an unequivocal history of schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: If the present study
group is taken to be representative, it appears that the frequency of
schizophrenia among autistic patients (0.6%) is roughly comparable to the
frequency of schizophrenia in the general population. It does not appear
that the two conditions are more commonly observed together than would be
expected on a chance basis; therefore, the current (DSM-III-R) approach to
dual diagnosis of these conditions appears reasonable.
