Autism, in a decade there has been a "jump" in cases between 15 and 39 years of age but answers are lacking

Who will care for autistic children once they become adults, and what responses are already being given to those diagnosed late? It's a tense issue, as writer Daniele Mencarelli recalled in his investigative book "No Tu No. What Happens to a Country if Health Isn't for Everyone" (published by Il Sole-24Ore). "What politicians fail to understand is that within twenty years, health will be the country's greatest emergency, also in the face of new disorders such as neurodevelopmental disorders," warns Mencarelli. "In Italy, we have 700,000 families living with autism, and within 20 years, we will have 700,000 adults who will represent a civil and economic liability for this country. We must start thinking about all this today."

The issue isn't unique to Italy; even in our country, we lack early diagnosis, consistent and appropriate responses, and, above all, a long-term vision. Family associations like ANGSA and autism experts are well aware of the extent of the problem, but today a global analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health , has shed light on the "silent crisis" of autism in adulthood. For decades, the efforts of doctors and scientists to combat autism have focused almost exclusively on children. Significantly insufficient attention is paid to autistic children who become young adults, or to adults who discover their condition late.

Between 1990 and 2021, the global number of people aged 15-39 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) jumped from 17.52 million to 24.13 million. This increase is certainly linked to population growth and improved diagnostic capacity, but, as experts from the Italian Society of Psychiatry (SIP), who are addressing the topic at their 50th congress underway in Bari, explain, "requires a dramatic reflection on the inadequacy of support provided to this segment of the population."

As Liliana Dell'Osso, president of the Italian Society of Psychiatry (SIP) and full professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pisa, points out, "Autism isn't just a childhood condition; it's a lifelong condition. Autistic children become adults, and autism itself often remains invisible until adulthood. In many cases, these hidden forms emerge only in the face of stressful situations or significant changes, especially in women, who learn early on to mask their communication and relationship difficulties through camouflage strategies." These factors "hamper the diagnostic process and, consequently, the care of adults with autism," adds Emi Bondi, outgoing president of the Italian Society of Psychiatry (SIP) and head of the Mental Health Department at the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo.

The data from the new study highlight a critical situation, especially in the 30-39 age group, where the sharpest increase in disability was recorded (+56%). "This phenomenon," explains Antonio Vita, vice president of the Italian Society of Psychiatry (SIP) and professor of Psychiatry at the University of Brescia, "supports the hypothesis of a 'second peak' of difficulties for people with autism, occurring in adulthood when school support is exhausted and the challenge of entering the workforce, achieving independence, and navigating complex adult social relationships becomes more pressing." In Italy, it is estimated that people on the autism spectrum represent at least 1% of the population, a total of approximately 500,000 individuals, but we do not have specific data on how many adults there are.