A large study from Taiwan indicates that antidepressant use could be linked to lower accidental mortality among individuals with autism, with effects varying by age and highlighting the complex relationship between medication and health outcomes.
A study from Taiwan suggests antidepressants may be linked to lower accidental death rates among people with autism spectrum disorder, although the effect appears to vary sharply by age and the findings do not show a clear overall reduction in all-cause mortality.
Researchers using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database emulated a target trial, a method designed to reduce bias in observational studies, and followed 33,939 people with autism aged 6 to 64 who were diagnosed between 2000 and 2016. Of those, 779 started antidepressants during a 3-month grace period. After accounting for immortal-time bias with cloning, censoring and inverse probability weighting, the study found no overall association between antidepressant use and all-cause or suicide mortality.
The strongest signal was for accidental deaths. According to the study, antidepressant use was associated with a lower risk of accidental mortality at 2 years and again at 5 years. The benefit was most evident in people aged 6 to 15 and those older than 24, while a separate subgroup analysis found lower 5-year suicide mortality in the 16 to 24 age group. By contrast, youths in the 6 to 24 age range showed a higher 2-year all-cause mortality risk, a result the authors said calls for caution and close monitoring.
The findings add to a wider body of research showing that people with autism face higher risks of premature death, self-harm and other serious health problems. Earlier studies have reported elevated mortality across diagnostic groups and a need for better support and earlier treatment of psychiatric conditions that often occur alongside autism. At the same time, a systematic review and meta-analysis of antidepressant and anti-anxiety medicines found mixed evidence on symptom benefit, with larger trials often showing no clear advantage over placebo, underlining how unsettled the evidence base remains.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
