Abstract
BackgroundComplementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is widely used both in the general population and for the treatment of somatic and psychiatric disorders. Studies on CAM use among patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have so far only focused on children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate patterns of CAM use among adults with ASD.MethodsA questionnaire survey concerning current and lifetime use of CAM was distributed to adults with ASD between November 2015 and June 2016. Participants diagnosed by experienced clinicians using the current diagnostic gold standard were recruited from four ASD outpatient clinics in Germany. Questionnaire data was then linked to supplementary clinical data.ResultsThe final sample consisted of 192 adults (response: 26.8%) with a mean age of 31.5 years (80% male; diagnoses: Asperger’s syndrome (58%), childhood autism (27%), atypical autism (12%)). 45% of the respondents stated that they were currently using or had used at least one CAM modality in their life. Among the participants with lifetime CAM use, almost half had used two or more different types of CAM. Alternative medical systems (e.g. homeopathy, acupuncture) were most frequently used, followed by mind-body interventions (e.g. yoga, biofeedback, animal assisted therapy). Overall, 20% of respondents stated that they would like to try at least one listed CAM modality in the future.ConclusionsThis is the first study on CAM use in adults with ASD, demonstrating considerable CAM use in this population. Given the popularity of CAM, patients should be informed about the effectiveness and potentially dangerous side effects of CAM treatments, as evidence for the majority of CAM methods in ASD is still limited.
Highlights
The term “Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)” denotes a heterogeneous group of diverse medical and health care practices that are not considered to be part of conventional health care systems [1]
CAM therapies are used for the treatment of many physical as well as mental disorders, and especially those of a more chronic nature, e.g. cancer, asthma, depression or autism spectrum disorders (ASD) [10]
Regarding the classification of ASD diagnoses in this study, it should be noted that, unlike the DSM-5, the ICD-10 has not incorporated the concept of autism as a “spectrum disorder”, and offers different diagnostic categories for patients with autism (e.g. “atypical autism” (F84.1), which is equivalent to Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) in DSM-IV (299.80))
Summary
The term “Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)” denotes a heterogeneous group of diverse medical and health care practices that are not considered to be part of conventional health care systems [1]. Complementary medicine is typically defined as nontraditional practices that are used together with conventional medicine, The utilisation of CAM is widespread, both in healthy individuals and those with somatic or psychiatric disorders. Compared to the general population, the utilization of CAM is higher amongst individuals with these disorders [4, 5, 7, 11,12,13,14]. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is widely used both in the general population and for the treatment of somatic and psychiatric disorders. Studies on CAM use among patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have so far only focused on children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate patterns of CAM use among adults with ASD
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