Characteristics of Individuals Diagnosed With Autism Have Changed Since 2010

TUESDAY, Nov. 10, 2026 (HealthDay News) — In the United Kingdom and in Sweden, the characteristics of individuals diagnosed with autism have changed since 2010, according to a study published online Nov. 3 in BMJ Mental Health.

Aws Sadik, M.P.H., M.B., B.Chir., from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and colleagues calculated the annual age-standardized incidence and prevalence of adult autism diagnoses within different sociodemographic groups using U.K. primary care records from 2010 to 2023 and Swedish population-wide register linkages from 2010 to 2021.

The study included 24,537,039 adults in the United Kingdom, including 141,119 with an autism diagnosis, and 9,096,874 adults in Sweden, including 100,817 with an autism diagnosis. The researchers found that in both nations, incident diagnoses increased fastest for 16- to 20-year-olds and females, as well as for people in White ethnic groups in the United Kingdom and people with Swedish-born parents in Sweden. There was a consistent decline in the proportion of adults with autism with a prior diagnosis of epilepsy, psychosis, and intellectual disability over time, as well as an increase in the proportion with a prior diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, and several other mental illnesses. Between 2010 and 2023, the prevalence of a history of epilepsy decreased from 10 to 4 percent in the United Kingdom among those with newly recorded autism, while the prevalence of a history of anxiety increased from 28.7 to 58.3 percent. Between female and male individuals, trends were generally consistent.

“The changes observed in this study have implications for planning mental health and social care support,” the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to law firms and AlphaSights.

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