ABSTRACT

We aimed to reassess the psychosocial difficulties, psychiatric diagnosis and follow-up period from childhood through adolescence of Asperger disorder cases.

We reevaluated the files of five cases (four boys, one girl) between 13-17 years of age who had been up for theree to seven years. The psychiatric diagnosis and psychosocial adjustment levels during the last six months were re-evaluated by psychiatric interview. The severity of illness was evaluated with Clinical Global Impression Scale/Violence, and the improvement level with Clinical Global Impression Scale/Recovery.

We found that in adolescence, social adjustment problems, affective symptoms and impulse control problems were dominant in the cases. The psychiatric diagnosis were major depressive disorder (n=2), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (n=1), obsessive compulsive disorder (n=1), bipolar disorder (n=1); psychotropic medications were antidepressants (n=3), antipsychotics (n=3), methyphenidate (n=1), and mood stabilizator (n=1). The cases benefited from psychopharmacological medication and psychological arrangements.

Psychiatric comorbidity is among the factors that affect psychological adjustment in Asperger disorder. Social adjustment problems were found to have increased and additional psychiatric disorders occurred or the existing disorders became more severe in all 5 cases. Affective disorders, disruptive behavior disorders and anxiety disorder have often been seen in our cases as compatible with the literature.