Psychiatrists with autism may not recognize autism in patients as they perceive the behaviors as normal, according to a qualitative study of eight psychiatrists with autism in the United Kingdom. Participants reported difficulties recognizing autism in patients prior to identifying their own status.
"All sorts of little things that I read up about were ringing bells and I was seeing that I had milder versions of what I was seeing in my son," said a study participant.
Another said: My son "‘is quite typically … I mean the way the textbooks describe it, how autism is in men so it's not difficult to see that in him … I never entertained the possibility that it could be me, but 2 years ago … I realised that … it's always been me."
One participant was diagnosed by other colleagues and patients. "I started bumping into people, colleagues with autism and patients with autism who just said … 'you're one of us, aren't you'?"
In the study, published in BJPsych Open, researchers involved loosely structured interviews averaging 88 minutes with 8 senior psychiatrists: 6 consultants and 2 senior associate specialists. The participant group included four child and adolescent psychiatrists, with others working with older age patients, as a liaison, and in general adult psychiatry.
Among the participants, one had received an autism diagnosis in childhood, two obtained formal diagnoses as adults, and five self-identified in adulthood. Seven participants were actively practicing at the time of the study, and one was retired.
The researchers used interpretive phenomenological analysis, examining shared experiences while maintaining focus on individual perspectives.
Their analysis identified three main themes:
- Recognition of personal autism
- Identification of colleagues with autism
- Challenges in recognizing autistic patients with autism before self-identification.
Participants reported several paths to recognizing their autism, including:
- Through their children's autism diagnoses
- During medical training
- Through patient encounters
- Direct identification by patients.
Participants reported improved ability to recognize and develop rapport with patients with autism after becoming aware of their own autism. "Perceived similarities between patient and psychiatrist may act as a confounder in clinical encounters," wrote investigators.
Study limitations included the exclusion of trainee psychiatrists, and three of eight participants had formal diagnoses. Participants' professional roles in autism diagnosis and membership in Autistic Doctors International provided context for self-identification.
Two authors are part of ADI's core leadership team, from which participants were recruited. One of the authors is also a founder of AutDoc Solutions, a company offering neurodiversity training and consultancy services.
