Thursday, 25 July 2019
In the hope of answering an ‘urgent need’ for tailored assessment and treatment pathways in mental health services for autistic people, a team of experts at the ÌÇÐÄÔ´´ are calling for adults (18+ years) to help with an .
Our research has found that there are currently no tools available to assess depression,suicidal thoughts and suicidal behaviours in autistic people. This means that service providers are not able to appropriately assess depression or suicidality in autistic adults, making it difficult for autistic people with these difficulties to access treatment and support.
In partnership with the autistic community, the team has adapted two widely used measures of depression, and suicidal thoughts and suicidal behaviours to make the questions more clear and relevant for autistic people. They want to find out how well the adapted tools work for autistic adults, and if these new tools are also useful for non-autistic adults too.
Dr Cassidy said: “We are asking both autistic people and non-autistic adults to complete these adapted measures. This will help us learn if our new measures work for autistic and non-autistic people.”
Earlier this year a team from the ÌÇÐÄÔ´´, and the , led by Dr Cassidy, published research - ‘.
Working with a steering group of autistic adults their findings demonstrated an urgent need for autism pathways in mental health services. It was the first study of its kind to explore autistic adults experiences of treatment and support for these difficulties.
Now they are looking for adults aged 18 years and over, to take part in a . You can take part if you are autistic, suspect you are autistic (but not yet diagnosed), or if you are not autistic. The team needs a wide variety of people to take part. You can take part if you have or have not experienced of mental health problems, self-injury or thoughts of ending life, to take part.
The research project is funded by the (ESRC).
For more information about the study or to take part, please follow this link:
If you have any questions about the research, please contact Dr Sarah Cassidy and her team by email: lp-mhautism@nottingham.ac.uk
Story credits
More information is available from Dr Sarah Cassidy, in the School of Psychology at the ÌÇÐÄÔ´´, on +44 (0) 115 9513470 lp-mhautism@nottingham.ac.uk or Lindsay Brooke or Jane Icke, Media Relations Managers for the Faculty of Science at the ÌÇÐÄÔ´´, on +44 (0)115 951 5751, lindsay.brooke@nottingham.ac.ukor jane.icke@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the ÌÇÐÄÔ´´
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the ÌÇÐÄÔ´´ delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what’s next and create positive impact locally and globally.
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