ArticleAutism : the international journal of research and practice2019
'People like me don't get support': Autistic adults' experiences of support and treatment for mental health difficulties, self-injury and suicidality.
Article in Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 171 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
171 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 386 citations in OpenAlex.
- Brief Report: Single-Session Interventions for Mental Health Challenges in Autistic People: An (Almost) Empty Systematic Review.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Post-diagnostic support for adults diagnosed with autism in adulthood in the UK: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2025Pooled it
- Mental Health Professionals' Experiences of Adapting Mental Health Interventions for Autistic Adults: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2024Pooled it
- Risks Associated With Undiagnosed ADHD and/or Autism: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review.Journal of attention disorders · 2023Pooled it
- The relationshipbetween anxiety and social outcomes in autistic children and adolescents: A meta-analysis.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of suicidality in autistic and possibly autistic people without co-occurring intellectual disability.Molecular autism · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Anxiety, repetitive and restricted behaviors and interests, and social communication in autistic adults: an exploratory analysis of a phase 3, randomized clinical trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Secondary effects of dialectical behaviour therapy on social functioning, quality of life, and autism traits in autistic adults with suicidality.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2025Trial
- Self-guided mindfulness and cognitive behavioural practices reduce anxiety in autistic adults: A pilot 8-month waitlist-controlled trial of widely available online tools.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2020Trial
- Experiences of Suicide Prevention Interventions and Supports for Autistic Adults: Perspectives of Autistic Adults, Family Members and Clinicians.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- 'Being Autistic is Kind of Who You Are, It's an Identity Rather than a Disorder': Identity Negotiation and Construction Among Autistic Adults Diagnosed in Later Life.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Transcendent Spirituality and Psychological Flexibility Among Adults on the Autism Spectrum in the United States.Journal of religion and health · 2026Article
- The Transition to Mental Health Services From the Perspectives of Neurodivergent Young People, Caregivers and Mental Health Professionals: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Approach.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- What Is Phenomenology For? Applications in Autism Mental Health and a Pragmatist Criterion of Success.Psychopathology · 2026Review
- Patient and public involvement and engagement in co-designing guidance for mental health professionals supporting neurodivergent children and young people in child and adolescent mental health services.Research involvement and engagement · 2026Article
- Therapy and Antidepressant Use in 8- to 29-Year-Old Autistic Medicaid Enrollees With Depression.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Article
- The Meaning of Autism Friendly in Hospital Settings: A Scoping Review of the Autism Community's Perspectives.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- 'She's so knowledgeable about autism': autistic women and birthing people's experiences of specialist perinatal mental health teams.BJPsych open · 2026Article
- Exploring Patterns of Self-Harm in Autistic Adults Using the Card Sort Task for Self-Harm.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Article
111 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Autistic people are at high risk of mental health problems, self-injury and suicidality. However, no studies have explored autistic peoples' experiences of treatment and support for these difficulties. In partnership with a steering group of autistic adults, an online survey was developed to explore these individuals' experiences of treatment and support for mental health problems, self-injury and suicidality for the first time. A total of 200 autistic adults (122 females, 77 males and 1 unreported) aged 18-67 (mean = 38.9 years, standard deviation = 11.5), without co-occurring intellectual disability, completed the online survey. Thematic analysis of open-ended questions resulted in an overarching theme that individually tailored treatment and support was both beneficial and desirable, which consisted of three underlying themes: (1) difficulties in accessing treatment and support; (2) lack of understanding and knowledge of autistic people with co-occurring mental health difficulties and (3) appropriate treatment and support, or lack of, impacted autistic people's well-being and likelihood of seeing suicide as their future. Findings demonstrate an urgent need for autism treatment pathways in mental health services.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.