Mental health in autistic adults: key stages in the journey from experiencing psychological distress to recovery

Background: Autistic people are more likely to experience mental health difficulties than non-autistic people, yet they are less likely to access formal support. This study explored autistic adults' experiences of poor mental health at three key stages: at onset; at the stage of seeking and obtaining support; and after recovery.

Methods: Twelve autistic adults who had experienced, but were no longer experiencing, poor mental health, participated in a semi-structured interview. Their responses were analysed using thematic analysis clustered around the three stages of this journey.

Results: In terms of participants’ first experience of poor mental health, findings confirm previous research highlighting social isolation as the main trigger for poor mental health, and also as a consequence. Participants also reported having difficulty recognising the symptoms and using self-help strategies. When seeking support participants reported not knowing how to seek support, seeking support from family, having difficulty communicating their need for support or not knowing what support to ask for, and having to ask for support more than once. After recovery, participants felt more confident and experienced improved psychological awareness. However, some participants still felt uncertain of what support they would seek if they experienced poor mental health again.

Conclusions: This study identifies the need to develop tailored interventions at key stages in the journey to poor mental health. We propose a multifaceted approach that focuses on the prevention of social isolation, the promotion of mental health literacy for autistic adults and their families, and improving recognition of symptoms and nonverbal communication of poor mental health in families and professionals.