mental health

71% of autistic adults in England aren't getting the support they need. This could mean up to 327,000 autistic adults aren’t getting help to do things other people take for granted, like socialising, managing money, or getting out and about.

In 2016, the UK government launched a groundbreaking drive to reduce the use of psychotropic drugs for people with autism and learning disabilities. But recent figures show that while prescribing rates for antipsychotics have fallen since the campaign’s launch, antidepressants, hypnotics, and stimulants have all risen.

The first scientific study of compensatory strategies — techniques to camouflage autism — has been published.

Reasonable adjustments are adaptations and accommodations that should, in theory, minimise disadvantages faced by disabled people in education, employment, and housing, as well as services such as shops, hospitals, and banks. Darren Devine discusses how reasonable adjustments could look for people with a learning disability - but how far can they address health inequalities? 

MSP Daniel Johnson found his life to be chaotic and difficult to cope with. Now diagnosed with ADHD, he understands the symptoms that have affected him since he was a child. Speaking to Darren Devine, he reflects upon how receiving a diagnosis - and appropriate medication - has changed his life.  

Grainne Eloi, Interim Head of Mental Health Services at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, discusses how new technology reduces unnecessarily long hospital stays.

The Care Quality Commission has pledged to review restrictive interventions (restraint, prolonged seclusion, and segregation) in a variety of settings.

The largest in-depth study of cognitive abilities in people with Down’s syndrome means that clinical trials for preventing Alzheimer's disease may be possible. 

Explores whether CBT can be adapted and used effectively for people with learning disabilities.