‘I did not think they could help me’: Autistic adults’ reasons for not seeking public healthcare when they last experienced suicidality (Hall, 2025)
Procyshyn TL; Moseley RL; Marsden SJ; Allison C; Parsons T; Cassidy S; Pelton M; Weir E; Chikaura T; Hodges H; Mosse D; Hall I; Owens L; Cheyette J; Crichton D; Rodgers J; Baron-Cohen S
Autism. 13623613251370789, 2025 Sep 15.
With autistic people at increased risk of dying by suicide, understanding barriers to help-seeking is crucial for suicide prevention efforts. Using an online survey designed in consultation with autistic people, we examined reasons why autistic adults living in the United Kingdom did not seek help from the National Health Service (NHS) when they last experienced suicidal thoughts or behaviours. Participants who disaffirmed help-seeking from the NHS (n = 754) were able to select from a prepopulated list of 20 reasons why and to enter their own. The three most commonly endorsed reasons were ‘I tried to cope and manage my feelings by myself’, ‘I did not think they could help me’ and ‘The waiting list is too long – no point’. Endorsement of reasons differed significantly with gender identity, age group and degree of lifetime suicidality. Four themes emerged from analysis of free-form responses: NHS is ineffective, NHS as antagonistic, Fear and consequences and Barriers to access. These findings highlight the need to foster more flexible healthcare systems capable of supporting autistic people, and that autistic people view as trustworthy and effective, to enable help-seeking behaviours with the potential to save lives.