Better mental health for autistic adults
Mental Health in Autistic Adults: An RDoC Approach
A team at the University of Pittsburgh is coordinating research to understand and improve mental health for autistic adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11120985 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This program brings together researchers, clinicians, engineers, statisticians, and autistic adults to focus on mental health in autistic adults. The Administrative Core organizes and integrates multiple research projects, manages budgets and data sharing, and sets milestones to keep work on track. An External Partners Board that includes autistic people, parents, and advocacy leaders helps shape study priorities and procedures. The center emphasizes emotion regulation, suicide prevention, and methods that reflect real experiences of autistic adults.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Autistic adults with mental-health concerns such as anxiety, depression, emotion-regulation difficulties, or suicidal thoughts are the most likely candidates for participation in the center's projects.
Not a fit: Children, non-autistic individuals, or autistic adults without mental-health concerns are unlikely to be eligible or to receive direct benefit from these adult-focused projects.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to better-targeted supports, treatments, and services that reduce emotion dysregulation and suicidal thoughts and improve overall well-being for autistic adults.
How similar studies have performed: There is prior research on emotion dysregulation and mental health in autism with some promising findings, but this multidisciplinary, RDoC-framed center approach that includes autistic-led input is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mazefsky, Carla a — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Mazefsky, Carla a
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.