Mental health and suicide prevention for autistic adults
Mental Health in Autistic Adults: An RDoC Approach
This center creates new questionnaires, wearable monitoring, and brain-based measures to better understand and reduce mental health problems and suicide risk in 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-11120984 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We're enrolling 200 autistic and 100 non-autistic adults aged 18–65, including many who recently experienced suicidal thoughts, to take part in three linked projects. One project will produce the first suicidality questionnaire specifically designed for autistic adults and follow people over time. Another uses wearable sensors and smartphone-based prompts to capture real-time changes in mood, physiological arousal, and self-harm urges. A third project uses brain imaging to link neural circuits with symptoms, and autistic adults are partners in designing and guiding the work.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are autistic adults aged 18–65, including those with recent suicidal thoughts or behaviors, with non-autistic adults enrolled for comparison.
Not a fit: This effort is not intended for children under 18, people over 65, or people who cannot use wearable sensors or complete repeated smartphone surveys and monitoring.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could give clinicians better tools to detect imminent suicide risk and create more effective, tailored supports to improve mental health for autistic adults.
How similar studies have performed: Wearable and ecological momentary assessment approaches have shown promise in general populations, but autism-specific suicide measures and physiologically-triggered monitoring are relatively new and largely untested in autistic adults.
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.