Anxiety in high-functioning autism: A pilot study of experience sampling using a mobile platform.

Anxiety and stress are everyday issues for many people with high-functioning autism, and while cognitive-behavioural therapy is the treatment of choice for the management of anxiety, there are challenges in using it with people with high-functioning autism. This study used modified experience sampling techniques to examine everyday anxiety and stress in adults with high-functioning autism and to explore the feasibility of delivering real-time stress management techniques using a mobile platform. High levels of anxiety were found to be characterised by worry, confusing thoughts and being alone but was not associated with internal focus, imagery or rumination.

The reported experience of four women with intellectual disabilities receiving emergency psychiatric services in Canada: a qualitative study.

Hospital emergency departments are not well prepared to meet the needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Negative experiences can be very traumatic, particularly when the emergency visit is because of a behavioural or psychiatric problem. A focus group study was conducted in 2005 in Toronto, Canada with four women with intellectual disabilities who had paid repeated visits to their local emergency department due to a psychiatric or behavioural crisis.

Gender differences in psychiatric diagnoses among inpatients with and without intellectual disabilities.

There are few published studies on the relationship between gender and psychiatric disorders in individuals with intellectual disabilities. Adults (N = 1,971) with and without intellectual disabilities who received inpatient services for psychiatric diagnosis and clinical issues were examined. Among individuals with intellectual disabilities, women were more likely to have a diagnosis of mood disorder and sexual abuse history; men were more likely to have a substance abuse diagnosis, legal issues, and past destructive behavior.

Emergency psychiatric services for individuals with intellectual disabilities: perspectives of hospital staff.

Strains on the mainstream mental health system can result in inaccessible services that force individuals with intellectual disabilities into the emergency room (ER) when in psychiatric crisis. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical and systemic issues surrounding emergency psychiatry services for people with intellectual disabilities, from the perspective of hospital staff. Focus groups were conducted with emergency psychiatry staff from 6 hospitals in Toronto, Canada.