Examining the barriers and facilitators to mental health service provision for autistic people in Ireland: a survey of psychiatrists

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Gallagher, L., Crane, L., Dinneen, T., Ibrahim, N., Mulryan, N., Bolshakova, N., Harris, A. G., O’Rourke, L., & Pellicano, E. (2025). Examining the barriers and facilitators to mental health service provision for autistic people in Ireland: a survey of psychiatrists. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 42(3), 182-190. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2025.9

Publication date: 4 Apr 2025 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
9
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 9 (11.1%)
  1. Louise Gallagher
  2. Laura Crane
  3. Thomas Dinneen
  4. Noha Ibrahim
  5. Niamh Mulryan
  1. Nadia Bolshakova
  2. Adam G. Harris *
  3. Linda O’Rourke
  4. Elizabeth Pellicano

Abstract

Background: Autistic people have high levels of mental ill-health and an increased risk of suicide across the lifespan. Yet autistic people report difficulties communicating with healthcare professionals and accessing a range of healthcare services. At the same time, mental healthcare workers in other countries are reporting links between confidence when working with autistic patients and the degree of autism knowledge and training they can access. Methods: We sought to examine what factors helped or hindered Irish mental healthcare colleagues when working with autistic healthcare service users. An online survey using quantitative and qualitative metrics was circulated among psychiatrists who are members of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland, both in training and at consultant level, from April 2021 to April 2022. Results: Knowledge of autism was high among psychiatrists (n = 140), but self-efficacy scores were variable, particularly in relation to care pathways. Self-efficacy was better among psychiatrists with caseloads of children and youth or individuals with co-occurring intellectual disabilities. Three key qualitative themes emerged relating to capacity and training of mental health professionals, ways to improve mental health services provision for autistic individuals and also the critical need for co-creation and neurodiversity affirmative care. Conclusions: The study highlighted critical systemic and professional challenges in providing mental health care to autistic people in Ireland. We provide recommendations for reducing these challenges and for enabling the development of inclusive, evidenced-based care to autistic individuals.

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These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:30.

Cited references
40
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
7 / 40 (17.5%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
11 / 192 (5.7%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 11 / 78 (14.1%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 8 / 169 (4.7%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
78 / 192 (40.6%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 58 / 169 (34.3%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
67 / 78 (85.9%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 67 / 192 (34.9%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 50 / 58 (86.2%).
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