Mental health social work and reducing the ‘loneliness gap’

Sarah, our Involvement Lead, reflects on loneliness and the ways in which mental health social workers can support autistic people facing loneliness.

Experiencing social isolation

Loneliness and social isolation can deeply affect anyone’s mental health and wellbeing, but according to research, rates of loneliness in autistic people are four times higher than non-autistic people. This really impacts on our emotional, mental and physical health.

We may need to recharge alone after experiencing social overwhelm, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to connect with others.

However, some things can stand in the way. The sensory environment of social settings can be obstructive.

Social interaction can be challenging and exhausting to navigate. Sometimes you feel like you just don’t fit, leading to feelings of disconnection.

The role of mental health social workers

Mental health social workers have a real role in reducing the ‘loneliness gap’ for autistic people.

The evidence suggests that they can help improve the mental health of autistic people who experience loneliness by sensitively supporting us to access appropriate leisure activities, manageable social opportunities and peer support.

As part of their work on ‘enabling positive lives for autistic adults’, NICE offer an evidence-based guide for social workers.

They recommend that social workers should tailor support to the person, working with them to identify their individual care and support needs.

Among other things, this means spending time on developing communication and trust, ensuring continuity of care and considering sensory and information processing differences.

Find out more about what mental health social workers do.