How many Autistic people are in inpatient units in the UK?

When we consider the world of inpatient psychiatric care, we often think about types of neurodiversity like schizophrenia and bipolar. While it is true that these individuals represent a considerable number of admissions, there is a darker side to admission to hospital. Detainment and admission is not solely the realm of traditional psychiatric “conditions”; Autistic people are being locked away for months or even years.

This issue has become so prevalent that the government has had to commission inquiries and reports into the matter. Still, there are a disturbing number of Autistic people locked away in these institutions.

According to the National Autistic Society, as of January 2022 there were 1,185 Autistic people held within the inpatient psychiatric system. Of this, around 1 in 7 (165) were under 18 years of age. It’s not just Autistic adults being detained, it’s our children too. This represents a stark departure from the so-called schemes of “care in the community” that promised to empty asylums and create a community culture of caring for our most vulnerable.

Instead what has happened is the systematic incarceration of Autistic adults and young people for no other reason than not having the correct services in place to support them in their independence. This becomes even more concerning when you consider the current rate at which care home and inpatient units are experiencing scandals around the mistreatment and abuse of those they are supposed to care for.

Autistic people are being abused daily in these settings, despite evidence to suggest that inpatient units are inappropriate settings for Autistic people. What we are seeing is the systematic practice of locking away people because our society is unwilling and unable to give them meaningful support at home. To my mind this is against the Mental Capacity Act (2005), in particular principles 4 and 5 of the Code of Practice:

“An act done, or decision made, under this Act for or
on behalf of a person who lacks capacity must be done, or made, in his best interests”

Principle 4, Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice

“Before the act is done, or the decision is made,
regard must be had to whether the purpose for which it is
needed can be as effectively achieved in a way that is less
restrictive of the person’s rights and freedom of action.”

Principle 5, Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice

Given that inpatient treatment does not improve outcomes for purely being Autistic, there is a significant and unresolved risk of abuse, and the overt removal of a person’s freedom, I would argue that both principles 4 and 5 have been failed. One might argue that the Mental Health Act (1983) should take precedence which allows for the detention of people who are at risk to themselves or others.

First I would bring your attention to this section of the Code of Practice:

“The MCA should be central to the approach professionals take to patients who lack
capacity in all health and care settings (including psychiatric and general hospitals).
The starting point should always be that the MCA should be applied wherever
possible to individuals who lack capacity and are detained under the Act.”

Section 13.11, Mental Health Act Code of Practice

We have to consider what is being classed as risk, and whether the deprivation of a person’s liberty is necessary. I posit that in most cases, Autistic people remain in inpatient settings because services have no resources to appropriately address their dysregulation in the community.

An Autistic person’s freedom should not be decided by government funding.

To boot, the prinicples of the act itself state that professionals should use the:

“Least restrictive option and maximising independence”

SWLSTG NHS Trust

In what world is indefinite detention in an institution the least restrictive option? Since when does detention be decided by community resources? This is a dangerous precedent to set, it opens up the entire neurodivergent community to facing detention.

When we consider the Royal College of Psychiatrists disturbing statistic that Autistic people are nine times more likely to die by suicide, and combine that with the fact that according to The Nuffield Trust there were 1,357 suicdes in 2019 amongst people who had been in contact with mental health services. Something is going very wrong, and I suspect that, in part, it is the number of Autistic people being detained wrongfully under The Mental Health Act.

It is clear that this situation is out of control. Autistic people should be supported to freely live their lives, not spend years locked in seclusion rooms suffering chemical and physical restraint as a daily practice. Sadly, until such time that our government supplies appropriate funding and resources to services, we are going to continue to witness the systemic mistreatment and killing of Autistic people.

We are Autistic, not monsters to be hidden away from society.

Make sure you check out the CAMHS crisis resource page.

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