Thousands of people could potentially benefit from a new treatment for an anxiety disorder that affects 18% of autistic people, if it were rolled out across the UK. The economic benefits of ADIE, a treatment for autistic people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, could be valued at between £125 million and £170 million nationally.
New research by Pro Bono Economics (PBE) for the charity MQ Mental Health Research suggested there are 105,000 autistic people in the UK with generalized anxiety disorder, a condition that can have a serious impact on the lives of those who suffer from it. . The condition leads people to worry excessively about several things at once, to levels that can be debilitating and can lead to difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping, dizziness and heart palpitations.
Although autistic people are approximately three times more likely to be diagnosed with general anxiety disorder than the general population, many treatments are not designed with autistic people in mind. Standard NHS treatments for anxiety, such as talk and mindfulness therapies, may not be appropriate for autistic people who have difficulties with social interaction and communication.
While NICE guidelines recommend that doctors seek specialist advice on how to adapt therapies for autistic people, this may not always be available.
What is the economic benefit of ADIE?
ADIE (Alignment Dimensions of Interoceptive Experience) is a new treatment that has been developed with autistic people in mind. It helps autistic people better recognize their anxious feelings and trials have shown that it can effectively reduce anxiety in people suffering from general anxiety disorder.
The treatment was developed by Professor Hugo Critchley, an MQ researcher and Professor of Psychiatry at Brighton and Sussex Medical School.
In the report, PBE estimated that making ADIE available to all autistic people with general anxiety disorder in the UK could lead to at least temporary recovery for almost 6,000 people. The improvement in their quality of life during a year of recovery would be worth £125-£170 million, or between £21,000 and £28,000 per person.
ADIE treatment has been shown to improve recovery from general anxiety disorder in clinical trials. By applying the same recovery rates to the general population of autistic people who might seek treatment for their anxiety, PBE has estimated the number of additional people who could recover from anxiety if treatment were more widely available. These are converted into estimated values that reflect improved quality of life using standard WHO and Treasury measures of well-being.
ADIE training could also be made available to other groups of people who struggle with anxiety and have found standard treatments to be ineffective. Clinical trials are underway to explore the broader potential of the treatment.
Rachel Gómez, senior economist at Pro Bono Economy, saying:
“Experiencing generalized anxiety disorder can be very challenging at the best of times. But managing these symptoms can be more difficult if we face other barriers in our lives. Not only are autistic people three times more likely to experience GAD than the UK average, they often face barriers in everyday life when society, infrastructure and systems fail to meet their needs. In practice, this means that accessing medical diagnosis and treatment may be more difficult, and treatments may not be created or researched with the needs of autistic people in mind. ADIE treatment can improve the quality of life of autistic people if they experience anxiety, and its implementation could make a difference on a large scale.
“Mental health makes a big difference to our lives, so it is essential that care is effective and available to those who need it.
This work adds to calls from many charities and advocacy groups for continued research into the experiences of autistic people, their needs and how best to address them. By actively including autistic people, and others whose needs are often overlooked by society, at the center of health research and treatments, we can shine a light on the value of accessible support.”
Mariana Bolívar, research leader at MQ Mental Health Research said:
“The PBE analysis shows that ADIE is a promising path for autistic people to sustain sustained recovery from generalized anxiety, a condition they are up to three times more likely to face than the general population. “We need more economic analyzes in mental health research to identify which treatments have the greatest potential to transform public health and, ultimately, people’s lives.”
