The National Autistic Society is the UK’s leading charity for people on the autism spectrum and their families.

The Autism Alliance is raising awareness and providing information for autism-friendly communities

Autistica is a national autism research charity; funding research, shaping policy and working with autistic people to understand their needs.

You can search for local support groups using:

• the National Autistic Society services directory
• autism support groups on the NHS website

Facebook

• National Autistic Society Facebook group
• Ambitious about Autism Facebook group
• Actually Autistic for autistic adults
• Autism Research Trust

Twitter

• National Autistic Society Twitter group
• Ambitious about Autism Twitter group
• Autistica

For emotional support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

Call 116 123 (calls are free)

Or email: jo@samaritans.org (response time 24 hours)

If you’re experiencing a crisis and need support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

Text ‘Shout’ to 85258

For emotional support from 4.30pm-10.30pm, 365 days a year

0300 304 7000 (calls are charged at local rates)

For emotional support if you are under 25 from 4pm–11pm, 365 days a year

Call 0808 8084994 (calls are free)

Or text THEMIX to 85258

For emotional support and information if you live in Wales 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

Call 0800 132737 (calls are free)

Or text ‘help’ followed by a question to 81066

For information on mental health and where to get help from 9am-7pm Monday to Friday

Call 0300 123 3393 (calls are charged at local rates)

Or email info@mind.org.uk

The more people who take part in our study, the more we’ll be able to learn.

If you’re happy to, we would love for you to share that you’ve taken part on social media and encourage others to do the same.

And while we’re talking social media, you can follow us on Twitter and Instagram and like our page on Facebook. We’ll be sharing updates from our research, new blogs and podcasts and snippets from the events we attend.

Enjoy writing? We’re always on the lookout for guest blogs from our community, so whether you wanted to share your personal experiences of mental health or there’s a specific topic you would like to write about, drop us a line at info@ncmh.info and our communications team will be in touch.

We won’t be able to accept every submission and there are certain areas we prefer to steer clear of (like politics!). Browse our latest posts for an idea the type of content we publish.

Our champions are people who have taken part in our research and agreed to share their experiences of participating in research as well as stories about their personal experiences of mental health.

This helps us contribute to the battle against stigma as well as show others that by participating in research they are making a positive contribution to better understanding for the future.

We also involve our champions in a variety of other areas of our engagement work, including:

• Sharing their stories in the media (print, online, TV and radio)
• Asking for feedback and suggestions on our promotional and educational materials
• Speaking about their experiences at our events

If you’re interested in finding out more, please contact us at info@ncmh.info.

We support involvement in mental health research through PÂR (Partnership in Research), our public involvement group made up of people with direct experience of mental health problems from all around Wales.

Learn more about getting involved in PÂR