This blog will outline the auditory sensitivities and sensory processing challenges of people admitted to Mental Health Units and offer recommendations with respect to the design of these environments.

People admitted to Mental Health inpatient Units present with a wide range of mental health disorders including schizophrenia, Borderline Personality Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder. It is now understood that people with these diagnoses experience a higher rate of sensory sensitivities and other sensory processing challenges compared to the general population (Stromberg et al).

The sensory system we will focus on today is the Auditory system.

Auditory Processing difficulties have been recognised and explored across a range of research areas including:

Occupational Therapy research of sensory processing difficulties (eg Harrison et al)

Lived experience research such as Autistics, people with schizophrenia (eg Stromberg et al)

Neuroscience research of Auditory State Response gating (eg Sugiyama et al )

Diagnostic Criteria such as hypervigilance to sounds in PTSD and sensory over-responsivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder.