Initial reflections on assessing paranoia in autism via the GPTS

Background: There are increasing concerns about poor mental health in autistic individuals, and social vigilance and threat perceptions (“paranoia”) may be one aspect of this. Methods: Autistic adults (N = 39) were recruited online. As a first step towards assessing paranoia in autism, we report item-level frequency data on one measure of paranoia (i.e. the Green et al. Paranoid Thoughts Scale; GPTS). Results: Item-level data highlight items of particular relevance to this group, (e.g. “I have been upset by friends and colleagues judging me critically” and “I believed that certain people were not what they seemed”). These results suggest that the development of a questionnaire which can assess paranoia severity could be a useful asset. Conclusions: Further work is needed in order to provide validated assessment and effective treatments of paranoia in autism. Future studies should consider the nature and meaning of paranoia in this group, and its incorporation into mental health assessments.