Designed About Us Without Us: Lived Experience CAMHS Inpatient Sensory Friendly Spaces for Autism and Psychosis

Synopsis

This talk explores how inpatient mental health environments can better support people experiencing autism and psychosis, drawing directly from lived experience of being in inpatient CAMHS for psychosis, autism and emotional dysregulation. It examines how sensory overload, lack of predictability, and loss of autonomy in poorly designed spaces can intensify distress, while thoughtful design can promote safety, regulation, and recovery. ZeZe, a schizophrenia young neuroscientist will discuss practical design principles for creating autism- and psychosis-informed inpatient spaces that are humane, trauma-aware, and genuinely therapeutic rather than merely functional.