Meet Dr Mark Taylor, one of our newest MQ Fellows. His upcoming research will look at the causes and consequences of mental health problems for young autistic people.
Could you tell us about your academic career so far?
I did my undergraduate degree in psychology and a masters degree in Psychological Research Methods at the University of Exeter in the UK. In 2010, I swapped the greenery of Devon for London, where I studied for a PhD in Behavioural Genetics at the Institute of Education, supervised by Tony Charman and Angelica Ronald. I investigated the association between autism and ADHD in my PhD, and received extensive training in twin studies.
After finishing my PhD, I then worked as a postdoctoral researcher with Angelica Ronald at Birkbeck, University of London, where I worked on her project about adolescent psychotic experiences. After 18-months, I left the UK entirely and moved to Stockholm to take up a postdoctoral position at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Karolinska Institutet. I undertook training in epidemiology and have been working with registers that record information about healthcare given to residents of Sweden. I'm now a Researcher at MEB, which is equivalent to an assistant professor.
How long have you been at your current university/institution?
I have been worked at Karolinska Institutet for almost 6-years now, having first started working here in April 2015.
What is your area of study?
I have training in behavioural genetics and epidemiology. Behavioural genetics is concerned with trying to understand the genetic and environmental basis of human behaviour, while epidemiology is concerned with looking at the patterns and causes of different conditions throughout the population. Being more specific, though, I work in autism research, and my current programme of research focuses especially on the mental and physical health of autistic individuals. If we look at existing research, we can see that mental health problems affect as many as 2-3 out of 4 autistic individuals, which makes them at least double as common in autistic individuals as in the rest of the population. The most commonly reported disorders are anxiety disorders and depression. My research over the next few years, supported very generously by MQ, will try to better understand why this is the case.
What are you hoping to discover or achieve through your research?
In the short-term, I want to better understand the reasons why mental health problems are so common in autistic individuals. This will help, in the long-term, with identifying which individuals are at the highest risk of mental health problems, which will mean we can support them sooner, rather than later. I'm also hoping to emphasise how important it is that we support autistic individuals during their very difficult transition to adulthood -- this is a very stressful time for them, and it's really important that policymakers and clinicians prepare adequately for this.
How do you feel about getting the Fellows award from MQ?
I'm very happy to have a Fellows Award from MQ. I've long been aware that MQ is passionate about improving the lives of people with mental health problems. Autism itself is not a mental health problem, but autistic people are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems. I'm therefore pleased that MQ wants to support this area of research, and I know they have an outstanding track record of funding impactful studies. I'm looking forward to working together!
"Autism itself is not a mental health problem, but autistic people are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems."
How important is it to invest in research for the progression of our understanding of Mental health conditions and treatments?
Mental health problems are very common and are a leading cause of disability worldwide. They are associated with a wide range of negative outcomes, from relationships falling apart to self-harm and suicide, and are highly distressing for the people who have to live with them. Research can help with understanding a variety of aspects of these disorders; from why the outcomes I mentioned are so common, to understanding who is most likely to develop these problems (and why), to research that could one day identify factors that protect people from mental health problems and their associated consequences.
"Mental health problems are very common and are a leading cause of disability worldwide."
In addition, mental health research could really help us to look at the ways in which society could better accommodate people with mental health problems; for example, what services could be offered and how could health care services make adjustments for these people? This kind of work will not happen without funding. Research is a costly process, for example, it costs money to collect data and maintain infrastructure. Moreover, we also need to invest in training researchers who are passionate about mental health (which is why schemes like the Fellows Award from MQ are so important) -- without people to do the research, there would be no research.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Thank you to all those of you who have supported MQ, and therefore made so much important research on mental health problems possible. Your support is vital in making sure that mental health research moves forward and makes a difference in the lives of people with these mental health problems. I will also say I am always happy to hear from anyone interested in my work or discussing mental health research (both in Sweden and elsewhere) -- get in touch if you want!
Your support is vital in making sure that mental health research moves forward and makes a difference in the lives of people with these mental health problems.
