Diagnosing and Treating Mental Health Disorders in Patients with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Mental health disorders (including disorders of personality and behaviour) are highly co-morbid in persons with intellectual developmental disorder (IDD). Unfortunately, diagnostic resources are less helpful in the population due to excessive reliance on verbal criteria and expression of abstract concepts. As a result, many patients with intellectual disabilities receive inappropriate mental health treatments and fail to benefit in the same way as their non-IDD peers. With additional knowledge of diagnostic principles in this special population, patients with severe and chronic mental health disorders can benefit from both pharmacological and non -pharmacological treatments. In this presentation, barriers to diagnosis and evidence based treatments will be explored.

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will gain appreciation of the elevated risk of mental health disorders in persons with intellectual disabilities;

2. Participants will understand barriers to diagnosis will be identified and demystified; and

3. Participants will integrate biosychosocial approaches in treatment.

Literature References

1. Textbook of psychiatry for intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. Publication of World Psychiatric Assocation 2022. Editors include Marco Bertellli, Shoumitro Deb, Kerim Munir, Angela Hassiotis and Luis Salvador- Carulla