Services for adults with intellectual disability and mental Illness: Are we getting it right?
Abstract
There is increasing evidence to support the high prevalence of mental illness in adults with intellectual disability and some studies suggest that the prevalence of mental illness may be higher than that of the general population. It is not uncommon for adults with intellectual disability to be referred to local community mental health centres or psychiatric hospitals because of the presence of challenging behaviours, such as aggression or criminal offending behaviour. Despite the emerging research in the area of diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in adults with intellectual disability, many are often not provided with appropriate and adequate mental health services. Two case studies illustrate the difficulties in accessing mental health services for this ‘invisible’ group of individuals with intellectual disability, and demonstrate the gaps in service delivery and clinical practice. The paper argues that mental health concerns should be considered when challenging behaviours are present in persons with intellectual disability. There is an urgent need for mental health services to re-examine their understanding of and clinical practice with adults with intellectual disability and mental illness.
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Communication is a significant barrier for people with autism and/or intellectual disabilities.
“Communication is a significant barrier for people with autism and/or intellectual disabilities.29,38–42”
From Barriers and facilitators to primary health care for people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism: an integrative review (2020) · cites this paper as [40]
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- Authors
- Chan, J., Hudson, C., & Vulic, C.
- Affiliations
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Central Sydney Area Health Service, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Corresponding author
- Chan, Jeffrey
- ORCID
- Chan, Jeffrey
- Venue
- Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2004-01
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 24-29
- ISSN
- 1446-7984 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2139893694
- Cited by
- 11
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Advances in Mental Health (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Down syndrome and intellectual disability research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychiatric care and mental health services
- Keywords
- intellectual disability, mental illness, adults with intellectual disabilities, mental health services, access to services, behavioral problems, aggression, offending, service gaps, clinical practice, prevalence of mental disorders
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