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Chapter 118care intensity in the setting. 20 In addition, people with MID report negative experiences with general MH services, including poor accessibility and information provision. 30, 31 Specialized MH services focusing on people with ID are scarce and often have long waiting times. 32Inadequate MH care exposes people with both MID and MH problems to the risk of developing more severe or chronic MH problems downstream, being prescribed more psychotropics, and using more services. 33 This leads to increased healthcare costs and reduced satisfaction among both patients and healthcare providers. Therefore, there is an urgency to find opportunities to improve the quality of MH care for this patient group early in healthcare chain, upstream, preferably in primary care. Research on actual insight into the type and prevalence of MH problems, the care provided, and experiences of both patients and care providers in primary care is lacking but would be valuable in uncovering these opportunities.Overall aim and research questionsThis thesis aims to provide insight into the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of MH care for people with MID, with a main focus on the Dutch primary care setting. It concerns MH care for people with MID whose ID may or may not be known to care professionals. The findings may provide guidance to improve MH care for people with MID, which is the overall aim of this thesis.The five main research questions are:1. What has been described about the care for adult patients with both ID and MH problems provided by the GP?2. What is the prevalence of MH problems in people with MID and the care provided in primary care, compared with that found for people without ID?3. What is the prevalence of MH disorders in people with MID and care provided in advanced MH services, compared with that found for people without ID?4. What are patients’ experiences, needs, and suggestions for improvement regarding MH care provided in primary care?Katrien Pouls sHL.indd 18 24-06-2024 16:26