Page 85 - Demo

A database study in Dutch mental health services834IntroductionUp to a third of adults with mild intellectual disabilities (MID), characterised by a significant deficit in intellectual (IQ range 50–70) and adaptive functioning, 1 experience mental health (MH) disorders. This is double the general population estimates. 2 The combination of MID and MH disorders results in poorer general health outcomes, such as more all-cause hospital admissions and emergency department visits, compared to MID or MH disorders alone. 3, 4 A lack of high-quality research on appropriate (MH) care for this specific patient group contributes to this health disparity. 5There are several reasons for concern regarding the quality of care for patients with a combination of MID and MH disorders in MH services. Firstly, either the MID or the MH disorder may often be missed when symptoms are attributed exclusively to either of these specific disorders, though both states are present, so-called diagnostic overshadowing. 6, 7 Secondly, MH service professionals perceive a lack of knowledge and experience in treating patients with a combination of MID and MH disorders. 8, 9 Thirdly, there is little research on how MH care should be organised and provided to people with MID.5 In MH services, patients with intellectual disabilities (ID) may be excluded from certain treatments or even any care at all, because the organisation lacks knowledge and expertise. 4, 8 Consequently, patients with ID experience long waiting times because of the scarcity of MH services specialised in patients with ID. 4 Fourthly, patients with MID report negative experiences with MH services, including poor accessibility and information provision. 5, 10 Finally, detailed information is lacking regarding the characteristics of MH disorders and care provided to people with MID in MH services. This also applies to those patients whose MID is potentially missed and whose specific needs are thus a blind spot for the MH service professionals. Such information can give guidance to improve MH care for people with MID and future research. We therefore conducted a populationbased database study on the prevalence of a wide range of MH disorders and MH care provided to people with and without MID in MH services, including those patients whose MID is not recorded in MH service files.Katrien Pouls sHL.indd 83 24-06-2024 16:26