Increased prevalence of intellectual disabilities in higher-intensity mental healthcare settings
Background It has been suggested that people with intellectual disabilities have a higher likelihood to develop psychiatric disorders, and that their treatment prognosis is relatively poor. Aims We aimed to establish the prevalence of intellectual disability in different mental healthcare settings,...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-05-01
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| Series: | BJPsych Open |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472421000284/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1811156917620310016 |
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| author | Jeanet G. Nieuwenhuis Peter Lepping Niels L. Mulder Henk L. I. Nijman Mike Veereschild Eric O. Noorthoorn |
| author_facet | Jeanet G. Nieuwenhuis Peter Lepping Niels L. Mulder Henk L. I. Nijman Mike Veereschild Eric O. Noorthoorn |
| author_sort | Jeanet G. Nieuwenhuis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background
It has been suggested that people with intellectual disabilities have a higher likelihood to develop psychiatric disorders, and that their treatment prognosis is relatively poor.
Aims
We aimed to establish the prevalence of intellectual disability in different mental healthcare settings, and estimate percentage of cognitive decline. We hypothesised that the prevalence of intellectual disabilities increases with intensity of care.
Method
A cross-sectional study was conducted in different settings in a mental healthcare trust in the Netherlands. We used the Screener for Intelligence and Learning Disabilities (SCIL) to identify suspected mild intellectual disability (MID) or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF). We identified patients with a high level of education and low SCIL score to estimate which patients may have had cognitive decline.
Results
We included 1213 consecutive patients. Over all settings, 41.4% of participating patients were positive for MID/BIF and 20.2% were positive for MID only. Prevalence of suspected MID/BIF increased by setting, from 27.1% in out-patient settings to 41.9% in flexible assertive community treatment teams and admission wards, to 66.9% in long-stay wards. Only 85 (7.1%) of all patients were identified as possibly having cognitive decline. Of these, 25.9% were in long-stay wards and had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or substance use disorder.
Conclusions
Low intellectual functioning is common in Dutch mental healthcare settings. Only a modest number of patients were identified as suffering from cognitive decline rather than suspected MID/BIF from birth. Therefore, we recommend improved screening of psychiatric patients for intellectual functioning at the start of treatment.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:59:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6b2bff0648074119bf31e7a6dc439651 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-4724 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T04:59:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BJPsych Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-6b2bff0648074119bf31e7a6dc4396512023-03-09T12:29:06ZengCambridge University PressBJPsych Open2056-47242021-05-01710.1192/bjo.2021.28Increased prevalence of intellectual disabilities in higher-intensity mental healthcare settingsJeanet G. Nieuwenhuis0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3781-8709Peter Lepping1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3251-5370Niels L. Mulder2Henk L. I. Nijman3Mike Veereschild4Eric O. Noorthoorn5Department of VGGNet, GGNet, the NetherlandsCentre for Mental Health and Society, Betsi Cadwaladr University, Wales, UKDepartment of Psychiatry, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the NetherlandsBehavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, the NetherlandsDepartment of VGGNet, GGNet, the NetherlandsDepartment of Research and Development, GGNet, the NetherlandsBackground It has been suggested that people with intellectual disabilities have a higher likelihood to develop psychiatric disorders, and that their treatment prognosis is relatively poor. Aims We aimed to establish the prevalence of intellectual disability in different mental healthcare settings, and estimate percentage of cognitive decline. We hypothesised that the prevalence of intellectual disabilities increases with intensity of care. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted in different settings in a mental healthcare trust in the Netherlands. We used the Screener for Intelligence and Learning Disabilities (SCIL) to identify suspected mild intellectual disability (MID) or borderline intellectual functioning (BIF). We identified patients with a high level of education and low SCIL score to estimate which patients may have had cognitive decline. Results We included 1213 consecutive patients. Over all settings, 41.4% of participating patients were positive for MID/BIF and 20.2% were positive for MID only. Prevalence of suspected MID/BIF increased by setting, from 27.1% in out-patient settings to 41.9% in flexible assertive community treatment teams and admission wards, to 66.9% in long-stay wards. Only 85 (7.1%) of all patients were identified as possibly having cognitive decline. Of these, 25.9% were in long-stay wards and had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or substance use disorder. Conclusions Low intellectual functioning is common in Dutch mental healthcare settings. Only a modest number of patients were identified as suffering from cognitive decline rather than suspected MID/BIF from birth. Therefore, we recommend improved screening of psychiatric patients for intellectual functioning at the start of treatment. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472421000284/type/journal_articleIntellectual disabilitycommunity mental health teamsout-patient treatmentSCILin-patient treatment |
| spellingShingle | Jeanet G. Nieuwenhuis Peter Lepping Niels L. Mulder Henk L. I. Nijman Mike Veereschild Eric O. Noorthoorn Increased prevalence of intellectual disabilities in higher-intensity mental healthcare settings BJPsych Open Intellectual disability community mental health teams out-patient treatment SCIL in-patient treatment |
| title | Increased prevalence of intellectual disabilities in higher-intensity mental healthcare settings |
| title_full | Increased prevalence of intellectual disabilities in higher-intensity mental healthcare settings |
| title_fullStr | Increased prevalence of intellectual disabilities in higher-intensity mental healthcare settings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Increased prevalence of intellectual disabilities in higher-intensity mental healthcare settings |
| title_short | Increased prevalence of intellectual disabilities in higher-intensity mental healthcare settings |
| title_sort | increased prevalence of intellectual disabilities in higher intensity mental healthcare settings |
| topic | Intellectual disability community mental health teams out-patient treatment SCIL in-patient treatment |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2056472421000284/type/journal_article |
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