“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen”. Depression and bipolar disorder in people with intellectual disabilities

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Kathryn Mitchell and Stephen Moore summarise a recent prospective cohort study in the British Journal of Psychiatry, which looks at the incidence of unipolar and bipolar depression, and mania in adults with intellectual disabilities.

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Children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities: oral health status

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This review of oral health status in people with intellectual disabilities included 39 studies. Higher level of dental plaque, worse gingival status, and fewer decayed and filled permanent teeth were seen than in patients without intellectual disabilities.

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Substance misuse and addiction in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

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Andrew Jones summarises a recent Canadian cohort study, which explores the extent of substance misuse and addictive disorders among adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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Stigma increases psychological distress in people with intellectual disabilities

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David Steele reports on a recent cross-sectional study, which found that stigma was linked with increased psychological distress and poorer quality of life in people with intellectual disabilities.

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Frailty predicting care intensity in older people with learning disabilities?

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In this blog, Rose Tomlins considers a study which explores the use of the Frailty Index to predict increased intensity of care for older adults with learning disabilities.

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Is a moral reasoning programme for offenders with intellectual disabilities effective?

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Over recent years, media and research have highlighted the large number of offenders in prison who have an intellectual or developmental disability. The Prison Reform Trust (2007), estimated this to be 20-30% of all current offenders in prison (although todays numbers may be even higher!), and that this group of individuals are more likely to [read the full story…]