A number of studies have suggested that prevalence rates of mental ill-health in people with learning disabilities is higher than in the general population, although issues of definition have made it difficult to make clear comparisons. The authors of this review set out to identify trends and developments in the study of psychopathology in people [read the full story…]
Estimates of the numbers of people with learning disabilities who have co-morbid mental health problems vary considerably between studies, from 14 to 39%. This review of literature focused on families of individuals diagnosed with both learning disability and co-morbid mental health problems. The author looked at the impact of caring such individuals on things like [read the full story…]
The reporting of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms has been increasing in people with learning disability but researchers have also argued that such symptoms are being under diagnosed and also poorly treated. This review set out to identify the level of ADHD symptoms in children and adults with learning disabilities reported in published studies [read the full story…]
This review of the literature searched Medline and PsychInfo to find clinical trials and case reports which were published between 1975 and 2009, focusing on pharmacological interventions for sleep disturbance in children with developmental disabilities. The authors found 58 articles that met the inclusion criteria, including 25 controlled trials in typical children and children with [read the full story…]
This literature review looked at the evidence for environmental causes for challenging behaviours, looking at 173 empirical studies where functional assessment served as the primary method of identifying causes of challenging behaviour. Most studies identified a clear function or functions, most commonly attention, efforts to acquire tangibles, negative reinforcement in the form of escape and [read the full story…]
This literature review looked at evaluations of service provision in the UK for people with challenging behaviours, reviewing the literature from 1990 to 2010 looking at studies that evaluated a range of UK service provision in terms of impact on challenging behaviour and other quality of life indices. The author found very few evaluations, although [read the full story…]
Differential reinforcement (DR) is a non-aversive, reinforcement based behavioural intervention; which works by singling out a desired behaviour and reinforcing it, whilst ignoring other non desired behaviours. This literature review looked to summarize and provide a methodological analysis of studies, conducted between 1980 and 2009, using differential reinforcement to reduce problem behaviours in adults with [read the full story…]
Depression can be difficult to spot in people with learning disabilities. The Royal College of Psychiatrists in its information leaflet points out that for many people with learning disabilities expressing their feelings in words may not come easily, so their actions may speak for them. They suggest that sudden changes in behaviour or mood, or [read the full story…]
The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in people with learning disabilities is very difficult to ascertain with studies varying in their definitions and inclusion criteria. Estimates suggest that it may be as low as 3%, but despite this, antipsychotic medications comprise between 30–50% of all psychotropics prescribed for people with learning disabilities. This literature review set [read the full story…]
