Minor psychiatric disorders as possible complication of mental retardation

In young adult life a large proportion of mentally retarded subjects develop psychiatric complications, both severe and mild, whose origin is undoubtedly multifactorial (biological and psychological). A series of 27 subjects (13 male, 14 female; mean age 27.6 years) with IQ ranging from 70 to 40 were studied in our Institute from 1994 to 1995 and followed up 1 and 2 years later. Paykel scale (life events), FACES III (type of family insight), MFFT and Watkin's test (cognitive styles) were used to evaluate all cases. We found that (1) minor disorders prevailed in mild and moderate mental retardation and severe disorders in profound mental retardation; (2) minor disorders were generally determined by psychological and environmental factors although biological ones may have an important role; (3) psychological factors prevailed in young adult life when the subject had to cope with relatively harder tasks, and (4) the prognosis is generally good if proper care is given.