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Screening for psychiatric disorders in a total population of adults with intellectual disability and challenging
David Allen1, Kathy Lowe, Helen Matthews
1Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board & Cardiff University, Wales, UK. david.allen@wales.nhs.uk
Background:
Previous research has suggested a variety of possible relationships between the presence of symptoms of psychiatric disorder and challenging behaviours in people with intellectual disability. This study explores this relationship in a total population sample of adults with challenging behaviour.
Materials And Methods:
Over 800 service settings in a defined geographical area were screened to identify individuals with challenging behaviour. Detailed behavioural data, Psychiatric Assessment Schedule for Adults with a Developmental Disability (PAS-ADD) checklist and Adaptive Behaviour Scale (Part 1) scores were collected on 76% of the 930 adults identified.
Results:
Just under 17% of participants reached threshold scores on one on more subscales of the PAS-ADD checklist. There was some evidence of increasing behavioural severity being associated with increasing psychiatric symptoms. There were no associations between specific forms of challenging behaviour and individual symptoms.
Conclusions:
The data would appear supportive of previous suggestions that it is unlikely that the majority of challenging behaviours in adults with intellectual disability are underpinned by psychiatric disorder.
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