Generality of diagnostic overshadowing across disciplines

In a 2 X 2 experimental design, advanced students in social work and clinical psychology rated the same case description of a debilitating fear on eight scales of psychopathology and need for therapy. The fear was rated as less neurotic, less irrational, and less likely to require desensitization therapy when the client was mentally retarded vs. of average intelligence. There were no significant differences in the ratings of the students in clinical psychology vs. social work. The results suggest that diagnostic overshadowing is not specific to the discipline of psychology and point to the need for explicit training of future mental health professionals in diagnosing emotional disturbances accompanying mental retardation.