Mental Health and Healthcare in Adults With Intellectual Disabilities

Intellectual disability (ID) is a diagnosis characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills. The disability originates before age 18 years. The prevalence of mental ill-health among adults with intellectual disabilities is higher than the general population. Individuals with ID use psychotropic medication extensively, but studies indicate that less than one out of three who use psychotropic drugs have a psychiatric diagnosis. The drugs are usually prescribed by a regular general practitioner. People with IDs will often require health- and social services throughout their lifetimes. Studies report worse mental and physical health among people with IDs compared to the general population, in addition to more unmet healthcare needs and more difficulty accessing healthcare. General health surveys in Norway do not include people with intellectual disabilities, and studies of health indicators in this group are largely lacking. Further, the unique organization of services for this group in Norway calls for specific research efforts. This project will use multinational health indicators for youths and adults with IDs in a biopsychosocial context in attempt to identify unmet health care needs to improve services. The project will focus on mental health and challenging behavior and how the related healthcare needs are met. We will also look at the relationship between mental health, behavioral problems and workforce employment amongst people with intellectual disabilities.