Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current issue
    • Past issues
    • Healthy You
    • Job listings
    • Q&As
    • Special sections
  • Multimedia
    • Quiz
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • FAQs
    • Advertising
    • Subscriptions
    • For APHA members
    • Internships
    • Change of address
  • About
    • About The Nation's Health
    • Submissions
    • Permissions
    • Purchase articles
    • Join APHA
  • Contact us
    • Feedback
  • APHA
    • AJPH
    • NPHW

User menu

  • My alerts

Search

  • Advanced search
The Nation's Health
  • APHA
    • AJPH
    • NPHW
  • My alerts
The Nation's Health

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current issue
    • Past issues
    • Healthy You
    • Job listings
    • Q&As
    • Special sections
  • Multimedia
    • Quiz
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • FAQs
    • Advertising
    • Subscriptions
    • For APHA members
    • Internships
    • Change of address
  • About
    • About The Nation's Health
    • Submissions
    • Permissions
    • Purchase articles
    • Join APHA
  • Contact us
    • Feedback
  • Follow The Nation's Health on Twitter
  • Follow APHA on Twitter
  • Visit APHA on Facebook
  • Follow APHA on Youtube
  • Follow APHA on Instagram
  • Follow The Nation's Health RSS feeds
NewsSpecial Report

Mental health issues for people with IDD can be misunderstood

Mark Barna
The Nation's Health June 2024, 54 (4) 6;
Mark Barna
  • Search for this author on this site
Figure

In recent years, more attention has been given to mental health and IDD, including nontraditional therapeutic options.

Photo by Edwin Tan, courtesy iStockphoto

Nearly 20% of U.S. adults are estimated to be living with a mental illness, according to Mental Health America. But for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, that estimate increases to as high as 35%, with depression a common issue, research has found.

Despite the higher prevalence, family and caregivers often overlook mental health conditions in people with IDD, which can include the same conditions that occur in other people, such as anxiety disorders, obsessive behavior or bipolar disorder.

At the same time, people with IDD can also be misdiagnosed as having a mental health issue. For example, some people with IDD have problems with communication and experience frustration, which can be misconstrued as depression or chronic anxiety.

“Children of elementary or middle school age are sometimes diagnosed as suffering from a psychiatric condition, when they’re actually suffering from communication elements or issues related more to neurodevelopmental disorder,” said Yaara Zisman-Ilani, PhD, MA, assistant professor of social and behavioral studies at Temple University College of Public Health.

The good news is that awareness is increasing. In recent years more attention has been given to mental health and IDD, including more therapeutic options.

In a study published in 2022, researchers found that people with IDD, including people with autism, who experience mild or moderate depression benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy, without a need for drugs. But many clinicians use only pharmaceutical treatments, which are often ineffective and come with side effects.

“Clinicians treating this population often rely on their own clinical experience when deciding on the treatment,” the researchers said. “This most often bypasses the psychotherapy treatment approach and resorts to psychopharmacology only.”

Another shift has been offering therapies that show anecdotal success at improving mood and behavior among patients with special needs. Among these are speech therapy, self-care, learning domestic chores and social skills, practicing mindfulness and meditation, and physical activity. The methods can improve both mobility and independence.

More emphasis is also being placed on communication between providers and patients with IDD in mental health treatment, Zisman-Ilani said.

“Every person with every condition in any intensity should have the right to be involved in decision-making about their care,” Zisman-Ilani told The Nation’s Health. “Most of my work is with people with serious mental illness. This includes people with schizophrenia, people with major depression. Research shows that people with various health conditions can be involved in decision-making about their treatment.”

The American Psychiatric Association and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration have endorsed shared decision-making between providers and patients on treatments.

For more information, visit www.psychiatry.org.

  • Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Nation's Health: 54 (4)
The Nation's Health
Vol. 54, Issue 4
June 2024
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Complete Issue (PDF)

Healthy You

Healthy You

Print
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article
We do not capture any email addresses.
Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Mental health issues for people with IDD can be misunderstood
(Your Name) has sent you a message from The Nation's Health
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this item on The Nation's Health website.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Citation Tools
Mental health issues for people with IDD can be misunderstood
Mark Barna
The Nation's Health June 2024, 54 (4) 6;

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Mental health issues for people with IDD can be misunderstood
Mark Barna
The Nation's Health June 2024, 54 (4) 6;
del.icio.us logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
Tweet Widget Facebook Like LinkedIn logo

Jump to section

  • Top

More in this TOC Section

  • Living with IDD profile: Ashley Glears — Working toward equity and inclusion
  • Living with IDD profile: Connie Lewis — Helping people with IDD gain confidence, find independence
  • Dementia rates higher among people with Down syndrome, but condition may be missed in others
Show more Special Report

Popular features

  • Healthy You
  • Special sections
  • Q&As
  • Quiz
  • Podcasts

FAQs

  • Advertising
  • Subscriptions
  • For APHA members
  • Submissions
  • Change of address

APHA

  • Join APHA
  • Annual Meeting
  • NPHW
  • AJPH
  • Get Ready
  • Contact APHA
  • Privacy policy

© 2025 The Nation's Health

Powered by HighWire