Service development for intellectual disability mental health: a human rights approach
- 29 October 2012
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Intellectual Disability Research
- Vol. 56 (11), 1098-1109
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2012.01636.x
Abstract
People with intellectual disability (ID) experience higher rates of major mental disorders than their non-ID peers, but in many countries have difficulty accessing appropriate mental health services. The aim of this paper is to review the current state of mental health services for people with ID using Australia as a case example, and critically appraise whether such services currently meet the standards set by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The literature regarding the current state of mental health services for people with ID was reviewed, with a particular focus on Australia. The review highlighted a number of issues to be addressed to meet the mental health needs of people with ID to ensure that their human rights are upheld like those of all other citizens. Many of the barriers to service provision encountered in Australia are likely also to be relevant to other nations, including the culture of division between disability and mental health services, the inadequate training of both disability and mental health workers in ID mental health, and the lack of relevant epidemiological data. None of these barriers are insurmountable. Recommendations are made for adopting a human rights-based approach towards the development and provision of mental health services for people with ID. These include improved policy with measurable outcomes, improved service access via clear referral pathways and the sharing of resources across disability and mental health services, and improved service delivery through training and education initiatives for both the mental health and disability workforce.Keywords
This publication has 44 references indexed in Scilit:
- Comorbidity of intellectual disability and mental disorder in children and adolescents: A systematic reviewJournal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 2011
- Perspectives of intellectual disability in Latin American countries: epidemiology, policy, and services for children and adultsCurrent Opinion in Psychiatry, 2009
- Perspectives of intellectual disability in Africa: epidemiology and policy services for children and adultsCurrent Opinion in Psychiatry, 2009
- Epidemiology of mental ill health in adults with intellectual disabilitiesCurrent Opinion in Psychiatry, 2009
- China-Sweden Partnership: Areas of Ongoing Development in Intellectual DisabilitiesJournal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 2008
- Editorial: Intellectual Disability in a Global ContextJournal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 2008
- Psychopathology in Young People With Intellectual DisabilityJama-Journal Of The American Medical Association, 2006
- European Manifesto on Basic Standards of Health Care For People with Intellectual DisabilitiesJournal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 2004
- Mental health services for people with intellectual disability: Current developmentsAustralia and New Zealand Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 1993
- An Analysis of Australian Mental Health Services for people with Mental retardationAustralia and New Zealand Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 1988