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Easy-read summary version of
CR175
Principles of normalisation and Government policy in the UK state
that wherever possible, people with learning disabilities should
use mainstream mental health services. However, often these lack
the resources, skills and expertise to manage this group of
patients.
The focus of the present guidance addresses
mainly the mental health needs of adults with mild intellectual
disability. These service users form the majority of the population
of people with intellectual disability and are more likely to
present with identifiable mental disorders, but nevertheless may
have difficulty accessing services such as in-patient wards and
home treatment teams, particularly at times of crisis. Often, adult
mental health professionals maintain that they lack the specialist
skills needed in order to treat these individuals. However,
community intellectual disability services have a crucial role with
this group in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health ill
health, and, in particular, supporting and facilitating access to
mainstream mental health services where extra support is
required.
The intended target audience is front-line
professionals (e.g. psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists), who
refer, assess and manage adults with intellectual disability in the
community. It provides a framework within which to facilitate
collaboration between adult mental health and community
intellectual disability services in order to meet the mental health
needs of people with intellectual disability. It is also relevant
to those individuals
who may have significant psychosocial
difficulties as a result of comorbid neuropsychiatric problems such
as autism spectrum disorder.
This report has been jointly revised by the
Faculty of Psychiatry of Intellectual Disability and the General
and Community Psychiatry Faculty, Royal College of Psychiatrists,
and replaces Council Report CR115, of the same title (Royal
College of Psychiatrists, 2003).
Contents
- Working Group
- Executive summary and recommendations
- Introduction
- Policy context
- Values and principles
- Mental health services for people with
intellectual disability
- Suggested care pathway
- Service interface
- Information systems
- Clinical competencies and training
- Conclusions
- References