O’Hara J

Language: English
References: 34
Page: 154-159
PDF size: 139.20 Kb.

ABSTRACT

People with intellectual disabilities remain among the most vulnerable members of society and often face many barriers to healthcare. They experience major health problems and risks yet pay a ‘disability penalty’, the result of social exclusion, discrimination and isolation. If public health strategies are to address the physical and mental health needs of people with intellectual disabilities, attention needs to be given to their particular health profile. Health targets, quality standards and outcome measures must attend to their needs, for the measure of civilisation is how well we treat those who are deemed more vulnerable and less able in society. This article highlights how these issues are being addressed in ‘westernised’ countries and some of the dilemmas and challenges faced by health care organisations.

REFERENCES

1. World Health Organisation. Mental Health – overview. Available on: http://www.afro.who.int/textonly/mentalhealth/overview.html (accessed on 4 January 2007).

2. Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) http://gainhealth.org/gain/ch/EN-EN/index.cfm (accessed on 4 January 2007).

3. Williams C. The environmental causes of intellectual disability. Available on: http://www.intellectualdisability.info/diagnosis/env_hlth.htm (accessed on 12 January 2007).

4. Holt G, Costello H, Bouras N, Diareme S, Hillery J, Moss S, Rodriguez-Blazquez C, Slavador L, Tsiantis J, Weber G and Dimitrakaki C. BIOMEDMEROPE project: service provision for adults with intellectual disability: a European comparison. J Intellect Disabil Res 2000;4:685-696.

5. Bouras N & Jacobson J. Mental health care for people with mental retardation: a global perspective. World Psychiatry 2002;1(3):162-165.

6. American Association of Mental Retardation (AAMR) – now known as the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). Policy statements available on: www.aamr.org/Policies/pos_human_civil.shtml (accessed on 12 January 2007).

7. Department of Health. Valuing People: a new strategy for learning disability for the twenty-first century. HMSO, 2001. London.

8. Tsuda E. Japanese culture and the philosophy of self advocacy: the importance of interdependence in community living. British Journal of Learning Disabilities 2006;34:151-156.

9. Special Olympics. Multinational study of attitudes toward individuals with intellectual disabilities - general findings and calls to action. Special Olympics, 2003; Washington & Centre for Social Development and Education, University of Massachusetts, Boston.

10. Disability Rights Commission. Closing the Gap: A formal investigation into physical inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities and/or mental health problems. Disability Rights Commission, London, 2006. Available on: http://www.drc-gb.org/PDF/mainreportpdf_healthF1part1.pdf (accessed on 12 January 2007).

11. O’Hara, J. Standards and quality measures for services for people with intellectual disabilities. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2006;19:497-501.

12. Cooper S-A. Health improvement for people with learning disability. Presentation at the Royal Society of Medicine, Meeting of the Psychiatry Section, Interface of physical and mental health for people with learning disabilities, Tuesday 9th January 2007.

13. National Patient Safety Agency. Listening to people with learning difficulties and family carers talk about patient safety. UK: National Patient Safety Agency, 2004. Available on www.npsa.nhs.uk/site/media/documents/296_speaking_up_report(1).pdf (accessed on 13 January 2007).

14. National Patient Safety Agency. Understanding the patient safety issues for people with learning disabilities. UK: National Patient Safety Agency, 2004. Available on www.npsa.nhs.uk/site/media/documents/1027_learningdisabilities_issues.pdf (accessed on 13 January 2007).

15. American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR). Declaration on health parity for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. December 2006. Available on: www.aamr.org/Policies/pdf/HealthDeclarationFinal.pdf (accessed on 12 January 2007).

16. National Patient Safety Agency. Equalities strategy and plan (incorporating the agency’s race equality scheme and action plan, and disability action plan, 2006-2009. UK, NSPA December 2006. Available on: www.npsa.nhs.uk/site/media/documents/2126_NPSAEqualities.pdf (accessed on 13 January 2007).

17. World Health Organisation. Available on: www.who.int.whr/2001/chapter1/en/print.html (accessed on 4 January 2007).

18. Hardy S, Kramer R, Holt G, Woodward P and Chaplin E. Supporting Complex Needs: a practical guide for support staff working with people with a learning disability who have mental health needs. Turning Point and the Estia Centre, London, 2006. Available on http://www.estiacentre.org/docs/complexneeds.pdf (accessed on 4 January 2007).

19. Office of National Statistics. Psychiatric morbidity among adults living in households in Great Britain, 2000. Available on: http://www.counsellingdirectory.org.int/commonstats.html (accessed on 4 January 2007).

20. Hatton C. Psychosocial interventions for adults with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems. Journal of Mental Health, 2002; 11, 4:357-373

21. Cooper S.A., Smiley E, Morrison J, Williamson A and Allen L. Mental ill-health in adults with intellectual disabilities: prevalence and associated factors. Br J Psychiatry 2007;190:27-35.

22. Deb S, Matthews T, Holt, G and Bouras N. Practice Guidelines for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Mental Health Problems in Adults with Intellectual Disability 2001, Published by Pavilion (UK) for The European Association for Mental Health in Mental Retardation.

23. Holland T. Dementia and people with Down’s Syndrome. Presentation at the Royal Society of Medicine, Meeting of the Psychiatry Section, Interface of physical and mental health for people with learning disabilities, Tuesday 9th January 2007.

24. Dosen A and Day K (Eds). Treating mental illness and behaviour disorders in children and adults with mental retardation. Washington: American Psychiatric Press, 2001.

25. 25.Bouras N and Holt G. Psychiatric and Behavioural Disorders in Developmental Disabilities and Mental Retardation, 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2007.

26. Department of Health. Mental health: National Service Framework. HMSO, London, 1999.

27. Department of Health. Effective care coordination in mental health services: Modernising the care programme approach. HMSO, London 1999.

28. National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE). Green Light: How good are your mental health services for people with learning disabilities? Foundation for people with learning disabilities, Valuing People Support Team and NIMHE, England, 2004.

29. Healthcare Commission. Key targets and performance indicators for mental health trusts and providers of mental health services. Healthcare Commission, London, 2005.

30. Chaplin E and O’Hara J. Policy implementation in England: developments to meet the mental health needs of people with learning disabilities. Advances in Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, 2007;1(1):7-13.

31. Ritchie F, Goodman N, Nix J and Bowyer A. ‘Out of Area, Out of Sight?’ Review of out of area placements arrangements made by social services and health for people with learning disabilities from the West Midlands, NHS, Birmingham and the Black County Strategic Health Authority and West Midlands Strategic Health Authority, 2005.

32. Brown H. Vulnerability issues. In: J. O’Hara. A. Sperlinger (Eds): Adults with learning disabilities: a practical approach for health professionals. Chapter 11, J. Wiley and Sons Ltd, Chichester, UK, 1997.

33. Mir G, Nocon A, Ahmad W and Jones L. Learning Difficulties and Ethnicity. Department of Health, HMSO, London, 2001

34. O’Hara J. Learning Disabilities and Ethnicity: key issues in achieving cultural competence. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 2003;9:166-176.