Borderline intellectual functioning: an increased risk of severe psychiatric problems and inability to work

Abstract

Background The use of facilities such as disability pension, psychiatric care, health care and services for people with intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) were compared with the general population and two other study groups comprising people with mild intellectual disabilities (MIDs) and learning problems (LPs). Methods The population‐based sample (N = 416,973), ‘Finland‐in‐Miniature’, was gathered in 1962 and followed until 1998. For the purpose of the present study, three groups were formed: BIF (n = 416), MID (n = 312) and LP (n = 284). The use of services was examined with the help of national registers. Results As compared with the general population, people with BIF had been granted disability pension 2.7 times more often and had been patients in psychiatric care 3.4 times more often. They had also systematically used more services than people with LP. Conclusions People with BIF are at risk of inability to work and facing severe mental health problems. They also seem to have more severe psychiatric problems than people with MID and LP. There is, therefore, a crucial need for increasing the awareness in society of BIF. Although this study's follow‐up data were collected about 20 years ago, it is still relevant because people with BIF are a neglected group and still face growing demands in school and work life with no marked changes in services.

Challenges and Neuropsychological Functioning in Children and Adolescents with Borderline Intellectual Functioning

“…Additionally, these difficulties become more evident as the expectations and demands of academic achievements and task complexity grow. These findings parallel the clinical notions in patients with BIF [ 31 , 33 ].…”

“…The working memory tests gradually become more difficult with age groups, starting from repeating simple sentences and extending to remembering abstract concepts. Processing speed requires fine motor precision and motor and executive planning, which all are demanding for individuals with BIF [ 31 , 33 ].…”

“…Neuropsychological profiles and difficulties in cognitive skills and adaptive behaviors are heterogeneous. Individuals with BIF have been reported to have deficiencies in their academic skills (such as arithmetic, reading comprehension, and mechanical reading), cognitive skills (such as working memory in both the verbal and visuo-spatial domains, processing speed, learning strategies, abstract mentalization, and executive function), social skills (such as recognizing and verbalizing emotions, theory of mind skills, social interaction and participation, social information processing, and recognizing facial expressions), practical adaptive skills (activities of daily living), and motor skills [ 1 , 2 , 11 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. The severity of difficulties may vary between developmental domains from mild to severe, and the profiles may be versatile even in the same individual.…”

Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Slow Learners (Borderline Intellectual Functioning)

“…Although BIF is defined as a lack of significant abnormalities in adaptive functioning, distinguishing it from IDD, research indicates that individuals with BIF experience various daily living adaptation difficulties compared with those of the general population [ 30 ]. Additionally, compared with those of mild IDD, BIF demonstrates similar psychosocial and adaptive functioning deficits [ 31 ] and may present with more severe psychiatric issues [ 32 ]. This is presumably because individuals with BIF attempt to conceal their need for assistance and strive to act “normally [ 5 , 29 ].” Based on these facts, BIF, while not a disability itself, is associated with a higher probability of psychiatric disorders, complicating the diagnosis and treatment when such disorders arise [ 33 ].…”

Self-perceived anxiety symptoms in school students with borderline intellectual functioning: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

“…Despite its sizeable prevalence, borderline intellectual functioning is a rarely studied topic not only in children but also in adults, and information on it is fragmentary. [ 23 24 ] Melby et al . [ 25 ] (Tingvoll, Norway) have assessed young adults (19-year-olds) with borderline intellectual functioning, using the Schedule for Affective Disorder and Schizophrenia for School-age Children Present and Lifetime (K-SADS P/L) instrument, and reported that they had excess risk of anxiety.…”