Community services for people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems

Abstract

An evidence base is urgently needed for these community-based services. Research should utilize the opinions of service users and their carers as well as professionals and focus on those people with intellectual disabilities and more severe mental health problems. It may be more fruitful to examine the components of community-based services rather than use the terminology of specific models such as assertive community treatment. The service components considered to be essential need first to be identified using a systematic methodology and then evaluated using a broad range of outcomes.

An Exploration of Costs of Community‐Based Specialist Health Service Provision for the Management of Aggressive Behaviour in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

“…Very little research has investigated costs of specialist health service provision to adults with intellectual disabilities and aggressive behaviour (Hemmings ; Tyrer et al . ) with which to compare the present results.…”

“…Few studies have investigated the nature of service utilization by adults with intellectual disabilities (Spiller et al . ), especially in relation to specialist community‐based health services and for the management of aggressive behaviour (Jacobsen ; Hemmings ). Similarly, few studies are currently available to assess the economic impact of various forms of psychosocial, environmental and medication‐based interventions for aggressive behaviour in adults with intellectual disabilities.…”

Expert opinions on community services for people with intellectual disabilities and mental health problems

“…There is a great need for evaluation studies of these and innovative services (Hemmings, 2008). However, it is crucial that this research will be fully informed in order to increase its validity.…”

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders

“…Amongst people with ID suffering mental illness, those with schizophrenia have been shown to use psychiatric services more than those with any other diagnosis (Morgan et al 2008). Despite this, there has been little research to inform the most effective models of community care (Balogh et al 2008;Hemmings 2008). A consultation exercise involving a large multi-disciplinary group identified the "need for a focused approach on the service user and their illness" and "working within the wider context of the service user" as essential components of services managing people with ID and psychosis (Hemmings et al 2009).…”