Psychopharmacology of mood disorders in persons with mental retardation and autism

Psychopathology, GABA, and the Rubinstein‐Taybi syndrome: A review and case study

“…In the MR population in general, mood disorders tend to be underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed. They are more commonly chronic, rapid‐cycling, or mixed in type, and the classical speech changes of pressured loud speech in mania may be masked due to language disabilities or idiosyncratic speech [Hellings, 1999]. The diagnoses became more apparent as our familiarity with the patient increased over time, and better clarification was obtained from her family and caregivers regarding the degree to which her deficits in social functioning have impacted her behavior.…”

Nurses' role in caring for people with a comorbidity of mental illness and intellectual disability: A literature review

“…The nurse's responsibility is to provide accurate information and to monitor for side-effects and interactions with other medications. It is well documented that people with ID are thought to be more likely to experience side-effects, yet are less likely to be able to report them (Hellings 1999). Haut and Hull's (2000) research study revealed that there was a knowledge deficit in staff about psychotropic medication in terms of their ability to administer the medication itself, and awareness of the sideeffects.…”

Practitioner Review: Psychopharmacology in children and adolescents with mental retardation

“…Risperidone (Risperdal): Risperidone has become relatively well studied in the treatment of children with MR who have comorbid psychiatric symptoms . In both adults and children with MR, risperidone has been found to be efficacious in controlling hyperactivity, irritability, aggressive behavior, SIB, and repetitive behaviors (Aman & Madrid, 1999;Hellings, 1999;Turgay, Binder, Snyder, & Fisman, 2002;Van Bellinghen & DeTroch, 2001).…”

“…Valproic acid and divalproex sodium (Depakene, Depakote): These two agents have been approved for treatment of mania in adults over 18 years of age (PDR, 2004). They are also the treatment of choice (but 'off-label') for rapid cycling BD, which is a variant more commonly seen in children and adolescents with MR (Hellings, 1999;Antochi et al, 2003). A second 'off-label' use has been for treatment of aggression and SIB in adults and children with MR (Antochi et al, 2003;Kowatch & Bucci, 1998;Ruedrich, Swalesm, Fossaceca, Toliver, & Rutkowski, 1999).…”

“…Clinical recommendations: Bipolar disorders in the MR population are more likely to respond to valproic acid and other antiepileptic drugs since individuals with MR are more often atypical, mixed, or rapid cycling. However, combination treatments are often needed to achieve a better outcome, such as two mood stabilizers and a low dose of antipsychotic drug (Hellings, 1999).…”