Chapter 24 - Mental health and intellectual disability: implications for global mental health

Summary

This chapter highlights various issues related to mental health in intellectual disability (ID), and the kind of solutions that may be provided to meet the challenges in global mental health. The predominant view is that ID is associated with considerable burden because it presents special challenges not only to the individual but also to the family. Quality of life (QoL) provides an alternative to the traditional medical approach in that it emphasizes understanding, respecting, and providing what is important to and valued by each individual, and what aspects of life or the environment contribute positively to life quality. There is abundant literature on both individual and family QoL in ID, but there is no empirical evidence to suggest that the relationship between them is robust. Rather, the relationship is influenced by the level of disability and behavioral problems in the individual.