Abstract
Preliminary data are presented on the effects of undiagnosed medical conditions and side effects of medication appearing in a subset of 209 people with mental retardation serially referred for psychiatric and behavioral treatment. A retrospective analysis of medical record data showed that 12% of the group had unrecognized medical conditions that accounted for presenting behaviors, while side effects of medication accounted for behavioral symptoms in another 7%. Analyses of diagnostic information revealed that referral physicians tended to give psychiatric diagnoses when more types of behavior problems were reported, but overall, gave fewer diagnoses than a specialized transdisciplinary team. Careful medical evaluation could have led to earlier diagnosis and treatment for people whose behavioral symptoms were associated with unrecognized medical conditions and medication side effects. A transdisciplinary evaluation process is recommended for people with mental retardation who exhibit behavioral symptoms.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 101-107 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Mental Health Aspects of Developmental Disabilities |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 3 |
State | Published - 2001 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Developmental disabilities
- Intellectual disabilities
- Medical conditions
- Medication
- Mental retardation
- Psychiatric diagnosis
- Side effects
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health