Interventions for Mental Health in Persons With Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review [Internet] - PubMed (original) (raw)

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Washington (DC): Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI); 2025 Jan.

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Interventions for Mental Health in Persons With Intellectual Disability: A Scoping Review [Internet]

ECRI et al.

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Background: Treatment of mental health disorders is a concern for individuals with intellectual disability (ID) and their caregivers. This scoping review provides a comprehensive overview of interventions used to treat individuals with ID and mental health concerns with the aim of informing future research needs, study design, and reporting.

Method: A comprehensive literature search was performed using Embase, PsycInfo, and PubMed for English-language primary studies published from January 1, 1990, to January 18, 2023, as full-length articles in peer-reviewed journals. Study, population, and intervention characteristics were narratively summarized and presented in data tables and other static maps.

Results: We identified 120 studies in our scoping review. Few studies included individuals with severe or profound ID (22 of 120), and most studies focused on improving challenging behaviors, with few focusing on mental health disorders or related symptoms. Included RCTs indicated that the most frequently studied interventions among adults were antipsychotics (7 RCTs) and cognitive behavioral therapy (8 RCTs) and among children were parent training (6 RCTs) and antidepressants (3 RCTs). Study limitations include poor reporting of important population and intervention characteristics.

Conclusion: More research is needed to better understand which interventions are feasible in younger individuals and/or those with more severe ID. Future research also needs to consider adaptations or modifications of complex therapies to increase use of these therapies in individuals with ID. To help guide our understanding of which interventions are feasible and effective for individuals with ID and mental health concerns, future studies should better describe populations and interventions.

Key words: Intellectual disability; mental health interventions; scoping review; research gaps

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