Mental Health Care For People With Learning Disabilities

Many practitioners within health and social care come into contact with people with intellectual disabilities and want to work in ways that are beneficial to them by making reasonable adjustments in order to meet clients’ needs and expectations. Yet the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities continues to be a neglected area, where unnecessary suffering and premature deaths continue to prevail. This text provides a comprehensive insight into intellectual disability healthcare. It is aimed at those who are training in the field of intellectual disability nursing and also untrained practitioners who work in both health and social care settings. Divided into five sections, it explores how a wide range of biological, health, psychological and social barriers impact upon people with learning disability, and includes: Six guiding principles used to adjust, plan and develop meaningful and accessible health and social services Assessment, screening and diagnosis of intellectual disability across the life course Addressing lifelong health needs Psychological and psychotherapeutic issues, including sexuality, behavioural and mental health needs, bereavement, and ethical concerns. The changing professional roles and models of meeting the needs of people with intellectual and learning disabilities. Intellectual Disability in Health and Social Care provides a wide-ranging overview of what learning disability professionals’ roles are and provides insight into what health and social care practitioners might do to assist someone with intellectual disabilities when specific needs arise.

This book is a practical guide for those caring for people with learning disabilities living in community settings. It will help carers understand and meet service users' health needs, and recognise problems. Topics include physical health issues; mental health issues such as dementia, depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety.

Featuring 11 chapters, each one with a detailed glossary, Learning to Care for People with Learning Disabilities is designed to be used as a reference book in either the clinical setting, classroom or at home. Chapters are re-divided into discrete sections reflecting contemporary Learning Disability nursing practice. References to care in a range of primary and secondary care settings are made throughout the book. Each chapter begins with key points and concludes with a summary of the significant points to reinforce learning.

This U.K. book is directed towards all those people, including parents and other family members, nurses, social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, other professional staff, students, care staff, and voluntary workers, who are involved in the care of people with learning disabilities. It does not profess to be a complete mental health manual; rather, it aims to introduce the reader to the key issues and concerns that surround mental health in people with learning disabilities such that they might have a positive impact on the care that those people receive.

This book considers how mental health services have evolved over the past three decades to meet the needs of people with intellectual disability, focusing on the ways that theories and policies have been applied to clinical practice. Nick Bouras and Geraldine Holt both have extensive experience in developing and running mental health services and bring together international contributors all with longstanding expertise in the fields of mental health and intellectual disability. They present the current evidence based practice as how people with intellectual disability can be best cared for in clinical settings. The book embraces a foreword by Professor David Goldberg and is divided into three sections: development of specialist mental health services, clinical practice, and training as an integrated component of service delivery. Chapters cover topics including: the association between psychopathology and intellectual disability international perspectives neuroimaging and genetic syndromes training professionals, families and support workers. Mental Health Services for Adults with Intellectual Disability provides an overview of the many improvements that have been made in services for people with intellectual disability, as well as examining the shortcomings of the services provided. It offers strategies and solutions for the wide array of interdisciplinary professionals who want to develop the range of resources on offer for people with intellectual disability.

Now in its 5th edition, Mental Health in Intellectual Disabilities continues to address the need for a handbook which, while well-grounded in research and latest clinical practice, is essentially non-academic and accessible for staff occupying many roles. For example support workers and managers in learning disability service settings, GPs, psychologists, psychiatrists, community learning disability teams and other professionals who may find themselves supporting a person with an intellectual disability from time to time, as well as students of mental health and intellectual disability. The new edition represents a complete revision and updating, aiming to address key knowledge requirements and concerns of people working in the field and provide opportunities for reflection and continuing professional development. The content is illustrated by case studies to help the reader explore how best to address mental health issues in practice.

A timely distillation of current thinking on the presentation of behavioural disorders and their origins.

This guide outlines a range of symptoms of mental health problems that can affect people with intellectual disabilities. It explains why mental health problems develop, and what can be done to help people with intellectual disabilities and carers themselves. There are chapters on specific disabilities such as autism and epilepsy.