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Mental health services for people with intellectual disability in the United Kingdom
- Authors:
- PERERA Bhathika, COURTENAY Ken
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 12(3-4), 2018, pp.91-98.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: Services for people with intellectual disabilities in the UK have evolved over the years from hospital-based care to more community provision. There are multiple reasons for these changes, however, often it was due to changes in social policy or following a scandal in provision. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: Providing services to meet the health and social care needs of people with intellectual disabilities is well-established in the four countries of the UK with support from legislation. There are often specialist mental health and social care teams. Dedicated professionals work with people with intellectual disabilities who experience mental health problems with a focus on support in the community. A range of services for children and adults and for offenders exist across the UK that often vary in composition and structure. Findings: The challenges in providing mental health services for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in the future include recruitment and training of the workforce with the remit of enhancing community support and reduced in-patient care. Practical implications: This paper helps the reader to understand how ID mental health services are organised in the UK. Originality/value: This paper gives a summary of the ID mental health services in the UK. Even though there are various papers looking at different aspects of mental health services for people with ID in the UK, this paper brings all that information together to help reader get a better understanding of the mental health services for people with ID. (Publisher abstract)
Exploring coping strategies of carers looking after people with intellectual disabilities and dementia
- Authors:
- PERERA Bhathika D., STANDEN Penny J.
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 8(5), 2014, pp.292-301.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: Carers play a vital role in looking after people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Caring role can be stressful and challenging in nature. Carers use various coping strategies to deal with stressors. The purpose of this paper is to explore coping strategies of carers looking after people with ID and dementia. Design/methodology/approach: Qualitative methodology was used to explore coping strategies. Focus groups and face-to-face interviews were carried out. These interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Nine interviews with carers (six paid carers and three family carers) and two focus groups with nursing staff looking after people with ID were carried out. Three key themes of “Narrative”, “Strategy toolbox” and “Compartmentalisation” emerged from analysis. Narrative and strategy took box were further subthemed. Carers had narratives about them and the person they look after. These “narratives” helped them to deal with day to day stressors. They also carried a “strategy toolbox”, which they used when they were in stressful situations. Compartmentalisation helped them to separate their personal life from work life as a carer. Originality/value: Understanding carers’ coping strategies is important when planning services to help carers who play an important role in our society. Professionals can support carers to understand and improve their existing coping skills and help them to thrive in their role as carers. (Publisher abstract)
The use of community treatment orders in an intellectual disability service
- Authors:
- PERERA Bhathika, SHAIKH Abdul, SINGH Niraj
- Journal article citation:
- Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 7(3), 2013, pp.129-134.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
An audit was conducted among Consultant Psychiatrists in intellectual disability psychiatry in Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust to explore how Community Treatment Orders (CTOs) are used in people with intellectual disability in the UK. Each consultant was asked to provide information on demographic data of their patients on CTOs, reasons for being on a CTO, conditions specified, patients' capacity to consent and their understanding of their CTOs. Conditions of CTOs were analysed using thematic analysis. There were 17 CTOs done for patients with intellectual disability from November 2008 to May 2011. Mean age was 38 with a range of 20-59. All patients had a mild or moderate intellectual disability. Only a small percentage of patients had a diagnosis of schizophrenia. More than 50 per cent had a diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). All patients had behavioural problems as a reason for being on a CTO. About one third of patients did not have any understanding of their CTOs. Themes of conditions were focused on providing a structured life to prevent relapse of the mental disorder. The study highlights that CTOs are used differently in the intellectual disability population. CTOs are adapted to use for patients with behavioural challenges and PDD in an intellectual disability population. This contrasts with its common use to manage non-compliance with medication in patients with schizophrenia in the general adult population. This paper also suggests the main themes of conditions which clinicians can use when deciding on CTO conditions. (Edited publisher abstract)