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Screening for mental health problems in adults with learning disabilities using the Mini PAS-ADD Interview
- Authors:
- DEVINE Maurice, TAGGART Laurence, MCLORNIAN Paula
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(4), December 2010, pp.252-258.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Prevalence rates vary considerably regarding the mental health of people with learning disabilities. This variation is a consequence of the assessment methods used to identify such clinical conditions and also the different populations studied. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of mental health problems in 96 adults with mild-to-moderate learning disabilities receiving community-based services in Northern Ireland. Using the Mini PAS-ADD Interview schedule, a number of specifically trained interviewers interviewed staff who supported these adults with learning disabilities in their particular work or day care setting to determine whether or not participants had a potential mental health problem. This study found a 33.3% prevalence rate of mental health problems in this community sample. The results of this study fall between previous community prevalence studies that range from 14% to 50%. This sample was found to score higher on the sub-scales of depression and psychosis compared with other prevalence studies. In order to examine the agreement of these findings, a random sample of 27 of the participants were also interviewed by a psychiatrist specialising in learning disability regarding their mental health status. The results found that the Mini PAS-ADD Interview has an overall sensitivity of 1 (100%) and a specificity of 77%. The practical issues of the screening process are discussed. Methodological limitations are also highlighted in accurately predicting prevalence rates of mental health problems in the learning disability population by clinical staff.