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Assessment and Treatment of PTSD in People with Intellectual Disabilities

Comprehensive Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Abstract

People with intellectual disabilities (ID) are more often exposed to potentially traumatic events than people without ID. Due to impairments in their cognitive and adaptive skills, processing adverse life events is supposed to be more difficult. This chapter contains an overview of the literature on the (1) manifestations and assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people with ID and (2) treatment (i.e., trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy [TF-CBT] and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing [EMDR] therapy) of PTSD symptoms in people with ID. There is evidence to suggest that manifestations of PTSD in children with ID correspond with those in children without ID. To assess the effects of psychological trauma in children and to establish the diagnosis of PTSD, the Adapted ADIS-C PTSD Section appears to be a valid and reliable clinical interview. To determine the severity of PTSD symptoms in adults, two questionnaires with good psychometric properties are available (i.e., LANTS; IES-IDs). TF-CBT and EMDR therapy are the only psychotherapies recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the treatment of PTSD. However, the literature on the treatment of manifestations of PTSD in people with ID is limited to case reports showing positive outcomes. For persons with ID suffering from PTSD, EMDR therapy seems most suited, particularly considering its nonverbal character and the lack of need to do homework and practice outside the sessions. Controlled studies are needed to establish empirical support for PTSD treatments in this population at risk for the development of PTSD.

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Abbreviations

AAIDD:

American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disability

ADIS-C:

Anxiety disorder interview scale- children

ASD:

Autism spectrum disorder

CBT:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

DM-ID:

Diagnostic Manual-Intellectual Disability

DSM:

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

EMDR:

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing

ID:

Intellectual disability (ID)

IES:

Impact of Event Scale

IES-IDs:

Impact of Event Scale-Intellectual Disabilities

LANTS:

Lancaster and Northgate Trauma Scales

MBID:

Mild to borderline intellectual disability

PTSD:

Posttraumatic stress disorder

SUDs:

Subjective Units of Disturbance scale

VoC:

Validity of Cognition Scale

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. De Swaai Youth, Center for Intellectual Disability and Psychiatry, De Lanen 3, 9204 WB, Drachten, The Netherlands

    Liesbeth Mevissen

  2. Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Robert Didden

  3. Department of Behavioral Sciences, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3004, 1081 LA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Ad de Jongh

  4. School of Health Sciences, Salford University, Manchester, UK

    Ad de Jongh

Authors
  1. Liesbeth Mevissen
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  2. Robert Didden
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  3. Ad de Jongh
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Correspondence to Liesbeth Mevissen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Buckinghamshire New University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, United Kingdom

    Colin R. Martin

  2. Kings College, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. University of Westminster, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

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Mevissen, L., Didden, R., de Jongh, A. (2015). Assessment and Treatment of PTSD in People with Intellectual Disabilities. In: Martin, C., Preedy, V., Patel, V. (eds) Comprehensive Guide to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08613-2_95-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08613-2_95-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-08613-2

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  1. Latest

    Assessment and Treatment of PTSD in People with Intellectual Disabilities
    Published:
    10 February 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08613-2_95-2

  2. Original

    Assessment and Treatment of PTSD in People with Intellectual Disabilities
    Published:
    04 September 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08613-2_95-1

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