Mental Health Aspects of Mental Retardation: Progress in Assessment and Treatment

The identification of psychiatric disorders in persons with mental retardation is not a new phenomenon, but it has received much more attention in recent years with the increase in the number of the mentally retarded who have been deinstitutionalized. The diagnosis of mental illness in such persons, however, is often difficult since their mental retardation may alter the appearance of their symptoms. To assist professionals in both the mental health and mental retardation fields with assessment and treatment, Robert J. Fletcher and Anton Dosen have brought together leaders in the field and key researchers from both the United States and Europe to address the most current approaches to assessment and treatment of mental illness and behavioral disorders.The authors examine diagnosis, giving special attention to schizophrenic, affective, and personality disorders; treatment, including individual, group, family, behavioral, and teaching approaches; effective models of service; dementia; and special issues for mentally retarded individuals who exhibit self-injurious behavior.Mental Health Aspects of Mental Retardation is a valuable, up-to-date resource for meeting the challenges of dual diagnosis. It is geared toward the cutting edge of technology in the assessment and treatment of specific psychiatric and behavioral disorders in persons who have mental retardation.