Question
How do co-occurring mental health conditions influence the daily lives and behavior of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities?
Answer
Co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and OCD significantly influence the behavior, communication, and functioning of individuals with IDD across settings. These conditions can shape individuals' navigation of environments like schools, workplaces, and community spaces. For instance, anxiety may present as behavioral challenges or emotional dysregulation, especially in high-stimulation settings. These behaviors often serve as nonverbal communication, signaling distress or unmet needs, and should be interpreted with sensitivity rather than as defiance or noncompliance.
Sensory sensitivities frequently exacerbate mental health symptoms, particularly in individuals with autism. Everyday experiences—such as dental visits or transitions between environments—can provoke heightened anxiety due to sensory overload or disruptions in routine. This fear of change, combined with specific or unusual phobias, adds complexity to understanding and supporting these individuals effectively. OCD may present in less typical forms, including hard-to-articulate compulsions or intrusive thoughts, making clinical detection even more challenging.
These mental health concerns also influence learning and social engagement. Anxiety, for example, can impair executive function, memory retention, and motivation, thereby impacting both academic and life skill development. The presence of these conditions across the lifespan—from adolescence to aging—requires that practitioners offer adaptive, compassionate support strategies. A flexible and individualized approach is essential to foster stability, promote inclusion, and enhance the overall quality of life for individuals with IDD.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, Mental Health In Aging Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: Insights And Strategies, presented by Christina Marsack-Topolewski, PhD, MSW, LMSW.
