Psychotropic drugs intake in people aging with intellectual disability: Prevalence and predictors.
Laura García-Domínguez, Patricia Navas, Miguel Ángel Verdugo and 2 others
PMID 35384179WHAT IT FOUND
In 991 adults with intellectual disability aged 45 to 88, 38.4% used psychotropic medication; antipsychotics were most common.
Taking two or more drugs was more likely with older age, mild intellectual disability, residential settings, mental health conditions, and behavioural problems.
Key findings
0138.4% of the sample used psychotropic medication, and antipsychotics were the most common medication type.
02Taking two or more psychotropic drugs was associated with older age, mild intellectual disability, residential settings, mental health conditions, and behavioural problems.
03Some people taking antipsychotics had no mental health or behavioural problems, and some people with behavioural problems but no mental health condition were prescribed psychotropic drugs.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample from third-sector intellectual disability services, not a random population sample. Diagnoses, behaviour problems, and medication use came from reports by professionals or family members, not from medical records or the person themselves. Medication doses were not recorded in many cases, so the study cannot describe how much medication people were taking. One researcher coded medication names, and no inter-rater reliability was provided. There was no comparison group of aging people without intellectual disability. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether behaviour problems led to medication use or medication was associated with problems over time. Many people took more than one psychotropic drug, so the study cannot identify the role of each drug.
Declared interests
Funded by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the association between behavioural problems and taking two or more psychotropic drugs as evidence that medication is effective for behaviour problems. This was a cross-sectional survey with proxy reports, missing doses, and no treatment outcome data.