New research from Special Olympics Health, authored by SOI Chief Health Officer, Dr. Dimitri Christakis was published in JAMA Network Open titled: Anxiety, Depression, and Care Barriers in Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
The study reveals that adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the United States experience substantially higher rates of mental health conditions, treatment use, and cost-related barriers compared to those without functional impairments.
Key findings include:
- Reports of daily depression are 18 times more common among adults with IDD.
- Adults with IDD are more than nine times more likely to report a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression.
- Adults with IDD are seven times more likely to take medication for anxiety and nearly nine times more likely to take medication for depression.
- Despite high medication use, therapy access lags: adults with IDD are more than five times more likely to report being unable to access needed therapy due to cost.
You can access the press release here.
