Wall Street Journal Reports: Splintered System Often Fails Mentally Ill With Low IQs (IDD)

The need for proactive and effective services for all Individuals with Developmental Disabilities cannot be over emphasized.  From Adam Lanza in Newtown, Conn. to Deborah Clark in California, the need for adequate support system and resources for the service

Deborah Clark, center, with her father.

providers to meet the challenges, have all the more brought the urgency to the forefront.  Service Providers need all the supports and the resources for the safety and the successful community placements of our citizens with special needs.  We need to be cognizant of the co-occurrence rates of developmental disabilities and mental health needs. The statistics reflect the fact that people with IDD are at a significantly higher risk of mental illness. The prevalence is conservatively estimated at 33%, with some sources reporting much higher rates. These populations susceptibility is increased by biological and social factors. However, effective mental health services with positive behavioral supports in an environment that is appropriately supportive results in excellent outcomes. A recent article featured in the Wall Street Journal has brought to our attention one more time how critical our services are., Conn

Estimated 1.5 Million in U.S. With Mental Illness and Developmental Disability Face Challenges in Getting Coordinated Treatment.

RIVERSIDE, Calif.—Deborah Clark said a voice named Dora told her to burn books in a hall closet. She lighted them while her elderly, ailing parents slept and then walked to the store to buy dog food.
Smoke from the fire in April 2012 killed both of them, the local coroner ruled. Prosecutors charged Ms. Clark with arson and murder. The 49-year-old woman is in protective custody in a Riverside County jail, awaiting a court hearing Thursday on whether she is competent to go on trial. Read Wall Streets Journal


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