Life expectancy of mentally retarded persons in Canadian institutions

Data obtained from Statistics Canada were presented on the mortality level and expectancy of life for profoundly retarded and severely and moderately retarded persons in Canadian institutions for the years 1966 through 1968. Previous studies of mortality statistics were reported in mortality rates, average age at death, and crude death rates which are affected by the age distribution of the population involved. The very young and the very old are underrepresented in institutions, and thus these measures are not as accurate as life expectancy tables, which present the number of years expected to live, are independent of age distribution, and provide a reliable statistical measure for future replication and international comparisons. Retarded persons in institutions are living longer than previously, but their life expectancy does not meet that of the general population. Estimates of life expectancy for this population are vital for planning purposes.     

A working model for monitoring intervention programs in residential settings for mentally retarded persons.

Describes a 2-committee system for monitoring therapeutic and educational programs and research in a residential setting for mentally retarded persons. The issues and problems that have emerged in both committees are discussed, as are the estimated costs involved in maintaining both committees. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rehabilitation of the institutionalized mentally retarded.

"In order to determine the present status of psychology in state institutions, a questionnaire was sent to 101 institutions in the United States and Canada… . Replies were received from 72% of the total sent. Thirteen reported that they have no psychologists… . The 72 institutions which replied have 109,010 patients served by 143 full-time and 14 part-time psychologists—approximately 725 patients per psychologist." In general, the functions of psychologists in these institutions are very similar. The "role of the department of psychology, as with other services in an institution, should not be as an autonomous unit with separate function, but as an integral part of a patient-centered team." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Extrapolated WISC-R IQs for gifted and mentally retarded children.

Presents extrapolated IQs for the 1974 WISC revised version (WISC-R) for sums of scaled scores that are both below and above the values published in the WISC-R manual. The regression equations on which these extrapolations are based and cautions regarding the clinical use of these IQs are also presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Normalization and deinstitutionalization of mentally retarded individuals: Controversy and facts.

Examines the sources of the controversy over normalization to clarify the limits of knowledge about treatment and suggests the possibility of theory-based evaluation of service delivery. Social reform in the treatment of mental retardation from 1967 to 1985 is reviewed, and the role of social science in policy formation and evaluation is discussed. Relevant research over the last 3 decades is summarized, and ways in which psychologists could have a positive impact on policy and services are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rorschach cognitive developmental indices of mentally retarded persons: a comparison with scores on Wechsler Intelligence Scale for children-revised

The complete mechanism by which pathogenic mtDNA mutations cause cellular pathophysiology and in some cases cell death is unclear. Oxidant stress is especially toxic to excitable nerve and muscle cells, cells that are often affected in mitochondrial disease. The sensitivity of cells bearing the LHON, MELAS, and MERRF mutations to oxidant stress was determined. All were significantly more sensitive to H2O2 exposure than their nonmutant cybrid controls, the order of sensitivity was MELAS > LHON > MERRF > controls. Depletion of Ca2+ from the medium protected all cell lines from oxidant stress, consistent with the hypothesis that death induced by oxidant stress is Ca(2+)-dependent. A potential downstream target of Ca2+ is the mitochondrial permeability transition, MPT, which is inhibited by cyclosporin A. Treatment of MELAS, LHON, and MERRF cells with cyclosporin A caused significant rescue from oxidant exposure, and in each case significantly greater rescue of mutant than control cells. The pronounced oxidant-sensitivity of mutant cells, and their protection by Ca2+ depletion and CsA, has potential implications for both the pathophysiological mechanism and therapy of these mitochondrial genetic diseases.     

Emotionally disturbed mentally retarded people: An underserved population.

Discusses the need to increase the supply of psychotherapeutic services for the emotional problems of mentally retarded people as well as those of people with IQs between 70 and 80. Low IQ may increase the risk of emotional disturbance because it creates special adjustment problems while limiting the individual's ability to solve these problems. Low IQ may decrease the opportunity for adequate psychotherapeutic services because of administrative, conceptual, and attitudinal reasons. It is suggested that a multidimensional approach is needed to meet the mental health needs of the mentally retarded that involves more research on emotional development, implementation of demonstration programs, and the design of cost-effective treatment packages. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Medical views of psychological consultation.

A questionnaire was mailed to 500 physicians in a five-state rural region in an effort to obtain their views, concerns, and attitudes about the utility of psychological consultations. The 500 physicians were randomly selected in equal numbers per state from national directories of internal medicine physicians and family practitioners. Of the 500 physicians surveyed, 139 (28%) responded by completing and returning the questionnaire. The results suggest that physicians generally view psychological consultations as helpful and necessary; however, they expressed concern about what training psychologists received as consultants. Physicians also expressed strong concern about the perceived lack of feedback from psychologists during and after consultations. The implications of the return rate and results are discussed. Recommendations to establish greater credibility and to improve interactions between physicians and psychologists are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nurses' expectations for accomplishment of mentally retarded patients

As part of a larger study into the pattern of care delivered to hospitalized mentally retarded adults, an attitude survey was undertaken. Factor analysis on questionnaires returned by 696 nurses yielded a three factor solution. One factor, concerned with the expectations that nurses hold of the potential level of patient accomplishment, was examined. Different grades of staff were found to hold significantly different views on a scale ranging from "optimist" to "pessimist". Results from 30 hospitals showed that, after correcting for this grade effect, there were substantial institutional differences.     

Role of psychologists in public institutions for the mentally retarded revisited.

Evaluated the functions and quality of psychological services for 201 US public residential facilities for the mentally retarded. Data were obtained from superintendents or directors of the institutions concerning the number of psychologists and their level of training, their duties, and the adequacy of their professional preparation. Results were contrasted with those obtained from a similar study by the 1st author (see record 1967-06370-001) conducted in 1965. Some marked changes in the number of psychologists employed in these facilities and in their roles have occurred over this interval. The most significant change involves decreased emphasis on evaluation and increased emphasis on behavioral intervention. Although psychologists are generally regarded as more adequately prepared than they were in the earlier survey, many respondents felt that the level of training is still not adequate. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluation of a group counseling program designed to enhance social adjustment of mentally retarded adults.

A group of moderately retarded (mean IQ 47, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test [PPVT]), institutionalized residents (20 males, 24 females) received 10 wks of structured group counseling. The group counseling program, in which the counselor played a dual role as teacher-model and group leader, focused on 5 areas of social and personal adjustment. The residents' improvement was assessed by the PPUT, the Adaptive Behavior Scale, and nomination by peers and ward staff. The experimental and control groups were compared using the pretest scores as the covariate. Results show that in each of the above variables, the experimental group showed a greater mean score than that of the control group. This is interpreted as supporting the contention that group counseling of a primarily verbal nature can be effective in enhancing social adjustment skills of residents with moderate intellectual deficiency. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beyond testing: A decision-making system for providing school psychological consultation.

Educators and school psychologists have long found testing and psychological reports to be limited in answering the call for effective and efficient school mental health services. Recommendations to improve school psychological services often seem so idealistic as to be unattainable or to require abandonment of established roles and functions. The present model expands the current model of the school psychological referral system in a practical and concrete manner. It presents a flow chart to guide the process of consultation after the phases of problem definition and data collection. Benefits of this model for stimulating team problem solving, continuous professional inservicing, and efficient use of time are discussed. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlates of social status among mainstreamed mentally retarded children.

Explored the relative contributions of misbehavior, academic incompetence, and exposure to nonretarded children to the explanation of retarded children's sociometric status. Teachers and peers rated retarded children on the dimensions of misbehavior and academic performance. The results indicate that perceived academic incompetence was associated with educable mentally retarded children's level of social acceptance, whereas perceived misbehavior was associated with retarded children's social rejection by peers. Amount of exposure to nonretarded children did not relate significantly to retarded children's social status. The data are discussed in terms of the assumptions underlying the mainstreaming of retarded children into regular classes. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Giving psychological meaning to consultation: Consultant as storyteller.

Discusses the role of storytelling in consultation. Data from tests and other instruments often relies heavily on numbers which clients may not interpret or integrate correctly, therefore, storytelling is a skill necessary for good consultants in the field of science to develop. There are many variants of storytelling in psychology found in psychoanalytic therapy, narrative therapy, and projective techniques. The use of tacit communication and short stories in organizational consultation is examined, and the idea of an organization's core ideology as a master story is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factor analysis of the WISC-R for a group of mentally retarded children and adolescents.

Administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC--R) to 80 retarded youngsters ranging in CA from 6 to 16 yrs. Scaled scores on the 12 tests were correlated, and the matrix was subjected to several factor-analytic techniques. The 3 factors identified for normal children in a previous study of the WISC--R (Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, and Freedom from Distractibility) also emerged for the retardates, although some differences were observed in the distractibility factor. The WISC--R factor structure for retardates was also similar to the structure of the 1949 WISC that was identified for several groups of institutionalized and noninstitutionalized retardates. Results of the studies involving the 1949 WISC are reviewed critically to help understand the implications of the present findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Active epilepsy in mentally retarded children. I. Prevalence and additional neuro-impairments

A population-based study of active epilepsy was conducted in 6-13-year-old mentally retarded children born between 1975 and 1986. The population at risk comprised 48,873 children. Ninety-eight children were identified, 35 mildly and 63 severely retarded. The prevalence was 2.0 per 1000; 0.7 per 1000 for mildly and 1.3 per 1000 for severely retarded children. Sixty-nine children had at least one additional neuroimpairment. Cerebral palsy was found in 42 children with a majority of spastic/dystonic tetraplegias; visual impairment was present in 24 and autism in 24. Thirty-three children had only a mild or no gross motor disability and mild mental retardation, while 23 had IQs < 20 and a very severe gross motor disability. This study underlines the fact that active epilepsy in mentally retarded children is often associated with additional neuroimpairments, especially a combination of severe cerebral palsy and severe visual impairment.     

Psychotherapy with the mentally retarded: A review of the literature and the implications.

The authors examine psychotherapy as an effective means of providing treatment to the mentally retarded from several theoretical standpoints. The literature on this topic dates back at least 30 years, and in some cases arguably 60 years, and consequently it is not a new area of inquiry. Although, historically, research has been lacking in this area, recent contributions have been promising, and this newer work is explored amid appraising the implications of this modality for today's practitioner who works with the mentally retarded. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychologists and families of the severely mentally ill: The role of family consultation.

Notes that, at present, families find themselves playing an integral role in the caretaking of mentally ill individuals, and are in need of supportive family counseling. Psychologists are in an ideal position to consult to families and staff; however, curricular revisions are needed to educate and train psychologists for this task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fear, prejudice, and neglect: Discrimination against mentally disabled persons.

Historically, the law has directly discriminated against mentally disabled persons and has failed to protect them from discrimination by private parties. Despite the arguments of the American Psychological Association and other mental health organizations, the Supreme Court has refused to consider state-sanctioned discrimination on the basis of mental disability as requiring a higher level of judicial scrutiny to ensure that it is related to important governmental objectives. Without such scrutiny, policy decisions based on prejudice and fear may jeopardize fair and humane treatment of mentally disabled persons in community and institutional settings. Such inadequate legal protection for mentally disabled persons heightens the significance of the professional responsibility of psychologists and other mental health professionals to promote respect for the personal autonomy of their clients and to strive to preserve their clients' constitutional rights of due process and equal protection under the law. To further legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of mentally disabled persons, an overview of existing federal antidiscrimination statutes is provided, along with a discussion of more recent legislation granting mentally disabled persons affirmative rights in a variety of contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental health services for homeless mentally ill persons: Federal initiatives and current service trends.

Recent research suggests that approximately one third of the population of homeless single adults suffer from severe mental illnesses. Despite multiple health, mental health, and social welfare needs, this population is often unable to obtain necessary housing and community-based services. For this reason, since 1982, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has undertaken a number of federal initiatives to encourage research and assist states and localities in improving services focused on this vulnerable subgroup of the homeless population. This article describes the target population, NIMH research findings, and current mental health programs—with particular emphasis on two mental health programs established under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. Proposed future directions for federal research and evaluation efforts in this area are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)