The relationship between manic symptoms on the DASH II and YMRS and feeding/mealtime behavior problems.
Manic symptoms in adults with ID flag specific feeding troubles—extra persistence, positioning needs, and mealtime aggression.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers gave the DASH-II and YMRS to the adults with intellectual disability. They also watched each person eat and scored 25 feeding problems.
The team then ran stats to see if manic symptoms predicted any mealtime issues.
What they found
More manic symptoms meant more feeding persistence, special positioning needs, and mealtime aggression. It also meant less texture selectivity.
In plain words, manic adults kept eating past fullness, needed chairs with straps, and hit staff during meals.
How this fits with other research
Keintz et al. (2011) found the opposite mood link: low mood predicted more challenging behavior. The two studies look contradictory, but they measured different things. B et al. looked at mania and feeding; S et al. looked at depression and overall aggression.
Palka Bayard de Volo et al. (2021) reviewed depression in severe ID and warned that appetite change can also come from pain or autism. Their caution still applies here—rule out medical causes before you blame mania.
Libero et al. (2016) showed that overactivity predicts later self-injury. Manic symptoms often include overactivity, so the feeding problems may be one early sign of the same risk pathway.
Why it matters
If a client with ID keeps eating, needs restraint, or hits staff at the table, screen for mania. Use the YMRS or DASH-II items. Treating the mood may calm the meal. Also check for pain and medication side effects so you do not miss a medical reason.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study represents the first to assess whether a relationship between manic symptoms and feeding/mealtime behavior problems exists in individuals with ID. Participants were compared across three groups (manic, non-manic psychiatrically impaired, and controls) on the diagnostic assessment for the severely handicapped-revised (DASH-II) and young mania rating scale (YMRS) and items of the screening tool of feeding problems (STEP). Individuals in the manic group exhibited clinically significant symptoms of mania (n=18), those in the non-manic psychiatrically impaired group exhibited symptoms of psychopathology other than mania (n=18), and those in the control group did not exhibit symptoms of mania or any other psychopathology (n=18). Significant differences were found across the groups for a number of items. Specifically, individuals exhibiting symptoms of mania were significantly more likely to 'continue to eat as long as food was available', 'to require special positioning during feeding, and 'to engage in problem behaviors during mealtime (e.g., aggression)'. These individuals were also significantly less likely to 'eat foods of only certain textures'. Implications of these data are discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2006 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2005.06.003