Who Am I? A Life Story Intervention for Persons With Intellectual Disability and Psychiatric Problems.
Guided life-story talks quickly eased depression, anxiety, and OCD in adults with ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Twenty-five adults with ID and psychiatric problems met for life-story sessions.
They told, wrote, and drew key memories from childhood to today.
Staff scored mood scales before and after the the study period.
What they found
Depression, anxiety, OCD, and social worry all dropped by large amounts.
Most gains showed up by week six and held at three-month check.
No extra drugs were added during the study.
How this fits with other research
Westendorp et al. (2014) showed older adults with ID need fun and friends to stay active.
The life-story work adds a way to build those same social ties through shared tales.
Austin et al. (2015) found thinner family support in this group.
Story sessions may fill that gap by letting clients feel heard and connected.
Iqbal (2002) warned that staff may quit harsh behavior plans.
Story therapy avoids that risk because clients enjoy it and no restraint is used.
Why it matters
You now have a low-cost tool that cuts mood symptoms without more meds.
Try adding a weekly "story circle" to your day program.
Let clients bring photos, music, or art to spark talk.
Track mood with simple 1-5 faces before and after each group.
You may see the same quick drop in worry and sadness.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This article describes an innovative intervention based on narrative and life review therapy that is tailored to people with intellectual disability (ID) and psychiatric problems. The current study provides a first evaluation of the intervention. A symptom checklist (SCL-90) was used in a pre- and post-follow-up design, and a qualitative evaluation of the intervention was carried out with 25 participants. Results showed large changes in psychiatric symptoms, in particular on depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and interpersonal sensitivity. Participants were mainly positive in their general explicit evaluations of the therapy as well as on personal learning points, intervention-specific, group-related, and therapist-related aspects. It is concluded that the intervention is promising for the treatment of people with ID and psychiatric complaints.
Intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2016 · doi:10.1352/1934-9556-54.3.173