Psychiatrists' knowledge, training and attitudes regarding the care of individuals with intellectual disability.
Psychiatrists say they lack ID training—pair them with your BCBA team for live cases to fill the gap.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Chiviacowsky et al. (2013) sent a survey to 256 Israeli psychiatrists. They asked how well the doctors felt trained to treat people with intellectual disability.
The survey covered past training, current knowledge, and comfort level. No patients were treated; this was a self-report snapshot.
What they found
Most psychiatrists said their training was poor. They felt unsure about medical and mental-health care for adults with ID.
Doctors wanted more classes, hands-on clinics, and mentors who know ID psychiatry.
How this fits with other research
Wilkinson et al. (2012) asked family doctors the same question and got the same answer. Both specialties feel under-prepared; the gap is not just a psychiatry problem.
Udhnani et al. (2025) found similar worry among obstetric clinicians. The training gap now shows up across perinatal, primary, and mental-health care.
Laugeson et al. (2014) reviewed earlier trials that tried short classes for medical students. The classes moved attitudes a little, but evidence was weak. Together these papers say: brief lectures are not enough; real-world practice is missing.
Why it matters
If the psychiatrist on your team feels under-trained, your client with ID may wait longer for the right medication review. Use this data to push for joint clinics, ID shadow days, or monthly case rounds with an ID specialist. One small win: invite the psychiatrist to your next behavioral crisis meeting and share your functional-behavior data. The hands-on exposure chips away at the confidence gap the surveys keep finding.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Psychiatrists are responsible for providing proper care for people with intellectual disability who have psychiatric disorders. This study examined psychiatrists' perceptions of their own training, knowledge and therapeutic skills, as well as their attitudes towards this population. METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed to 679 psychiatrists working within the public sector in Israel. RESULTS: Completed questionnaires were returned from 256 psychiatrists (38% response rate). Most (90%) participants reported having had limited training in the diagnosis and treatment of people with intellectual disabilities, while between 34% and 72% reported having inadequate knowledge in specific areas. CONCLUSION: The findings of limited training and self-perceived inadequate knowledge are at least partially explained by the service model, wherein people with intellectual disabilities are cared for by general mental health services. The identified inadequacies could be overcome through the implementation of a model in which specially trained psychiatrists are deployed within generic services.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2013 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2012.01604.x