Eliminating Health Care Disparities Essay 

Equality for all citizens is valued in our society. However, disparities exist in our society despite this value.  Health care disparities can occur across populations due to various factors such as income, gender, education, disabilities, cultural, racial or ethnic backgrounds, and/or geographic locations (Gehlert & Browne, 2012).  Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are one of the marginalized populations regarding health care, specifically mental health. Eliminating Health Care Disparities Essay Paper

Population

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are a vulnerable and an underserved population.  According to Robinson, Dauenhauer, Bishop and Baxter (2012), in the year 2000, there were over 640,000 adults with IDD over the age of 60, and this number is expected to double by the year 2030.  This population is experiencing increased longevity due to better improved medical knowledge, better access to health care, deinstitutionalization and better living conditions (Robinson, Dauenhauer, Bishop & Baxter, 2012).  Despite these improvements in the lives and care of this population, disparities still exist. One area of disparity is that of mental health.

Determinants of Mental Health Services

The National Association for the Dually Diagnosed (NADD) (2019) estimates that 30-35% of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a psychiatric disorder.  However, persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities often do not get diagnosed with mental health illnesses due to diagnostic overshadowing.  The term diagnostic overshadowing occurs when psychosocial or other health problems are not diagnosed due to a primary diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disabilities (Robinson, Dauenhauer, Bishop & Baxter, 2012).  Eliminating Health Care Disparities Essay Paper. This diagnostic overshadowing creates a challenge as it is difficult to distinguish the symptoms of mental illness from physical illness, use appropriate assessment and screening tools, communication problems, presentation of symptoms, and treatment possibilities (Robinson, Dauenhauer, Bishop, & Baxter, 2012).  For example, overshadowing may occur if the person is exhibiting symptoms of aggression, but it is seen as part of the intellectual and developmental disability instead of the underlying mental health issue. The service provider may not be able to assess the person properly due to standard diagnostic tests not accommodating individuals with special needs, specifically it relies on self-report when the individual is not able to fully verbalize their symptoms.   If service providers can diagnose the mental health issue, then it would allow for more appropriate and overall treatment of the individual with intellectual and developmental disabilities.