Abstract

Optimal pharmacotherapy in treating the mental disorders seen in persons with intellectual disabilities relies on care plans formulated on a broad biopsychosocial perspective.

• An inclination for these individuals to present with behavioral features, particularly aggression, has contributed to a long-standing pattern of overuse of antipsychotic medications.
• Many jurisdictions, having closed their traditional institutions, have yet to establish the specialized secondary and tertiary mental health services needed to provide care and relevant professional training.
• Contemporary advances in genetics and neuroscience hold promise in facilitating accurate diagnosis and individualized medical interventions i.e., “personalized medicine” for these individuals.