Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) experience higher rates of mental health conditions, more frequent and severe symptoms, greater psychiatric medication use, and more cost-related barriers to treatment compared with those without such disabilities, according to a study in JAMA Network Open.Why It’s Relevant
People with IDDs face pronounced health challenges and barriers to accessing high-quality care. These barriers are present among both patients (e.g., difficulties with transportation or communication) and clinicians (e.g., insufficient training in disability-inclusive care). Efforts to quantify these inequities are hampered by limited national surveillance data.
By the Numbers
- Researchers pooled data from the 2021-2023 U.S. National Health Interview Surveys, which included 796 adults with IDDs and 43,682 adults without IDDs.
- Adults with IDDs were younger, more likely to have a family income below the federal poverty level, and more reliant on public health insurance (53% compared with 15% of those without IDDs).
- Adults with IDDs were nearly 10 times more likely to report experiencing anxiety every day and nearly 18 times more likely to report daily depression compared with those without IDDs.
- 42% of adults with IDDs took prescription medications for anxiety and 38% took prescription medications for depression compared with 9% and 6%, respectively, of those without IDDs.
- 18% of adults with IDDs delayed needed therapy or counseling due to cost compared with about 4% of adults without IDDs. Additionally, about 9% of adults with IDDs declined to get needed therapy or counseling due to cost, compared with 3% of adults without IDDs.
The Other Side
The study relied on self- or proxy-reported functional limitations to identify individuals with IDDs rather than clinical diagnoses, which may have resulted in some individuals being misclassified and/or adults with milder or later-identified disabilities being underrepresented.
Takeaway Message
“Pervasive disparities in diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes are driven in part by the systematic exclusion of people with IDDs from clinical and health services research,” the researchers wrote. Advancing equity in mental health will require multiple efforts, including the inclusion of adults with IDDs in federally funded research and targeted investments in addressing mental health conditions in this population.
Related Information
Source
Anthony R. Osuna, et. al. Anxiety, depression, and care barriers in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. JAMA Network Open. Published February 20, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.60205
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