EMDR Treatment in People with Mild ID and PTSD: 4 Cases

• Published in: Psychiatric quarterly Vol. 82; no. 1; pp. 43 - 57
• Main Authors: Mevissen, L., Lievegoed, R., de Jongh, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.03.2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety disorders; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Biological and medical sciences; Case reports; Child; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Child clinical studies; Complaints; Developmental disorders; Disabled people; Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing - methods; Female; Humans; Intellectual deficiency; Intellectual disabilities; Intellectual Disability - complications; Intellectual Disability - therapy; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental health; Middle Aged; Original Paper; Post traumatic stress disorder; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Health; Social skills; Sociology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - complications; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - therapy; Suffering; Symptoms; Treatment Outcome; Netherlands; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Intellectual disability; Treatment; Trauma; EMDR; Human; Handicap; Treatment efficiency; Anxiety disorder; Developmental disorder; Mental retardation; Stress; Case study; School age; Young adult; Intellectual deficiency; Adult; Feasibility; Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing; Child
• ISSN: 0033-2720; 1573-6709
• DOI: 10.1007/s11126-010-9147-x

Although there is evidence to suggest that people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are likely to be more susceptible to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than persons in the general population, until now only eight case reports on the treatment of people with ID suffering from PTSD symptoms have been published. In an effort to enrich the literature on this subject, the aim was to investigate the applicability of an evidence-based treatment for PTSD (i.e., EMDR) in four people with mild ID, suffering from PTSD following various kinds of trauma. In all cases PTSD symptoms decreased and the gains were maintained at 3 months to 2.5 year follow-up. In addition, depressive symptoms and physical complaints subsided, and social and adaptive skills improved. It is concluded that clients′ improvements converge to suggest the applicability of EMDR in people with mild ID. Difficulties involved in arriving at an accurate PTSD diagnosis in ID clients are discussed.