Assessment and classification of psychiatric disorders in adults with learning disabilities

A systematic assessment of a person with learning disabilites consists of measuring psychopathology, doing a diagnostic classification, identifying the causes using a framework of biopsychosocial and developmental information, and evaluating health-related risks. There are special considerations for assessment, including communication; awareness of response styles; capacity to consent; and the use of information from multiple sources.  Attention should be given to developmental issues (such as pathoplasticity); syndromal issues (including behavioural phenotypes); and epidemiological issues (including comorbidity with conditions such as epilepsy). Multiaxial diagnostic classifications have been developed. An outline is given of Diagnostic Criteria for Learning Disability (DC-LD).