950 A Multi-System Approach to Treating People with Dual Diagnosis (Intellectual Disability and Psychopathology) Shafi Mashiach, Adi Dwek-Bonar and Amanda Sinai Abstract Dual diagnosis is a term used in mental health to describe when a person is affected by two conditions at the same time. In this context, we use the term dual diagnosis to describe a diagnosis of intellectual disability as well as a mental health disorder and/or emotional or behavioral difficulties. Until a few decades ago, the general thought prevalent amongst psychiatrists and psychologists had been that people with intellectual disability were “immune” to mental health disorders. However, nowadays, there is a large amount of evidence to show that children and adults with intellectual disabilities have higher rates of mental health problems when compared to the general population. In this chapter, we will review the development of professionals’ attitudes towards psychopathology in people with intellectual disabilities and we will discuss potential reasons for high rates of psychiatric disorders in this population. We will also discuss the challenges in management of dual diagnosis in Chapter on page 273
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