background Little is known about the influence of mild intellectual disability/borderline intellectual functioning (mid/biF) or posttraumatic stress disorder (ptsd) on treatment results in severely mentally ill (smi).
aim To investigate whether screeners determining mid/biF or ptsd are associated with less favorable treatment outcome in smi.
method The screener for intelligence and learning disabilities (scil) was used to screen for mid/biF. The trauma screening questionnaire (tsq) was used to detect ptsd. Outcomes of these screeners were associated with repeated measures on the health of the nation outcome scales (HoNOS) in 628 smi at the Mental Care Centre of Oost Brabant.
results In 628 patients one or more HoNOS was acquired. In 352 (56%) patients a scil was acquired, in 334 (53%) patients a tsq. The largest improvement was observed in patients not meeting the criteria for mid/biF and/or ptsd. Less improvement was observed in patients with ptsd and a suspected iq between 70-85, estimated with the scil. No significant change on the HoNOS was observed in patients with an estimated iq below 70.
conclusion Routine screening for mid/biF and ptsd symptoms is important for early recognition of the disorder, resulting in providing better treatment interventions for patients with mid/biF and ptsd.