DO ANXIETY DISORDERS EXIST IN PERSONS WITH SEVERE AND PROFOUND MENTAL-RETARDATION

Sixty-nine individuals with severe and profound mental retardation wer e selected from 289 clients and studied for possible anxiety disorders . The validity of the DASH-II anxiety subscale was evaluated to determ ine its value in categorizing individuals with and without anxiety. Ou r findings were mired. Only behavioral symptoms associated with anxiet y could be reliably assessed in these individuals. Unfortunately this ruled out many core symptoms of the disorder. Implications of the find ings are discussed. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.