Issues in the identification of comorbidity of mental retardation and psychopathology in a multicultural context

Identification of the comorbidity of mental retardation and psychopathology in a multicultural setting raises manifold difficulties. The present study explored the sampling and identification issues implicated in estimating t he prevalence of this dual diagnosis in a South African clinic sample. The relations between the prevalence of dual diagnosis and socioeconomic status , gender, and severity level of retardation were investigated. The detectio n rate of 4.36% was significantly lower than that of other studies. Prevale nce was found to be greater in areas of high socioeconomic status, among ma les, and among less severely retarded individuals. Implications of these fi ndings for cross-cultural studies and for allocation of service resources f or patients with dual diagnosis are considered.