Caring for the patient with mental retardation in the emergency department

There are approximately 6 million individuals with a diagnosis of mental re tardation in the United States. Because of deinstitutionalization of patien ts with mental retardation, coupled with an increase in their life expectan cy, emergency physicians are increasingly encountering and managing patient s with mental retardation in the emergency department. Many emergency physi cians are uncomfortable when interacting with individuals with mental retar dation, which often carries over to the assessment and management of these patients in the ED. The purpose of this review is to aid the emergency phys ician in understanding the patient with mental retardation, their comorbid conditions, and the approach to evaluating and managing these patients in t he ED.