
Funded by the WITH Foundation

Integrated Mental Health Treatment Guidelines
for Prescribers in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Contents
Fundamentals of Psychopharmacology
The Lived Experience Perspective
- Communicating with Patients with IDD and Their Family Members
- Considerations for Waiting Rooms
- Sensory Considerations for Medical Providers
- Cultural Competency and Prescribing
Psychiatric Assessment Considerations
Medical Assessment Considerations for Patients with IDD/MH
Best Practices in MH Diagnosis and Treatment
- Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders
- Depressive Disorders
- Bipolar Disorders
- Grief and Loss
- Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
The first edition of Integrated Mental Health Treatment Guidelines for Prescribers in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities was made possible with funding from the WITH Foundation. Content developed as part of this project is provided at no-cost. Thank you to all of our project contributors, focus group respondents and participants.
Following review and use of the IDD-MH Prescriber Guidelines, please share your feedback with us by completing this survey. The feedback you provide will be reviewed by editors for consideration for future editions of these guidelines.
Use the grey panel on the left to navigate through each section of the IDD-MH Prescriber Guidelines on our website. The guidelines are also available as a PDF booklet, available for download below. There is also an option to download individual sections of the guidlines at the top of each section on our website.
Download the IDD-MH Prescriber Guidelines
These guidelines were developed by the National Center for START Services at the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disabilities with funding from the WITH Foundation.
PI, Joan B. Beasley, PhD
© 2023 National Center for START Services University of New Hampshire Institute on Disabilities
Senior Editors
Barnhill, L. Jarrett, MD, DFAPA, FAACAP, Professor and Founding Director, Program on Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry, UNC School of Medicine; Co-Editor, Diagnostic Manual- Intellectual Disability
Beasley, Joan B., PhD, Research Professor, University of New Hampshire College of Health and Human Services
Caoili, Andrea, LCSW, Director of Research & Quality Assurance, National Center for START Services, University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability
Hecker, Melanie, MPA, Self Advocate, Research and Training Assistant, National Center for START Services, University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability
Klick, Susan, Family Member
Contributing Editors
Charlot, Lauren, PhD, LICSW, Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Brody School of Medicine, Eastern Carolina University; Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UMass Medical School; Clinical Consultant, NY START Region 4 Triborough (YAI); Clinical Reviewer, US Department of Justice
Diane Jacobstein, PhD, Clinical Psychologist/ Adjunct Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
Rubin, I. Leslie, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Morehouse School of Medicine; Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine; Director, Break the Cycle Program, Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Emory University; President and Founder, Break the Cycle of Health Disparities, Inc.; Medical Director, The Rubin Center for Autism and Developmental Pediatrics
Contributing Authors
Baker, Daniel, PhD, NADD-CC, Jenson Internal Reviewer and Positive Support Compliance Specialist, Minnesota Department of Human Services
Baldor, Robert, MD, FAAFP, Professor of Family Medicine and Founding Chair, Department of Family Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School-Baystate;
Benson, Alyce M., MSW, Project Facilitator, National Center for START Services, University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability
Blanco, Roberto, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Co-Director, Program on Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry, UNC School of Medicine; Medical Director, NC START Central
Grosso, Elizabeth, MSW, Director of Training and Professional Development, National Center for START Services, University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability
Harvey, Karyn, PhD, Director of Training and Program Development, The Park Avenue Group, LLC
Hinton, Jill, PhD, Clinical Director, National Center for START Services, University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability
McLaren, Jennifer, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine; Co-Director, Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry Clinic at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center; Medical Director, New Hampshire Bureau of Developmental Services, Chief Medical Advisor, National Center for START Services, University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability
Stratigos, Katharine, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University Department of Psychiatry; Medical Director, NY START Region 4 Triborough
Tomasulo, Dan, PhD, MFA, MAPP, Academic Director, Spirituality Mind Body Institute (SMB) MA Degree Program, Core Faculty Dept of Clinical Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University; Assistant Instructor, University of Pennsylvania Master of Applied Positive Psychology; Director, NYC Certification in Positive Psychology, Open Center
Weigle, Karen L., PhD, Associate Director, National Center for START Services, University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability
Yielding, Jeni, OTR/L, Occupational Therapist, Consultant