An important national conference is coming to Texas. NADD, The National Association for the Dually Diagnosed (intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health) will be holding their annual conference in San Antonio, on November 12th – 14th, 2014. This conference offers Texans an exceptional opportunity to learn more about the mental health needs of individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD).
NADD is a nonprofit association dedicated to increasing the understanding of, and services for, individuals with IDD and co-occurring mental health conditions. The mission of NADD is to advance mental wellness for persons with developmental disabilities through the promotion of excellence in mental health care.
It has been estimated that the rate of mental health conditions for those with IDD is two to three times higher than for the general population. Unfortunately, treatment practices have yet to catch up with the reality that people with IDD do live with serious mental health conditions. Too many systems of care for people with IDD continue to focus on controlling and managing challenging behaviors without adequate consideration of the potential for underlying mental health or medical conditions as the cause of the behavior.
To learn more on this topic and the upcoming NADD conference please visit http://thenadd.org/.